Wall 1st or Floor 1st?? hummm

[dangerSteve]

Hello fellas,

Im on a job at the moment and Im about to start on the travertine tiling, ive got both the walls and floor to fix. The substrate is nomoreply with ditra ontop fixed using kerraquick with addy, im also going to use kerraquick with milk to fix the travertine to the ditra. The travetine tiles are 400x400 and 15mm thick (i think) and these are being layed in a standard format with 2mm joints. Obviously the joints on the floors need to match up with the joints on the walls, but which do I tile first to make it simplest to keep the joints lined up?? I'm thinking logically the floor first would be easier but im not happy about working ontop of the travertine floor when it comes to fixing the walls???

Any ideas??

[GazTech]

Mark out your walls first and then tile the floor to match the lines. Take some hardboard and cover the floor up to about 3" from the walls and tape it down. Finally tile the walls following your joints from the floor........Gaz

[Daz]

I hate trying to get wall and floor grout lines to match up, mainly because the corners on walls then look all wrong to me. I try to give the illusion of a full tile round a corner, which means that you can't get the floor to match in both x and y plains .

I usually tile the walls first because there's always some wall adhesive and grout that seems to find it's way onto the floor no matter how many dust sheets you put down. I then talk the customer into a diamond pattern on the floor which, IMO, looks better anyway.

[top tiler]

tile the floor first and work of it if you put the floor in level it will make your wall tiling easier because you can stack straight up of the floor no need for battons

[whitebeam]

Your tiles on the walls are going to be at least 40kg m2, Did'nt mention what the backing is

[dangerSteve]

Backing is 9mm nomoreply screwed and glued to the brickwork walls and glued joints. Try ripping that baby off the wall!! muhuhahahaaaaa

[CCTiling]

I would start by tiling the floor and then the walls. Make sure you get the centre of the window and rest of room lined up ok. Once floor is completed, mark a level vertical line running up from every grout line on wall from floor before fixing batten line. Good luck mate

[Dave]

It's personal choice really .. no set way for which to do first....and not all floor tiles match in size to the wall tiles.....you take each job on its own merit and see which way will be esier for you to do....no 2 fixers will tile the same way....

[handyrabbit]

i did a bathroom 9 months ago (floor and walls!) and did the walls first because they were havin tile skirting. so did the walls than the floor and finally finished off with the skirting tiles!! if i was a mm out on the lines the skirting hidd it! looked a treat if i say so my self!! talk them into having the skirting - made my life much easier!!

another reason for doing it this way was i didnt want to have to worry bout getting the "yackum" on the finished floor!

good luck m8!

[poppyniks]

Agree with Dave on this one personall preference , i always do walls first but make all setting up marks first and along floor so you know obviously opposite tiles are matching in staright lines , obviously Spend time marking it all up and getting chalk, pen lines etc to match , then walls all the way first for some reason dont like working on walls after new floor has gone in , its always sods law adhesive finds it somewhere or a loose screw scratching etc.
good luck whatever

[Alberta Stone]

The advice Gaz gave is the same I would give.
I always tile the floor first and set the wall tiles onto the floor tiles.
It looks better this way.
Cardboard is free from various stores who bring in large items.
I salvaged some 4 X 5 sheets of solid plastic which was used for signage board on a local store which is about 1/4 inch thick.
I also have some painters dropcloths which I put down and then put down the plasti-boards on that.
No scratchs and you can drop a hammer with no worries.
If you look around you can probably find lots of suitable items for free or for very little cash.