setting out time dry lay?

[terry the tiler]

I seem to be spending a lot of time setting out floors, wondering if theres a quick way ? after prepping i normally dry line a few rows then tweek them to get the best line .. this could lead me to dry lay most of the floor so it doesnt look off angle . how do you lot find the correct line if the rooms not square ?

[andy allen]

i look at a room and see which wall will follow your eyeline, i then square everthing off that wall using a long stright edge..

[terry the tiler]

what if theres no walls to come off, i mean if the kitchen has units fitted all round

[whitebeam]

Put your level against the kitchen unit doors reaching to the floor and pencil mark, I would start from the longest set of units but like everythink play it by your eye, if it don't look right, it aint..

[andy allen]

i tend to stand in door ways , and eye up whats going to look the strightest line, if its a long set of kitchen units , take that as being stright, work your tiles out from that line and away you go..

[doug boardley]

as 'beam and andy for me, square off the longest wall usually.

[garythetiler]

my advice is carry on spending plenty of time setting out, you would be mad to try and rush it ,after a while it becomes less of an issue as experience tells you where the best place to start but for now take your time use your guage stick

[jay]

my advice is carry on spending plenty of time setting out, you would be mad to try and rush it ,after a while it becomes less of an issue as experience tells you where the best place to start but for now take your time use your guage stick

spot on

[Yorkshire Tiling Services]

Use a tile staff !!!
Dry laying is complete madness !!

[macten]

Drylaying has its place ie a small bathroom floor
Anything else then square off a long straight wall and staff out.

[andy tiler]

As garythetiler dont rush.the setting out has got to be right,speed comes with experiance.

[Yorkshire Tiling Services]

3 4 5..........

[deanotile]

Use a tile staff !!!
Dry laying is complete madness !!

if it is a small floor i dry lay the lot and then use a good rapid set like Webber SPF or Variset XP it is not madness in some situations it actually saves time.

[deanotile]

3 4 5..........

?????????????

[jay]

?????????????

Either missing two fingers or he might be referring to a way of achieving a square line off a line

[Ken Bruty]

3,4,5 is 3 lines with measurements with a ratio of 3,4,5 creating a right angle triangle. So for example you have a line 30cm long put a 40 cm piece of string at one end and strike an arc. Then get a 50cm piece of string with a pencil say and strike an arc, where the two arcs intersect above the original 30cm line will give you a perfect right angle. To make the triangle bigger you can have a line say 60cm;80cm;100cm, as long as the ratio is 3,4,5 you will create a perfect right angle, whatever the measurement unit is.

[Phil Hobson]

Pythagoras, square on the hypotenuse 3/4/5 basic tiling or building formula. Before steel squares, or lasers The square of the hypotenuse, is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, simples

[doug boardley]

...or 5,12, 13,,,,,useful on long corridors. But you still have to decide which wall you're starting from, I quite often dry lay first, not completely on a big floor but most times to get the initial lay-out.

[andy8758]

3,4,5 is 3 lines with measurements with a ratio of 3,4,5 creating a right angle triangle. So for example you have a line 30cm long put a 40 cm piece of string at one end and strike an arc. Then get a 50cm piece of string with a pencil say and strike an arc, where the two arcs intersect above the original 30cm line will give you a perfect right angle. To make the triangle bigger you can have a line say 60cm;80cm;100cm, as long as the ratio is 3,4,5 you will create a perfect right angle, whatever the measurement unit is.

I love a simples answer - actually found a use for my o level maths from 1974!! The best tiling advice I have picked up tends to be the basics like this that we should all know but dont care to remember.

[Phil Hobson]

Outside walls should be square, so I tend to go for that, but still use a staff. I do dry lay small areas too. We all have our own ways, as long as the finished job is good, there is no right or wrong way. Whatever works for us is good.

[deanotile]

lol i am familiar with the 345 square on the hypotenuse just don't know how it will help the op set out his floors ????????*

[Phil Hobson]

I still rely on the old Lancashire method Dean, rac o' theye, if it looks right, it probably is.

[andy8758]

I still rely on the old Lancashire method Dean, rac o' theye, if it looks right, it probably is.

Yeah but some of us are getting old and cant see straight even when we wear specs!

[Phil Hobson]

I agree Andy, me being one of us .

[Simmo35]

3,4,5? on your tape measure 3ft up your chalk line from centre of the room then 4ft to the right or left of line. Then from the 3ft mark measure 5ft to the 4ft mark, then at the point these two meet put a mark through it to form an x. now string you line through your centre mark through your 345 mark from wall to wall. now you will have 4 right angles a square floor. simples

[Simmo35]

I've been doing this for 22year and i still lay tiles out. You just get quicker at it thats all. LOL

[deanotile]

rubi-square-550.jpg

3,4,5? on your tape measure 3ft up your chalk line from centre of the room then 4ft to the right or left of line. Then from the 3ft mark measure 5ft to the 4ft mark, then at the point these two meet put a mark through it to form an x. now string you line through your centre mark through your 345 mark from wall to wall. now you will have 4 right angles a square floor. simples

lol*

[Yorkshire Tiling Services]

In most cases it is insanity !! Yea the odd small floor yes, but these guys need to know the principle of setting out a floor !!
And the ?????????????? for 3 4 5..... this is the basic principle for finding 90 degree angles....
this will explain better than I can...
Getting Things Square With the World: 3-4-5 Triangles « Mike’s Tech Math Blog

[deanotile]

so can you enlighten me then how dose it help the op set his floor out ?????????????????????????

[doug boardley]

...don't think it does Dean, I think we've drifted from original question.