my job for next week!

[Mike]

here's what i'm laying next week. about 4m x 3m. should be fun!

[faithhealer]

nice, wouldn't know where to start lol

[Mike]

nice, wouldn't know where to start lol

nor me guess it'll be the centre!

[peckers]

Ive got one to do myself in the next month and there aint one wall paralell to the other and not one square corner either

[Mike]

Ive got one to do myself in the next month and there aint one wall paralell to the other and not one square corner either

same with that floor too, that plan is nothing like the one i drew with the measurements and approx angles. all them look square

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

very buzzy pattern there

[kilty55]

go chat to tj or tench man they are both gurus in that kind of work,,might give you some invaluable info

[Mike]

go chat to tj or tench man they are both gurus in that kind of work,,might give you some invaluable info

who's tj and trenchman? names dont ring a bell

[doug boardley]

you'd start with the border tiles, wouldn't you? and then fill in.

[kilty55]

tj is timeless john,,tench man isnt a regular but his works amazing ,,,look throo members for them

[Mike]

you'd start with the border tiles, wouldn't you? and then fill in.

the borders will have to go in prior to the rest but i will have to work from the centre out to keep it symetrical

[timeless john]

Morning - You need to find a middle straight line - dry lay a few tiles in pattern (allowing for joint size) and measure accross the diamond to gain the position of 1st border line.
Unlike your picture, I'd finish all the edges of the main design on a half triangle powder blue - this means you wont have any red against the red of the linear border.
Measure the width of the border and use the outside powder blue tile as your variable size filler tile to the skirting and to take into account any wall movement.
The process is reapeated for the end of room measurement as well.
The most important part as you are aware is the time spent looking before your first tile is fixed - don't rush the setting out and measuring.
Good luck.

[faithhealer]

Morning - You need to find a middle straight line - dry lay a few tiles in pattern (allowing for joint size) and measure accross the diamond to gain the position of 1st border line.
Unlike your picture, I'd finish all the edges of the main design on a half triangle powder blue - this means you wont have any red against the red of the linear border.
Measure the width of the border and use the outside powder blue tile as your variable size filler tile to the skirting and to take into account any wall movement.
The process is reapeated for the end of room measurement as well.
The most important part as you are aware is the time spent looking before your first tile is fixed - don't rush the setting out and measuring.
Good luck.

cracking advice from an old pro

[Phil Hobson]

I have been known to do the odd one or two of these. As stated by TJ preparation and setting out is paramount. I tend to lay the field tiles first, having determined the width of the border plus the perimeter filler piece. If there are discrepancies in the floor ie. out of parallel/ out of square, the perimeter filler can accommodate any variation. Without taking your eye off the main floor These floors are a joy to do, providing you have got the price right

[Phil Hobson]

Some pics to hopefully demonstrate.

[Phil Hobson]

Try again

[Mike]

Morning - You need to find a middle straight line - dry lay a few tiles in pattern (allowing for joint size) and measure accross the diamond to gain the position of 1st border line.
Unlike your picture, I'd finish all the edges of the main design on a half triangle powder blue - this means you wont have any red against the red of the linear border.
Measure the width of the border and use the outside powder blue tile as your variable size filler tile to the skirting and to take into account any wall movement.
The process is reapeated for the end of room measurement as well.
The most important part as you are aware is the time spent looking before your first tile is fixed - don't rush the setting out and measuring.
Good luck.

thanks for that john but changing the main design wouldn't work as unlike the plan the room is out of square. there are no 90 degree corners in it so having small tiles in some places will be unavoidable. should there be a certain size spacer? or should i trial and error on a dry area first to see what size? the plan was by original tiles but dont say anything on it. thanks. btw there is piece of tile the wrong colour on the plan, see if you can find it

[whitebeam]

Try again

Stop it Phil, it's just sheer tile ****

[Mike]

Some pics to hopefully demonstrate.

here's a couple of pics after day 2 (day 1 was wasted due to me having to put new slc down) builder had done it but was nowhere near flat

[timeless john]

thanks for that john but changing the main design wouldn't work as unlike the plan the room is out of square. there are no 90 degree corners in it so having small tiles in some places will be unavoidable. should there be a certain size spacer? or should i trial and error on a dry area first to see what size? the plan was by original tiles but dont say anything on it. thanks. btw there is piece of tile the wrong colour on the plan, see if you can find it

Not quite sure why you think you have to have an unequal centre design and same colours meeting at the borders. I'd think you should use the outside freize to take out any variation in the walls.
Latest pictures are looking good.


Bottom left hand corner of main design cut up against border - should have been a blue small triangle and they have shown white!

