Which trowel and grout line size for my tiles please?

[essexsi]

Hi all,

Thanks for the great help I have recieved in other questions.
Hopefully a couple of quick and easy answers for you pro's!!!
The following is in a walk in shower and the area will be tanked appropriately. I think I am right to be using a flexi adhesive on both with a long bucket life as this is first proper DIY tiling job, Ardex 7+G I believe is well thought of.

Wall
Plaster on block
Ceramic Tile size 300x600mm

Was thinking of using a 10mm trowel and using a 2mm grout line. Am I close?

Floor
Concrete screed
Ceramic tile size 300x300mm

Was thinking the same 10mm trowel as wall but maybe a 3mm grout line for the floor.

Any input appreciated.

Cheers Si

[Dave]

Sounds ok to me......

Trick is not to mix your adhesive to stiff ,then the ribs will collapse better to create a solid bed.

[Daz]

Ardex X7G+ is good stuff, I use it a lot.

[essexsi]

Blimey I was right then! Quick get the missus!

Cheers for the replies. Dave was you refering to the walls, floor or both?
Captain Slow I will be going for your title I think !!! I take it the Ardex stuff is suitable for the shower environment?

Cheers Si

[timeless john]

Si - Agreed with others - however I'd tend to keep the joint size the same and therefore you should be able to follow the wall and floor joints (1 wall tile to 2 floor tiles).
I said should because the extra joint in the floor tiles may push the line out. Check the tiles prior to setting out the room as some matching tiles for wall/floor tend to manufactured with a joint allowance.

John.

[essexsi]

Thanks for chipping in with a very good point John. Hadn't even occured to me being honest!
So if keeping the same would I be right to assume 3mm, if different then the 2mm walls and 3mm floor is ok.

Cheers Si

[david campbell]

i would agre with timeless john here,and would probably go for a 3mm grout line all round and make it all tie in,you won't really notice the difference with the size of the tiles anyway

[Dave]

As john mentions though..check the tolerance of the wall tiles against the floor tiles..Some manufactures make the floor tiles slightly smaller to allow for the extra in the joint....

And yes i have used 10mm both walls and floor....say you used an 8 mm and the coverage isn't sufficent then step up a trowel size..

[Daz]

I assume that you will be fixing the wall tiles in a portrait fashion? If not then there is little point in worrying about matching the grout lines...

[timeless john]

As I said Captain 1 wall tile to 2 floor tiles - if he's fixing it landscape!

I bet you've got that bath board covered in adhesive by now!

John.

[Daz]

Lol John,

Sorry I obviously didn't read it carefully.
Nah my bathboard is still lovely and clean. I thought I might wrap it in clingfilm to make cleaning easy.

Do you remember covering your school books with wallpaper to protect them? I might do my bathboard in some dodgy old stuff that I have lying around .

[whitebeam]

I primed mine with sbr just to keep it soooooooooo clean

[Dave]

Lol John,

Sorry I obviously didn't read it carefully.
Nah my bathboard is still lovely and clean. I thought I might wrap it in clingfilm to make cleaning easy.

Do you remember covering your school books with wallpaper to protect them? I might do my bathboard in some dodgy old stuff that I have lying around .

was poor...woodchip..

[essexsi]

Thanks for all your input.
I am laying them in a landscape way, so the 2 in 1 may well work out.

With the great advice I have received on this site I stand a fair chance now of not messing it up completely. We'll see!

Keep up the good work.

All the best Si

[Dave]

Good luck Si..and maybe a few pics eh..?.... when you finished