French pattern Travertine - Tile Advice

[craigy]

Hi everyone, I am a beginner starting another room at my home here in the US and want to do the French pattern again. Have unfilled unpolished chiseled stone and the tiles are 8x8, 8x16, 16x16 and 16x24. I understand the pattern but when you add the grout line to two 8's it ends up wider than the 16 it is going next to. What would a pro do? Should i cut off the chisels against the walls if there will be no trim?
I've seen it done two ways, one is what i call fudged, the other had the stone laid tight and grouted the chisels full. I like to see the chisels and want to clean the grout out of them.

 

[Dan]

Hi Craigy,

Can you not open up the pattern so the grout joints are a bit bigger and can deal with the slight difference?

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Hi everyone, I am a beginner starting another room at my home here in the US and want to do the French pattern again. Have unfilled unpolished chiseled stone and the tiles are 8x8, 8x16, 16x16 and 16x24. I understand the pattern but when you add the grout line to two 8's it ends up wider than the 16 it is going next to. What would a pro do? Should i cut off the chisels against the walls if there will be no trim?
I've seen it done two ways, one is what i call fudged, the other had the stone laid tight and grouted the chisels full. I like to see the chisels and want to clean the grout out of them.

Hi

Can you butt (your American you'll probably laugh at the use of butt ha) on a serious note butt the tiles up 2x8s to a 16 and run a grinder down the joint once set to give you the grout line?
We used to have to do this with old Dennis of ruabon quarry tiles!. Some of the 'senior' tilers may remember this?.
And I take it by French pattern you mean French sets?.

 

[AliGage]

Opus pattern.

Everytime. Everytime, I've fixed these when it's stone I've had to cut down the 8" square to suit. Around 2-4mm each time.

I'd suggest cutting them ad you go and then recreating the edge on the cuts.

I wouldn't precut them all first because depending on the quality of your stone the difference can vary, and the pieces are not always square.

 

[craigy]

I guess I can do either of the two latter suggestions but geez!! lot of extra work. Lucky I am not doing it as a job for someone that I quoted first! Tough to recreate the chiseled edge on hundreds of tiles or fill a finished room with grinding dust if I did set them first. I think I'll do what Dan says but close the pattern and make the joints tighter and deal with it..
You'd think the quarry would cut these tiles the right size to allow for grout dimensions.

 

[craigy]

It seems like the distributors aren't interested in these details unless you buy tons and tons of tile per year from them.

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

I found a lot of them always seemed to have one side not square!.

In terms of grinding the joint I'd only recommend if on site with a powerful vaccume behind the blade, not to be done in the home.

 

[AliGage]

I think I'll do what Dan says but close the pattern and make the joints tighter and deal with it..
You'd think the quarry would cut these tiles the right size to allow for grout dimensions.

You font want to be closing, you want to widen the common joint size. The smaller stones are too hig. A 5mm joint over the whole floor will give you around 2mm aroubd the 8" tiles.

 

[craigy]

You font want to be closing, you want to widen the common joint size. The smaller stones are too hig. A 5mm joint over the whole floor will give you around 2mm aroubd the 8" tiles.

I have to lay it out dry to see. I thought if the 8s are too big, that a wider joint between them would make them even bigger, layed next to a 16 or a 8 and a 16 layed next to a 24

 

[AliGage]

I have to lay it out dry to see. I thought if the 8s are too big, that a wider joint between them would make them even bigger, layed next to a 16 or a 8 and a 16 layed next to a 24

if the 8's are too big to fit in the pattern with your selected joint space, then all the other joint space in the pattern will need to be made bigger to compensate.

personally these leads to more issues and can look unsightly. Especially if some of your stone is not square. It could end up looking a mess.

use a slow set adhesive and be prepared to trim some dtone as you go.