cuts on floor and walls. - TilersForums.com

[NorthSeaTiger]

haven't posted in a while. still been planning things out. (work offshore and planning on doing tiling when I can when Im home.) done a fair few jobs over the years. homers for family and friends, just small jobs apart from one which was a full bathroom and kitchen, walls and floors. I doe a bit of tiling when i left school too.

anyway, I have been putting the feelers out a bit and im gonna be tiling my girlfriends mums kitchen and my mates full bathroom and kitchen, wallas and floors.

When I tiled before I was never really taught the best way to get get your cuts right. whats the best way to measure your cuts at the edge of walls on the floor and on a wall to get the best finish?

I'll prob be making a lot more threads regarding my upcoming jobs and I hope to post pics of them when they get done.

Thanks

 

[doug boardley]

I tend to flip the tiles over so the face is facing the wall/floor, then mark the tile from the corner to the edge of the full tile

 

[Mike]

the easiest way is to use a staff or a length of batten just shorter than the wall your going to tile, mark out the tiles and spacers on the batten and move it side to side till you find the ideal position. if possible it's best to centralise the window, with either a full tile or a grout line central. try at all times to avoid small cuts (slithers) but it's not always possible. good luck with the tiling

 

[Mike]

I tend to flip the tiles over so the face is facing the wall/floor, then mark the tile from the corner to the edge of the full tile

looks like i misunderstood re the cuts, i was advising against small ones. i use a steel rule but it's each to their own i guess

 

[suave]

reverse marking for me

 

[doug boardley]

looks like i misunderstood re the cuts, i was advising against small ones. i use a steel rule but it's each to their own i guess

maybe I've misunderstood it Mike, but your advice is sound so between us we should have all bases covered

 

[NorthSeaTiger]

sorry, I may not have explained it right. I wasn't meaning when setting out I was meaning when measuring the cuts to go against the wall.

Is there a diagram or anything that explains the reverse technique? I think I get it but im not 100% sure. I'd like to be able to get cuts flush against the wall (if on a floor say) without having to put in a bead of silicone to hide bad cuts.

if that makes sense.

 

[doug boardley]

you do need to put in a bead of silicon on all corners mate, to act as a buffer for any movement expansion.

 

[NorthSeaTiger]

looks like i misunderstood re the cuts, i was advising against small ones. i use a steel rule but it's each to their own i guess

the steel rule method. would this work by measuring from the edge of the last full tile to the edge of the wall? to get the grout joint right we would measure to 4mm (if 2mm grout joint) away from the edge of the wall so we'd get 2mm grout joint between last full tile and the cut tile and 2mm away from cut tile to the wall?

hope that made sense...!!

 

[Rich]

You should leave a small gap and silicone between walls and walls and walls and floors anyway (not grouted). I turn the tile over 180 degrees (so that the tile is upside down and glazed side out) and mark each side of the tile, leaving a 2mm gap. Then cut the tile, check it and fix it in place with adhesive, spacers and wedges.