[Mike]

Not quite sure why you think you have to have an unequal centre design and same colours meeting at the borders. I'd think you should use the outside freize to take out any variation in the walls.
Latest pictures are looking good.
Bottom left hand corner of main design cut up against border - should have been a blue small triangle and they have shown white!

there is a big variation between the lengths of the opposite walls so all angles are far from 90 degrees so border (imo) would need to run parallel with walls to look correct. i asked the client today and she'd prefer the border to run parallel rather than 'square' around the room. the plan shows special corner borders, are these available? as they're not with the rest of the tiles. thanks

[Mike]

well spotted btw john

[Burnsy]

well spotted btw john

What size trowel / grout joint have you used on that?

Looking good so far

[Mike]

What size trowel / grout joint have you used on that?

Looking good so far

6mm trowel and 2mm spacers as recommended by original tiles

[Tenchman]

Thanks for praise from TF members. No i'm not a regular because i'm often working away from home and too knackered after working on geometric floors either new or restoring to contribute. made up for it this week tho
have posted loads lol.
As TJ said don't skimp on setting out i have a grasmere pattern of 18+ sq metres to do next week it cost £3,800 for the tiles so time spent getting everything right is essential.

Centre start is ok for 300x300 but a Geo floor should be started with having worked out your variable = cut tile against the skirting board, you should be working on the straightest wall and put down a long border and a short border so that you have a perfect right angle formed in the corner.
you need a good straight edge and a good solid square essential to make a good job.

If this type of floor is out of whack by a whisker it is ruined on the finish.

the variable cut around the border and field takes up the out of alignment that most walls have, this leaves you with a straight lined run of tiles that you can lay like a carpet.
as these floors tend to have the same cuts each side (depending on width and asethetics)

if you have formed a perfect right angle then your first tile will be in the top left corner or top right if you are a lefty (unless the the rhs is wobbly and has too many doors)
You will need to lay acros the floor from border to border and inc the variable either as line or a cut tile as a dry lay first to check it is ok.

If you think this is pointless and lay from the middle ? think on this if you get it wrong you won't know until your border doesn't fit and you have to take the lot up.

I laid one of these in the isle of man for a client who wouldn't allow pics and it was over 800 sq metres. if you look on my website tedsmore hall floor which i took up and put back down was 1,200 sq metres. so i know how to do these and they look great if you do them properly but really crap if you don't.
good luck and it's Tenchman

[Mike]

Thanks for praise from TF members. No i'm not a regular because i'm often working away from home and too knackered after working on geometric floors either new or restoring to contribute. made up for it this week tho
have posted loads lol.
As TJ said don't skimp on setting out i have a grasmere pattern of 18+ sq metres to do next week it cost £3,800 for the tiles so time spent getting everything right is essential.
Centre start is ok for 300x300 but a Geo floor should be started with having worked out your variable = cut tile against the skirting board, you should be working on the straightest wall and put down a long border and a short border so that you have a perfect right angle formed in the corner.
you need a good straight edge and a good solid square essential to make a good job.
If this type of floor is out of whack by a whisker it is ruined on the finish.
the variable cut around the border and field takes up the out of alignment that most walls have, this leaves you with a straight lined run of tiles that you can lay like a carpet.
as these floors tend to have the same cuts each side (depending on width and asethetics)
if you have formed a perfect right angle then your first tile will be in the top left corner or top right if you are a lefty (unless the the rhs is wobbly and has too many doors)
You will need to lay acros the floor from border to border and inc the variable either as line or a cut tile as a dry lay first to check it is ok.
If you think this is pointless and lay from the middle ? think on this if you get it wrong you won't know until your border doesn't fit and you have to take the lot up.
I laid one of these in the isle of man for a client who wouldn't allow pics and it was over 800 sq metres. if you look on my website tedsmore hall floor which i took up and put back down was 1,200 sq metres. so i know how to do these and they look great if you do them properly but really crap if you don't.
good luck and it's Tenchman

thanks for that tenchman, i do understand what you mean but i've already started from centre out. i plan on laying all full field tiles then laying borders in best position then all field and variable cuts. as i said earlier all walls are well out of 90 degrees, do you still recommend the border laid at right angles? would make the field area a lot bigger

[Pebbs]

Im starting to think there are certain people with 'trowel fixations' on here...well if it floats your boats so be it

Pebbs

[Tenchman]

sorry not laid at right angles . the corner of each border must be a right angle = perfectly square.

[Mike]

if the borders are 90 degrees then the variable tiles will be tapered? lesser of the 2 evils i guess?

[Tenchman]

correct, but it stops your borders looking wonky these are swines to do when you have already started in the middle i didn't realise it was a job that you had begun didn't notice date.

you are best making a staff for a good section of tiles then using that to set your next section,then you can tap them into position with a good bit of straight 2x1 or similar.
that will keep your sections the same size and keep them square to each other.