I am using a 3/8” U-notched trowel, which has a half-moon shaped notch. Rectified tiles are perfectly uniform, with precisely defined edges, requiring the least amount of grout. These strips can be finished to look like the floor or painted to stand out. Grout Lines for Floor Tiles. In basic terms it is easier to wiggle a tile into a bed of thinset put down with a u-notched than with a square-notched. Before you begin setting tile, decide which tile trowel to use. May 19, 2019 at 9:43 pm. The difference in trowel notch shapes determines how easily the tile becomes fully embedded in the bed of thinset. Determining which trowel size is proper for your installation depends on both the tile itself and the substrate. as 1/2” trowel) means that both measurements are the same. Smaller tiles are smaller notches, and vice versa. For example: A higher quality tile could allow for a 1/16" or 1/8" grout line and maybe even a brick layout as lippage may not be an issue (in a perfect tile world) where as a lower quality tile might have major lippage risk so laying the tile in 1/3's and having a 1/4" grout line is recommended. This is both the width and depth of the teeth. You can also expect to find a couple of shades of gray, brown, and tan (or almond). 1. It is always better to use a larger trowel than you might need for the installation. YES,CHEAPEST WAY DEFINATELY,IT MUST BE SCREWED AND GLUD AT 300 mm CENTRES ,PRIMED AS PREVIOUSLY STATED,WEDI BOARD IS A BETTER PRODUCT,BUT ITS ALL DOWN TO COST AGAIN, WEDI BOARD IS A BETTER PRODUCT,AVAILABLE IN A RANGE OF THICKNESSES,YOU CAN FIX IT WITH FLOOR ADHESIVE,AND BED IT UP OR DOWN TO THE REQUIRED HEIGHT,MAKING SURE NO VOIDS ARE LEFT BELOW THE BOARD WHEN FIXING IT, RECENTLY TILED AN ONIELS IRISH BAR 300 SQ MTRS ,THE FLOOR HAD TO RAISED BY 12MM TO ACCOMODATE 2 LEVELS FLOORING,WEDI BOARD WAS AN EXCELLENT FAST TRACK PRODUCT IN THIS SITUATION,ITS NOT A CHEAP PRODUCT BUT DOES THE JOB IT IS MADE TO DO,EASY TO CUT AND INSTALL,MAKE SURE ALL JOINTS ARE TAPED,AND LAY IT BRICK BOND FASHION, you can lay the matting yourself its so easy,a good blade in your stanley knife,and a floor layers trowel 1 to 2 mm notch should do fine,you dont have to be too accurate with the cutting around door casings etc, as long as its covered with the matting you should be fine, Which Tiles Are Best? Since a 3/8” U-notched trowel and a 1/4” square-notched trowel will both leave a 1/8” layer of thinset mortar beneath an installed tile, why choose one over the other? Over the years, tile sizes have grown dramatically. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The trowel’s tooth shape and spacing determines how much thinset is sandwiched between the tile and substrate once the tile is fully installed. [DLMURL="http://www.schluter.com/5372.aspx"]Wood Substrate - Over Unoccupied Space - Schluter-Systems[/DLMURL], Infact, just reading through Epoxy Pete's post, its bang on so I will save my breath. As a general rule, floor tiles should have grout lines of 1/8 inch or larger, depending on the type and size of tile; most floor tiles are 8 inches by 8 inches, but larger versions are available. Basically, there is not a standard trowel size for tile installation, since it depends on the size and type of tile you install. When you use a square-notched trowel with the same size notch and teeth (i.e. Find a color that blends into the edges of your tile. U-notched vs. square-notched is a personal preference. For … Actual finished grout spaces will vary from 1/8" to 1/4" if 3/16" spacers are used. The type of tile determines the tile trowel size. 20 years ago, 8×8 floor tiles and 4×4 wall tiles were in fashion and the more common sizes, but now, the more common and fashionable sizes include 12×12, 18×18, 12×24, and even larger for floor tiles, and 8×10 and larger for wall tiles. Although they are the same dimension, each tile may require a different trowel size. All tile manufacturers offer a recommended trowel size. A 1/2” square-notched trowel will accomplish the proper coverage in that instance. [RELATED: Are you mixing mortar the right way? Be concerned with the amount of coverage for the tile. Will thick DPM sheet act as a poor mans decoupling membrane? I suggest these are fitted in a brick type overlapping pattern to allow for variance so the grout joints can be minimisied. On the large-size tile adhesive mixture is applied with a trowel spatula of a larger size (with a scallop 1-2 cm). Pushing a tile into the bed of rounded ridges causes the ridge of thinset to spread out, from the bottom, with less possibility of trapping air. Hi. Gap Size. hairline crack, slight flex in 2 tiles - to foam or not to foam? The simplest way to link floor tile and hardwood of different heights is with a transition strip. Most wood look floor tile requires a 1/8 or 3/16” grout joint. Luckily the tiles are pretty even sized. There are two basic ways to determine which size of trowel to use: calculating the warpage (cupping) of the tile and substrate or visual inspection. If one of the tiles is fairly flat with minimum warping (cupping), you may meet the proper coverage requirement using a 3/8” square-notched trowel. Cleaning Epoxy Grout on textured porcelain tiles. Shower walls can be covered in glazed ceramic or porcelain. Tile spacers allow you to achieve a consistent pattern when fixing wall/floor tiles and help to ensure that all tiles are laid equidistant from each other (providing a symmetrical finish - as you or your customer would expect) in order for the grout to then be applied. I am covering my 10 year old basement floor (grey painted) with vinyl click tiles. Silly question I know but would having a stronger flex in a a bigger gap be better for the overall stability of an area? A little extra thinset beneath a tile is completely acceptable, not enough thinset beneath the tile is not acceptable. The standards for the manufacture of tile allow for variation from tile to tile. That’s a pretty narrow grout joint. A 3/8” x 3/8”’ trowel will leave a 3/16” bed of thinset beneath the tile. Rubi manufactures tile trowels in two basic types, the square-notched and the U-notched. If the tile is cupped, the opposite corner will not be face-to-face, it will spread apart. Can floor tile be removed and reused? There is more to that requirement such as complete coverage beneath all four corners of the tile, but those are the basics. Although they are the same dimension, each tile may require a different trowel size. Cupping of the tile means the amount of variation from the plane. When installing wall and floor tiles, technicians place plastic spacers between each one to ensure the lines remain uniform.Tile spacers range in size from 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch. The tiles are 33.3m² and 7mm depth. Normally the lugs will create grout lines that are 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. If squeezing the tile in this manner produces a 1/4” space between the tiles in the opposite corner, it means the tile is cupped by 1/8”. I am using 18 inch tiles should have ¼ inch space in between and %. X 3/8 ” ’ trowel will leave a 3/16 ” grout joint not enough thinset beneath the tile ]! 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