ᐅ Experience with installing 60x60 cm tiles yourself?

Hello dear forum,

This year we bought a house from the 1970s and are now undergoing a complete renovation. As a fairly skilled DIY enthusiast, I’m doing some of the work myself, for example, laying tiles in the basement.

Since the house and the renovation are already quite expensive, we want to avoid spending too much on tile materials for the basement. Nice 30x60 or 60x60 cm (12x24 or 24x24 inches) porcelain tiles with rectified/calibrated edges are available in clearance sales for under €20 per square meter (around $20 per square yard), while 30x30 or 45x45 cm (12x12 or 18x18 inches) tiles are only available at regular, much higher prices. I’m leaning towards the 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles but I’m still unsure because of the larger format.

Who else here is an ambitious DIYer and has laid 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles themselves?

Years ago, I installed 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles in a brick bond pattern but struggled a lot with leveling and avoiding lippage. Even if I were to lay the 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles now in a third-bond pattern, would 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles with straight grout lines probably be easier and faster?

The basement rooms are roughly square, so square tiles would also visually fit better (although it’s just a utility basement, so appearance isn’t very important). The basement currently has untreated screed of an unknown type, meaning it’s not smoothed or covered with leveling compound. There are no local uneven areas, but I can’t rule out imperceptible waves or height differences that aren’t visible to the eye.

Renovator123 schrieb:

I would lean toward the 60x60, but I’m still unsure about the "large" format.
Who else here is an ambitious DIY enthusiast and has installed 60x60 tiles themselves?

It’s actually suitable even for less ambitious DIY lovers. The floor should be reasonably level, and you should use a leveling system—up to 90x90 tiles, I install myself as well; beyond that, I don’t have a tile cutter at home. Depending on the tile surface, you can also use a tile lifter (I mean the handles with suction cups). That way, you can easily position the tiles by yourself.

I installed 50 x 50 cm (20 x 20 inches) tiles myself in the utility room, and it went very well using a leveling system. Our screed was also very even, and our walls were perfectly square. If you are unsure about your walls, mark a guideline to start from beforehand.

Thanks in advance for the encouraging replies!

nordanney schrieb:

The floor should be reasonably level, and you should use a leveling system – up to 90cm x 90cm (35in x 35in) I also lay myself

As far as I understand, the issue with a not 100% level screed and large tile formats is the risk of hollow spots. Especially in combination with leveling systems, where, in the worst case, a tile can be pulled out of the adhesive bed again.
Have you experienced problems with hollow spots regarding the 90cm x 90cm (35in x 35in) tiles and a “reasonably level” substrate?

In this context, another question comes to mind: Is it possible to remove a pressed-in 60cm x 60cm (24in x 24in) tile without damage if the screed is not completely level somewhere and some adhesive needs to be taken out or removed?

Renovator123 schrieb:

Did you have any problems with hollow spots when using 90x90cm (36x36 inches) tiles on a "reasonably level" subfloor?

No. No problems. Took the new screed as it was. Thanks to buttering and floating, you can compensate a lot.