What is the best spacer to use for floor tiles?

[naivegirl]

Hi
It seems I put my first message in the wrong topic area - sorry about that. I was just getting the hang of things...

I wondered if anyone knows about the most effective way to grout ceramic-tiled floors? The spacers I have been given to use are about 12mm wide.
I am uncertain about using something this wide with cement grout; it worries me that maybe the tiles won't do their job properly if they have huge grout gaps between them...
Surely the smaller the gap the better the floor covering at protecting the floor and being a waterproof surface? Is it possible that the grout may become saturated and begin to deteriorate if I use it with these v wide spacers?
My grandad taught me that matchsticks were the best spacer to use for any tiling. Perhaps I should stick to traditional methods???

Any ideas/opinions very welcome.

 

[Graeme]

12mm should be fine, remember that the grout really gives off that finishing touch for the finishedfloor. Only thing I would advise is to not go cheap on buying the grout and get the pre mixed stuff to prevent any inconsistency of mixture. I live by all of Everbuilds brand for quality for sealants & waterproofing when considering your grout. Matchsticks are ideal for wall tileing but far too small for floors

 

[simonh1024]

Some people like very wide grout joints, but usually its about 5mm, recently the trend is 3mm fine grout lines, it all depends on the size of the tile, colour, what you want etc.......

But as you have gone for 12mm make sure you use wide grout joint grout from a good tile shop, not b&q etc, a make like Howtex or Bal are good quality makes.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

A few (used) beer mats did it for me, but then they would, wouldn't they ??

 

[Jasonb]

I do a lot of handmade and natural stone tiles, because of the variance in thickness and shape a joint of 12mm or wider is often needed.

As has been said above, use a powdered wide joint grout as this will not shrink or crack as it dries, I tend to use the one made by BAL. If you are worried about water ingress you can add GT1 to the mix but it makes cleaning the grout off a lot harder

Use a mixer in an electric drill to get the grout well mixed, especially if it is a coloured one and not the standard grey.

Also don't underestimate the amount needed, I have just done a kitchen floor with hand made mexican terracotta and used 50Kg of grout

Jason