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.
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.
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Renovator12315 Jul 2024 20:46Okay, so far the overall feedback is clearly positive towards installing the 60x60 tiles yourself! Are there any opposing opinions or even more support for this?
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Buchsbaum06615 Jul 2024 23:05Well, tiles are simply heavy. You should have some experience.
But if it’s a basement area, I would do it myself. Usually, there are shelves or cabinets placed on these surfaces anyway. A few millimeters (inches) here and there shouldn’t matter. Such things usually get overlooked after about two weeks at the latest.
But if it’s a basement area, I would do it myself. Usually, there are shelves or cabinets placed on these surfaces anyway. A few millimeters (inches) here and there shouldn’t matter. Such things usually get overlooked after about two weeks at the latest.
Renovator123 schrieb:
Okay, so far the overall trend is clearly positive towards installing the 60x60 tiles yourself!
Are there any opposing opinions or even more support? I’ll put it this way: I was young, had a screed floor with leveling compound, unfortunately with slight waves, but I still started working with 30x30 cm (12x12 inch) tiles in our main room of over 50 m² (540 sq ft) in a townhouse. The walls were completely out of plumb, so I dry-laid the tiles beforehand and had to adjust the line several times. Overall, the area was 10 meters (33 feet) long and about 5.50 meters (18 feet) wide.
My husband assisted with the adhesive, and I took care of the meticulous work. In the end, we managed it, but I dealt with a slipped disc afterward.
Considering your situation with basement rooms: go for it!
However, I wouldn’t choose the cheapest option because those often tend to be difficult to maintain—just my experience.
I probably wouldn’t recommend the 60 cm (24 inch) edge length either. If there is any issue, smaller formats offer more flexibility. But that’s just my practical take: why create more work when it can be done more easily?
[[The question to ask yourselves is: why do you have to use tiles? Do you have an exterior access there? Of course, tile is a durable surface (in my opinion the best option for the ground floor, because of the constant foot traffic… terrace and entrance), but a basement without direct access is usually not frequented enough that a cheaper design floor wouldn’t be simpler?]]
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Renovator12316 Jul 2024 20:26ypg schrieb:
then you are more flexible with smaller sizes. I would also prefer 30x30cm (12x12 inches) or 45x45cm (18x18 inches). But as mentioned in the original post, unfortunately these are more expensive than 30x60cm (12x24 inches) or 60x60cm (24x24 inches).
ypg schrieb:
[[The question to ask is, why do they have to be tiles? Do you have an external access there? Of course, tiles are a durable surface (in my opinion the best option for the ground floor, because you constantly go in and out... terrace and entrance), usually a basement without direct access is not frequented enough that maybe cheaper vinyl flooring would simply be more practical?]] Good question, we have also considered that.
However, for three reasons we tend to go with tiles:
- In terms of price, vinyl flooring and tiles are quite similar. For decent quality, both cost about 15-20 €/m² (14-19 USD/sq ft).
- Heavy objects (heavy-duty shelving, workbench) leave indentations in vinyl flooring and therefore cannot be moved around anymore.
- The basement has an open connection to the ground floor and no perimeter insulation. It stays pleasantly cool in humid summer weather, but I see a risk of mold developing under vinyl flooring.
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motorradsilke16 Jul 2024 20:42Renovator123 schrieb:
I would also prefer 30x30 or 45x45. But as mentioned in the original post, unfortunately, these are more expensive than 30x60 or 60x60.However, I can't understand that. Every hardware store offers affordable smaller tile sizes.
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nordanney16 Jul 2024 21:15Renovator123 schrieb:
I would also prefer 30x30 or 45x45. But as mentioned in the opening post, these are unfortunately more expensive than 30x60 or 60x60. Honestly? 30x30 looks worse in comparison and isn’t easier to install.
motorradsilke schrieb:
I can’t understand that. Every hardware store has inexpensive smaller tile formats. When I go to my tile supplier, there are also affordable small formats. But there are always 20-30 discontinued models or clearance items priced between 10 and 20 euros per square meter (about 1 to 2 dollars per square foot) – formats ranging from 60x60 to 120x90. So the question of choosing small formats doesn’t even come up.
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