where is the best place to start tiling on a floor

depends on the layout Daz, if it's a regular shaped floor, I find the centre and work to it so opposite sides have the same size cuts, a good tip is to work towards your doorway too!!

I find the centres and work out all the cuts, once I know where the first line of full tiles will be closest to the wall I start there, put all the cuts in as I go and work to the door.
Make the floor out with a marker pen or use a guaging rod, try and make sure all cuts correspond to each other.

Originally Posted by diamondtiling

I find the centres and work out all the cuts, once I know where the first line of full tiles will be closest to the wall I start there, put all the cuts in as I go and work to the door.
Make the floor out with a marker pen or use a guaging rod, try and make sure all cuts correspond to each other.

i have marked the centre of room , but was considering starting from one of the right angles and working towards the wall , filling in that quarter and repeating the process on the other right angles . does this make sense

I would do row after row, maybe two at a time at most, cut as you go. what adhesive/grout are you using?

i would look at the floor from the first angle i.e.doorway, if it would look better with full cuts to a certain area i would go with that so as the cut tiles are in a more hidden position, if the floor was a perfect square then maybe start in the middle and work out but always working to the doorway to make my escape........Alby

I agree with Dom, what i was trying to say was, find the centre and then work out where the courses start in correspondence to the centre, you can either use the centre of the tile to straddle your centre lines or place the tile edge up to your centre line (allowing for half a grout joint width).Once I've worked this out I normally start at the furthest point on the left hand side of the door and come through parallel with the door wall 2 or 3 rows deep, depending on the size of the tile and how far I can reach. easier to do than explain tho'

Originally Posted by albyshellshear

i would look at the floor from the first angle i.e.doorway, if it would look better with full cuts to a certain area i would go with that so as the cut tiles are in a more hidden position, if the floor was a perfect square then maybe start in the middle and work out but always working to the doorway to make my escape........Alby

iiam a plasterer by trade thats why the questions , the floor is a one off for afreind. the roomis a small kitchen 18 x 12 which is bare the units will be fitted once tiled, the room is pretty square so measured to get right angle in the centre so now ihave four sections i have guaged the cuts and are ok becuase of units and the doorway is over half a tile. iwould like to be able to complete one quarter of the room including cuts then start on the opposite quater etc till i reach the door , does this sound okay

No, do a couple of rows at a time, completing box sections is not advisable

Originally Posted by diamondtiling

No, do a couple of rows at a time, completing box sections is not advisable

i am not sure what you mean. do i strike my lines then with my straight edge as a guide start running rows down the center line towards the door and across the the bisecting line towards each wall!

After marking out you will have a centre line, work out the tiles back to the wall, start laying the first full row, put the wall cuts in as you go and do row after row until you finish.

There are no hard and fast rules in my view. Depends on the shape of the room.

If it's a simple square or rectangle, I strike two chalk lines from the the four corners, that will leave a cross in the middle of the room. From that cross section I measure to see if that cross is dead centre to surrounding walls, if it's out, hopefully by not too much I take out that decrepentcy on both sides-compromise the tile layout so as it's shared on all sides. Then I do a dry tile run with spacers so as I end up with a cross of single file tiles, across and along the centre of the room out to the four walls. When I'm sure that the room will look balanced when the tiles are set I will strike some more lines as a guide and measure from those when needed. This allows me to do my cutting before I start. (need to be accurate)

When cutting I will cut tile for the first half of the room furthest from the door, then install mechanically left to right. When the first half is finshed I cut the second half of tiles for the room, working left to right again, untill the great escape. The last row I do from corner to corner meeting in the middle of the row (door) to finish, that way I have avoided any weight pressure on the tiles throughout the installation. Phew!

Hope this helps in some way.

If the room is large I'll take it in thirds/quarters. I use the same method for grouting, stopping to clean every 15/20mins or when grout is stable enough to sponge off.

However, if it's a centre patterned theme i start from centre then work around the edges to the door. Still do the last row thing. lol.

Originally Posted by diamondtiling

After marking out you will have a centre line, work out the tiles back to the wall, start laying the first full row, put the wall cuts in as you go and do row after row until you finish.

that's what I was trying to say

Originally Posted by aqua blue

There are no hard and fast rules in my view. Depends on the shape of the room.

If it's a simple square or rectangle, I strike two chalk lines from the the four corners, that will leave a cross in the middle of the room. From that cross section I measure to see if that cross is dead centre to surrounding walls, if it's out, hopefully by not too much I take out that decrepentcy on both sides-compromise the tile layout so as it's shared on all sides. Then I do a dry tile run with spacers so as I end up with a cross of single file tiles, across and along the centre of the room out to the four walls. When I'm sure that the room will look balanced when the tiles are set I will strike some more lines as a guide and measure from those when needed. This allows me to do my cutting before I start. (need to be accurate)

When cutting I will cut tile for the first half of the room furthest from the door, then install mechanically left to right. When the first half is finshed I cut the second half of tiles for the room, working left to right again, untill the great escape. The last row I do from corner to corner meeting in the middle of the row (door) to finish, that way I have avoided any weight pressure on the tiles throughout the installation. Phew!

