Spacing

[STEVES-HOME]

Hi, this may seem like a daft question but I have got two different sizes of tiles to put up in my kitchen but wondered how I will space them together. The bottom two rows are 200 x 100 and the top two rows 100 x 100. Once I have put a spacer between the two 100 x 100s the length will be 202 instead of 200 which the bottom rows are. Over a run of a wall this amount out will be quite big. Should I use floor spacer on the bottom rows?

Thanks
Steve

[david campbell]

a few questions first
what is the surface you are tiling onto?
have you measured the tile sizes sometimes a 200 x 100mm will actually measure 198 x98mm and the same on the 4" squares

[STEVES-HOME]

Hi, Thanks for the response. Its a plasterboard that I am tiling onto, 75% of which is skimmed. I have not measured them but when I laid a few out with no gaps they started and ended in line so I am thinking when spacers are applied its not going to work out.

[diamondtiling]

If they are in line when all butted together they should still be in line with a 2mm spacer,
using floor spacers will give you too thick a grout line.
You could use brick bond on the bottom rows and normal square pattern on the top.
Are you putting a border in?

[STEVES-HOME]

Hi, unfortunately no border so they will be sitting right on top of eachother. Although they are in line now, when spacers are put between there will be more spacers at the top. So for example three 200 tiles at the bottom would have 2 spacers for that run. The top however will take up six tiles to do the same distance with 5 spacers. Therefore it will be an extra 6mm out. (assuming 2mm spacers are used)

[diamondtiling]

Brick bond on the bottom rows?

[david campbell]

what about laying the second row upright?
the bottom row will be 100mm x 100mm
and the second row will be 100mm long by 200mm high?
giving a continious groutline on the up direction

[david campbell]

Brick bond on the bottom rows?

but by the time you reach the corners it will look like 1/4 bond? on every second tile

[STEVES-HOME]

Sorry, Yes it is brick pattern on the bottom rows.

[david campbell]

Sorry, Yes it is.

???????

[diamondtiling]

If he comes off a centre line Dave then he will have 1/4 or maybe more every 2nd row but it will wrap around the room, most brick bond does this doesn't it. If you are going brickbond Steve then i understand Dave's ? mark, this should not cause spacing issues between the two different sizes.

[david campbell]

i wa only concerned over the length of the wall
in fact what is yhe length of the wall? we forgot to ask that
it wouldn't matter much upto say 2m but it could start looking a bit iffy when longer if your almost repeating the bond with a 2mm offset

[STEVES-HOME]

Although the bottom two rows are brick pattern shouldnt the square tiles on top of this always be in line with the top row of bricks or does this not matter?

[STEVES-HOME]

The wall is about 4 mtrs long

[david campbell]

is this a course of 100 x 100mm tiles followed by a row
of 200 x 100 mm(in brickbond) followed by a field layout of
100 x 100 mm tiles?

[STEVES-HOME]

This is the design I had in mind

[david campbell]

This is the design I had in mind

as you say it won't work out perfectly the vertical grout lines will be out slightly and pushing out more towars the corners,why don't you start with having the 200 x 100 mm tiles upright
or as my previous post
100 x100's
then 200 x 100's
then 100 x100 s from then on
if the 200's are a different colour it will give a feature effect

[STEVES-HOME]

Thanks, that sounds easier to me. I will run it past the designer (wife). The brick tiles are a different colour so would look good as you say.

[diamondtiling]

Steve if all tiles went as good as your image then we would all have an easier life

However if there are small variations in size then the grout lines will vary as you progress, you will have to get your brickbond on and then position the smaller tiles as best as you can. You could always opt for a diamond pattern on top of the brickbond, cut the smaller ones in half, fix and then tile away.
If you got yourself a border tile then that would eliminate a lot of problems for you.

[david campbell]

Thanks, that sounds easier to me. I will run it past the designer (wife). The brick tiles are a different colour so would look good as you say.

the first and third row of tiles will be 100 x 100mm's so line them up and it will be fine

[kev]

try 2mm spacing on the bottom rows and half it to 1mm on the top, should work ?

[david campbell]

try 2mm spacing on the bottom rows and half it to 1mm on the top, should work ?

1mm on a plasterboard wall?

[kev]

David, the wall is only 4m long, there would be no problem with a 1mm spacer on the top row