Large Tiles, Small Bathroom - Where Should the Grout Lines Go?

[john2k]

I’m planning to tile my bathroom next week and would like some advice on the best tile layout, mainly to avoid awkward-looking grout lines.

The bathroom is quite small, and I’ll be using large 120 × 60 cm porcelain tiles. I’ve made a simple mock-up of the room layout which is attached below (the view is from standing in the doorway).

When you walk in, the wall directly in front is about 227 cm wide and 230 cm high. On the right side of the room there’s a shower tray, which leaves about 137 cm of usable width from the edge of the tray to the left wall. The remaining floor space is roughly 137 cm wide (left to right) and 170 cm deep (front to back). There’s also a window recess on the back wall.

I’m planning to lay the wall tiles in a landscape orientation (120 cm wide, 60 cm high). Since two full tiles are wider than the wall, I’m trying to decide where the vertical joint should fall. One idea was to centre a joint on the toilet flush plate and trim the tiles on both sides, but I’m worried this might look odd with a grout line running through the middle of the toilet area. The other option, which seems better, is to centre a full 120 cm tile on the wall, leaving equal cuts on both sides. This would avoid having the toilet and flush plate sit on a joint.

I’m also planning to use the same tiles on the floor. If I go with the centred wall layout, I’m unsure how best to lay the floor tiles to suit it. My current thinking is to run the 120 cm length left to right and the 60 cm length front to back. Should the floor layout also be centred front to back, while keeping the same joint alignment left to right? And how much of a cut tile should ideally be at the doorway versus at the back wall near the toilet and window?

Hopefully that makes sense. Any advice from experienced tilers on how to achieve the most visually pleasing layout would be really appreciated.

 

[simplesteve]

Without knowing how far the centre of the toilet flush differs from the true centre of the wall, it’s hard to say. I’d probably go the join down the centre of the flush.

 

[john2k]

Without knowing how far the centre of the toilet flush differs from the true centre of the wall, it’s hard to say. I’d probably go the join down the centre of the flush.

i'll get that measurement when I get home later this evening. do you want the true centre from wall to wall ignoring the shower tray? or true centre from shower tray edge to wall?

 

[simplesteve]

Ignore the shower tray, that’s irrelevant- the wall is the wall

P.s. I presume the centre of the widow ties in with toilet/ flush centres?

 

[john2k]

P.s. I presume the centre of the widow ties in with toilet/ flush centres?

Yes the flush plate is centred to the window recess opening. But the window recess is not centred from wall to wall. from left wall to left edge of window is about 70cm and from right wall to right window edge is about 87cm approx

 

[aveatry]

Personally I would use smaller tiles, have you done any tiling before.

 

[john2k]

Personally I would use smaller tiles, have you done any tiling before.

Tiles are already purchased and got good deal on them so returning isn’t an option unfortunately. Yes I’ve done a lot of tiling in the past. Did an entire ground floor flooring at a family members house where i started from the a centre and worked out and they way the lines came out perfectly even cuts on each side and tiles flooring through rooms without thresholds. So quite confident with cutting and tiling etc just looking for best asthetic option for the alignment

 

[aveatry]

Tiles are already purchased and got good deal on them so returning isn’t an option unfortunately. Yes I’ve done a lot of tiling in the past. Did an entire ground floor flooring at a family members house where i started from the a centre and worked out and they way the lines came out perfectly even cuts on each side and tiles flooring through rooms without thresholds. So quite confident with cutting and tiling etc just looking for best asthetic option for the alignment

Great just asking, I have done quite a bit of DIY tilling too, including a whole bathroom but I would not fancy using tiles that big not on a wall with windows and loos and showers . Maybe I would on a floor.
You didnot mention the colour if its white then would not notice.
I have done the same debating on such things but even if its not 100% perfect lines after a few trips to the loo you dont notice it and other people certainly dont notice it.

 

[john2k]

Great just asking, I have done quite a bit of DIY tilling too, including a whole bathroom but I would not fancy using tiles that big not on a wall with windows and loos and showers . Maybe I would on a floor.
You didnot mention the colour if its white then would not notice.
I have done the same debating on such things but even if its not 100% perfect lines after a few trips to the loo you dont notice it and other people certainly dont notice it.

The colour of the tiles is beige. If I go with a joint down the centre of the flush plate that would mean 1 vertical joint line down the centre of the room. Whereas if I place one full piece in true centre position and then cut two equal ends for both sides that will mean 2 vertical joint lines

 

[aveatry]

I would place 1 full centre -But I would also want as minimum grout lines in the shower as possible so if that means the grout line is still outside the shower wall on the loo wall then ok.