1st Job: Setting Out

[Carlion]

Hi again,
After lots of good advice given here, I am now actually starting tiling tomorrow, after 2 days prep. Just wondered if someone could give me an idiots guide to setting-out a floor to a L shaped room.
Si

[garythetiler]

no one could possibly say with out seeing a plan of the room ie are there kitchen units? where are the doors that enter or come off the room ?with out knowing this any one would be guessing the best advice is try to avoid small slither cuts

[david campbell]

try dry laying all your field(whole) tiles first to see what looks best on the eye and what kind of cuts you have! always try and have as close to a whol tile as you can at the doorway and if possible set your centre coming from the middle of the door(not always poss but looks better)

good luck!

[Carlion]

Did think about drawing the kitchen on a scale rule and trying that. Alternatively, using a marking rod and working it our from there. Will try the full tile in the doorways.
Thanks, Si

[Fred]

I ping my lines to the centre of the floor then dry lay the tiles and adjust where necessary.

[Carlion]

Will try the chalk line too. Good advice everyone and many thanks again.
Si

[Daz]

As Gary said, it is not possible to give advice without an actual room plan / layout, but to give a few more pointers......

Try to identify what are your focal points.
Try to avoid cuts that are less than a third of the tile size.
Try to get tiles centred through a doorway.

Remember that if you ping a chalk line and find that some cuts don't work out, you will want a different colour chalk for the next line.
Remember to include the grout gap in all calculations.
Remember to ping lines in both x and y axis and calculate all cuts.

Dry laying tiles is a good way of visualising the "finished" look before mixing any adhesive and well worth the time if you are unsure.

Good luck, it's easy if you apply common sense and take your time .

Don't forget to post some pics!!!

[doug boardley]

I often lay my straght edge down with a couple of boxes of tiles on it to stop it shifting, I find this gives a straighter line than a chalk pinged line,( I always manage to get a slight curve when I ping a line, don't ask me how!!)

[Carlion]

Thanks, will post pics when done. Off to bed and no doubt dream about tile patterns etc.