Spacers or not???

[John the tile]

Hello,

Just tiled a bathroom with these tiles.

Relieve Urbana Gris Wall Tile

I used 2mm spacers with these tiles. Some of the tiles were not perfect in size or the grout line pattern did not always match perfectly with the next tile to the right or above/below etc. So I made sure they "did" match up, but this was at the expense of some of the grout lines. These are not noticable. I have a question.

1)Was I right to use spacers....

Also another note, as I said in the other thread... the tennant is still saying their friends have the same tiles in their bathroom done ages ago, and have got a perfect match of grout with the grout line pattern... (something I would love to see.) Ive explained it near on impossible, not only is there not the exact colour match from topps, or TG range, it can vary in shade if your slightly out with the water/powder ratio. (like i I say I would love to see it)

2) Anyway, just to confirm I wont need an exact match, because Im grouting the pattern aswell as the grout lines.

thanks

[Bri]

Some tiles like this have a leaflet with them telling the installer to rotate the tile if the lines do not match up, basically saying they aren't made very well! I'd say if the lines in the tiles are 2mm then you were right to use a 2mm spacer otherwise it would have been obvious where the whole tiles were, the effect is to get all the tiles to look like individual pieces. Don't be too critical on yourself, some of this type of tile are very badly made and it's just a case of doing the best job you can with what's infront of you.

[John the tile]

thanks , good advice,, youve put my mind at rest a bit...

any thoughts on the other question regarding grouting ........

[Bri]

Are you saying that you want to match the colour of the grout to the colour of the tile?

[John the tile]

No,---- the actual grout lines which make up the tiles pattern. Ive told tennant ill be tiling all the grout lines AND the tiles own grout lines which make up the pattern. all with the same grout.... BUT they say their friends had ONLY the real grout lines grouted exactly the same colour as the tiles grout line pattern... - I said that virtully impossible due to the reasons stated above... like I say I would love to see their freinds bathroom...

the question I was asking was just to confirm that I DO grout the tiles grout line pattern ASWELL as the real grout lines... (im using manhatten grey-mapei) which co-incidentally is the closest I could find to the tiles grout line pattern.

[Bri]

No,---- the actual grout lines which make up the tiles pattern. Ive told tennant ill be tiling all the grout lines AND the tiles own grout lines which make up the pattern. all with the same grout.... BUT they say their friends had ONLY the real grout lines grouted exactly the same colour as the tiles grout line pattern... - I said that virtully impossible due to the reasons stated above... like I say I would love to see their freinds bathroom...

the question I was asking was just to confirm that I DO grout the tiles grout line pattern ASWELL as the real grout lines... (im using manhatten grey-mapei) which co-incidentally is the closest I could find to the tiles grout line pattern.

Yeah grout the lot, thats the right way. Their friends bathroon sounds a bit suspect to me!

[Dave]

Yes you grout the face of the tile as well.. installed loads of these tiles when Azuvi used to do them for CTD... I use tile wedges on this tile type and keep the joints minimal to give that mosaic look rather than a tile look , as the junction/joint on each tile will be wider than the tile face joint if you go to wide..

[hillhead]

The last one i did i can honestly say when it was finished not a tile joint could be seen.
I was delighted after the fight i had,lol.
AS above grout the whole lot, that's the way.

[tilerjason]

i did a similar bathroom and i didnt use spacer as i found that tile were badly made and turned out better without them