Borders on floors

[TimLowe]

Just posting this again in hope of a reply?! Job starts in the morning!!

Hello everyone, first post for a while as I've been abroad. Also first job for a while, and am still new to this tiling lark so would appreciate any advice

I have a 6m2 bathroom floor to tile with porcelain tiles (300x300 I think) The customer wants a mosaic border around the perimeter - also porcelain, though only using two tiles off the sheet (approx 40mm each).
The room is in an old house and some of the walls are quite bowed and uneven. also, there is an old chimney breast and fire place to go in and around and a couple of other "character" bits!!
Basically I'm a bit concerned about setting out. Should I ping a line around the whole perimeter allowing for 2 full mosaics and a cut to allow for the bendy walls? I can then tile up to this line and fill in the border after?
If i've done this, what happens with filling in the centre?! I'm worried about having to have cut edges up against the border( as opposed to being up against the wall as per norm) Will it look too messy?! i can't see anyway around this problem, as the tiles are unlikely to fit perfectly within the border.
Also, I think the mosaics will be thinner than the bigger tiles (going on previous experience with wall tiles) , do I just lay a thicker bed of adhesive to bring them up to the same height? Should I lay down some sort of filler? Bit of old ceramic tile or something?
Do all porcelain tiles need sealing? these aren't shiny, don't look polished at all.As far as I remember unpolished doesn't need sealing?
Any advice would be much appreciated First job for a couple of months! Wish i was back on the beach!

[davy_G]

Hi,
I wouldnt be too happy with having my cuts to the border either!
The best option may be to try and persuade the client to tile the floor as normal with maybe a mosaic pattern in one of the tiles or use the mosaic as a skirting board along the bottom of the wall??

As for the difference in depth, adjust your trowel size to suit like you say but if the mosaics are really thin then use a cheep ceramic.
I dont generally seal porcelain but be careful, see if it stains with a bit of water and if so it will need sealing, if the mosaics are marble they will need sealing as well!

[Leatherface]

Sounds like you are onto a looser here mate if she wants a 2 strip mosaic border all round. It's unlikely that they will fit right without gaps to the edges. Ebven if you used 3 or 4 strips you would either have gaps to the wall or end up havins sliver cuts. You would be better off having a mosaic border slightly inset, leaving space for maybe a half tile or so on, all round up to the wall
Mosaics are hard to bed up so Isuggest if they are thinner then use some strips of thin backer board such as No-More -Ply first ( this is only 6mm thick ) this can be stuck down with adhesive , then put mosacis on top. Remaining tiles can be bedded up to meet if necessary.
Hard to say how to set out without seeing room.
Usually only polished or some unglazed porcelain need sealing.

[alex1963]

could you bring your border futher into the floor tiles and then use your 300 s as an outer border/filler?

[Leatherface]

Think that's just what I said !!
Regards L

[TimLowe]

Thanks for the replies.

Had another look at the floor with the customer and decided to just put some strips of mosaic through the other tiles, looks pretty good, customer happy so that's all that matters really.

Was going to move the border in, but it would have put my grout lines out for the rest of the cuts to the outside.

Can be a headache this setting out business!!!

Cheers
Tim

[pjc]

and i thought it was easy this tiling lark