We attended a large home building fair over the weekend. I also went to a lecture about large-format tiles, given by a publicly appointed and sworn expert in screed laying.
I was surprised to learn how challenging it is to install large-format floor tiles. Especially narrow grout lines cause significant issues. Staggered joint patterns (is that the correct term?) are also problematic. Tiles from 40x40 cm (16x16 inches) are already considered large-format. However, nowadays I see large-format tiles in almost every house. So here is my question: is this really the case? We are considering installing 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles. What are your experiences? Are there similar problems with large-format wall tiles?
Best regards,
Steffi33
I was surprised to learn how challenging it is to install large-format floor tiles. Especially narrow grout lines cause significant issues. Staggered joint patterns (is that the correct term?) are also problematic. Tiles from 40x40 cm (16x16 inches) are already considered large-format. However, nowadays I see large-format tiles in almost every house. So here is my question: is this really the case? We are considering installing 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles. What are your experiences? Are there similar problems with large-format wall tiles?
Best regards,
Steffi33
I talked to several tilers who actually wanted a "large format surcharge" from me. However, if someone asks for two to three times the price for a 60 x 60 cm (24 x 24 inch) tile, then either
- the base price is very "attractive"
or
- the tile
- the screed
- the tiler's skills
must be very modest. That person would not be allowed in my bathroom. The one we ultimately chose knew our tile and its quality and didn’t see any problem—in fact, quite the opposite. He hardly installs smaller formats anymore.
- the base price is very "attractive"
or
- the tile
- the screed
- the tiler's skills
must be very modest. That person would not be allowed in my bathroom. The one we ultimately chose knew our tile and its quality and didn’t see any problem—in fact, quite the opposite. He hardly installs smaller formats anymore.
S
Sebastian794 Mar 2016 07:51We have calibrated wall and floor tiles—only the basement floor tiles are not calibrated.
The wall tiles measure 33 x 100 cm (13 x 39 inches), the floor tiles are 60 x 60 cm (24 x 24 inches) and 45 x 90 cm (18 x 35 inches). The advantage of calibrated tiles is that the grout lines are narrow, and yes, the tiler must work very precisely; otherwise, it looks bad. The walls should also be straight; otherwise, as Andimann says...
In our shower, the tiles are not perfectly straight, but since there is no grazing light, it is not noticeable.
There was no additional charge, and the issue with warping is correct—we received the last batch of planned Villeroy & Boch tiles. The next batch was discarded due to warping—next delivery is scheduled for week 14—and we are still missing some. But since it’s for the staircase, it’s not so critical; we will use a different size.
A good tiler should point this out to you.
The wall tiles measure 33 x 100 cm (13 x 39 inches), the floor tiles are 60 x 60 cm (24 x 24 inches) and 45 x 90 cm (18 x 35 inches). The advantage of calibrated tiles is that the grout lines are narrow, and yes, the tiler must work very precisely; otherwise, it looks bad. The walls should also be straight; otherwise, as Andimann says...
In our shower, the tiles are not perfectly straight, but since there is no grazing light, it is not noticeable.
There was no additional charge, and the issue with warping is correct—we received the last batch of planned Villeroy & Boch tiles. The next batch was discarded due to warping—next delivery is scheduled for week 14—and we are still missing some. But since it’s for the staircase, it’s not so critical; we will use a different size.
A good tiler should point this out to you.
Our tiler installed almost exclusively random joint patterns with the wood-look tiles. This has the advantage of generating almost no waste. I always thought that a half-bond pattern was more difficult because, with long narrow tiles, the concave side always aligns directly with the convex edge.
The kitchen backsplash measures 60cm x 120cm (24 inches x 47 inches). The tiles are extremely heavy, but our tiler managed it.
The kitchen backsplash measures 60cm x 120cm (24 inches x 47 inches). The tiles are extremely heavy, but our tiler managed it.
S
Sebastian794 Mar 2016 09:29What is it used for in new buildings? I only know of it being used in shower areas – but it's not used here either.
We mostly have 60x60cm (24x24 inches) tiles. With a skilled screed installer in a new build, this is usually not a big issue. However, you shouldn’t choose the tiler based solely on price.
Our tiler also had one of our sample tiles in 90x90cm (36x36 inches). The cost for the material per square meter would have been about 15 euros higher, and the labor cost around 12 euros more. Besides that, we didn’t like the size.
Our tiler also had one of our sample tiles in 90x90cm (36x36 inches). The cost for the material per square meter would have been about 15 euros higher, and the labor cost around 12 euros more. Besides that, we didn’t like the size.
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