Hope this helps in some way.

If the room is large I'll take it in thirds/quarters. I use the same method for grouting, stopping to clean every 15/20mins or when grout is stable enough to sponge off.

i cannot understand the cross sections as i am laying from the centre out i am not laying a forty five degree angle if you know what i mean , it would be helpfull for someone to email me guide lines on the floor for laying tiles and ending up with a good job. my e mail is (Removed by Moderator) cheers i need help on where to start .

Originally Posted by aqua blue

There are no hard and fast rules in my view. Depends on the shape of the room.

If it's a simple square or rectangle, I strike two chalk lines from the the four corners, that will leave a cross in the middle of the room. From that cross section I measure to see if that cross is dead centre to surrounding walls, if it's out, hopefully by not too much I take out that decrepentcy on both sides-compromise the tile layout so as it's shared on all sides. Then I do a dry tile run with spacers so as I end up with a cross of single file tiles, across and along the centre of the room out to the four walls. When I'm sure that the room will look balanced when the tiles are set I will strike some more lines as a guide and measure from those when needed. This allows me to do my cutting before I start. (need to be accurate)

When cutting I will cut tile for the first half of the room furthest from the door, then install mechanically left to right. When the first half is finshed I cut the second half of tiles for the room, working left to right again, untill the great escape. The last row I do from corner to corner meeting in the middle of the row (door) to finish, that way I have avoided any weight pressure on the tiles throughout the installation. Phew!

Hope this helps in some way.

If the room is large I'll take it in thirds/quarters. I use the same method for grouting, stopping to clean every 15/20mins or when grout is stable enough to sponge off.

this is very confusing advice and not a good way to set out or tile a floor ,
you would be far better as a beginner to make up a guage stick/pinch rod and mark where your tiles will come on the floor ,this is far quicker than dry laying out tiles then readjusting them ,use a chalk line once you have you have decided the best layout for the area being tiled snap a line then find your square using 3,4,5 pythagoras triangle and snap another chalk line , from these first 2 square chalk lines you can now use your pinch rod to make a grid on the floor
I would never close a floor as suggested as if there is any slight variation in floor the difference would be seen right in the door where you walk in .

Don't lay from the centre, get yourself a gauging stick and work back from the centre line to the furthest wall then start your tiling from there

"this is very confusing advice and not a good way to set out or tile a floor"

I said a dry run with spacers because he was a beginner. Pythagoras triangle? lol

Now that's confusing. No offense bro! Each to there own.

a 3,4,5 or even 5,12,13 triangle is basic Pythogoras aqua, not at all confusing and a very basic way of making sure your tiles will be running square.

Thanks doug, but how about for a beginner you start from the most prominent wall and work out from there. If the floor is planned out well- all edge tiles will be of maximum size, thus if the room is off square it will hardly notice.

That's the simplest way for a beginner methinks. Hope that one helped daz.

I'm telling Daz about how I learned, yes I was a beginner once too, albeit nearly 30 years ago

Pythagoras Theorem

Daz, if you decide to do that just double check the main wall is square with the door wall. If you do an L shaped dry run it will be obvious.

Enjoy the math lesson daz! All the best!

“Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.”Pythagoras

Originally Posted by aqua blue

“Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.”Pythagoras

i have a builders square so i will be okay with the pythagoros bit, but why can i not once squared the room work from the centre out to the wall

If your tiles are plain and it's a straight forward set, working from a far wall will give you more working room and lessen the chance of tile movement/contact whilst your'e installing.

if you do it in grids ,or quarters Daz, all it takes is oone joint to be slightly out of sync and the following tile joints will either bird mouth or tighten up. If you go in straight full courses including cuts, you minimise the chances of this happening

Originally Posted by doug boardley

if you do it in grids ,or quarters Daz, all it takes is oone joint to be slightly out of sync and the following tile joints will either bird mouth or tighten up. If you go in straight full courses including cuts, you minimise the chances of this happening

good advice Doug, similar to what I said, take the help offered daz, its all relevant to helping you. No one is going to say things that you want to hear mate.
We stick to the rules here matey.

[QUOTE=doug boardley;313844]if you do it in grids ,or quarters Daz, all it takes is oone joint to be slightly out of sync and the following tile joints will either bird mouth or tighten up. If you go in straight full courses including cuts, you minimise the chances of this happening[/Qdo you leave spacers in between tiles or remove them, also i would love someone to email me a drawing of positioning tiles correctly for floor sw012h4601@blueyonder.co.ukUOTE]