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A bunch of questions on porcelain tile uprgrade....

863 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  el cheapskate 
#1 ·
Hello all,

Other than the obligatory intro post, this is my first "real" post....

Here's what I got going. My wife and I recently decided to purchase a new house, and turning the one we are currently living in a rental. It has carpet throughout the house with linoleum in the kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, and entry way. We decided to leave the carpet in the bedrooms and lay tile throughout the rest of the house. I'm looking at about 500 sq. ft. of coverage. This is a relatively small house. So from what I read on the 'ol Google machine larger tiles will make a small space look larger than it really is. With that in mind we went with a large tile (18" x 18") glazed porcelain. We chose this particular tile because
A) it was large
B) It was $.49 sq ft.

So here's my questions.....

1) Thin set or medium bed mortar...and what is the difference
2) 1/4" spacing?
3) 3/8" or 1/2" teeth on my trowel? and squared or rounded teeth?
4) modified correct?
5) white or grey? Tile is 1005 beige
5) on initial layout, where do you start if the room is not a square or rectangle? There is nothing straight about the living room, dining room, or kitchen. I read to find center of the front door/entry way. and go across the room to the opposite wall and go out left to right from there.

I think that is all I have for now. I understand that the floor being level for this large of tile is crucial. I'm a pretty handy fella, but this is the first time I have done any tile work, and from what I'm reading I probably didn't buy the most user friendly tile for a new guy.

Any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Jarrett
 
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#5 ·
the larger the tiles the more important a flat floor becomes----invest in a 10 foot long straight edge----

Make sure the tiles are flat---low quality tiles are often out of square and somewhat warped or twisted---

You will do well to use leveling clips with big tiles like that---
 
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#3 ·
You really ought to re-think your choice of flooring. You have asked questions about laying a large format tile without concern of the substrate.
 
#4 ·
Jarrett said:
B) It was $.49 sq ft.
Holy chit, I can just imagine.:biggrin2:

1. medium bed,
2. maybe, depends on why the tiles are 49 cents. You'll need to check the tiles and be prepare to go wider.
3. ½" preferably "U".
4. Yes, unless you're going over a special membrane such as Ditra. Fat chance of that though. But you never said what you're going over.
5. Color of the thinset makes no difference. #1005 means nothing to us.
5a. Impossible to help without a detailed drawing. You have to be there otherwise.

Jarrett said:
Any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Yes. Check those tiles carefully starting with all the number and letters on the boxes. I'd be interested to know what's wrong with them.

Jaz
 
#6 ·
Thank you for the responses guys! I appreciate them greatly. I kind of had to "you know what" or get off the pot, and bought some of the materials yesterday. Looks like I did good......

rjniles
I apologize for not including in my first post that it is a six year old slab that I'm tiling over.

JazMan
I was hoping that you would see this and respond!

Here goes...

1) Medium is what I got. VersaBond Fortified LFT to be exact

2) I bought the 1/4" and will step up if need be. I have checked 3 boxes (24 tiles) and they all seem square. One tile was convex. I bought extra due to the fact that they are "B" grade tile.

3) Dang, I was close! I bought a 1/2" square. Should I swap it out for the "U" shaped one? And, again, please excuse my ignorance. But could you explain to me what the difference between the two are?

4) CHECK!!

5) With what I read I didn't think color did, but wanted to be sure. The box of tile had "#1005 beige" on it, that's the only reason I included that info.

5a) I CAN'T SEEM TO GET IMAGES LOADED.....

oh'mike
Leveling clips....I'll get them this afternoon. I bought the longest straight edge I could find at HD, right at 9'. I have checked the living room and it is flatter than a flitter. Still working on the adhesive left under he vinyl, I should have that knocked out this evening.

Again, thank you gentlemen.

Jarrett
 
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