what size spacers

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Hi All,

i am getting ready to tile the bathroom, i was wondering if any one had any tips of what size spacers i should use, the tile size is 360mm x 275mm and 9mm thick,
also i am planing to use the same same tiles to tile the floor to, so would it be best to use the same size spacer on the floor and wall?
and one more thing what trowel would be best to use for this size tile?

many thanks in advance for your help

Tony
 
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Spacer personal choice mate, who much grouting would you like to to.
Standard tile trowel, your applying the adhesive to wall and floor not to tile.
 
i am getting ready to tile the bathroom, i was wondering if any one had any tips of what size spacers i should use, the tile size is 360mm x 275mm and 9mm thick, also i am planing to use the same same tiles to tile the floor to, so would it be best to use the same size spacer on the floor and wall?
Generally 2mm for walls; 4/5mm looks best for floors but you can go thinner; but you have to be careful on a suspended timber floor; supended floors need special consuderation.

and one more thing what trowel would be best to use for this size tile?
Sorry PBD but there is absolutely no such thing as a "standard trowel size”; although you can generally get away with two.

If you give me more info regarding what type of tiles they are & what it is exactly your tiling onto, both the walls & floor, I can advise; I just hope you’ve done you’ve done some research with tiles that size/weight!
 
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thanks for the replies so far,i was thinking of useing 4mm spaces on bith the floor and wals??
the tiles are illusion marble effect tiles ( from b and q), and the walls are plaster on 2 sides and plasterboard on the other 2 ( stud partion walls i think, no expert lol!) and the floor is floorboards which i am goingto plywood over
ermm and no not done a great deal of research about the tiles, they are a similar size ( just a little bigger) than the old ones i ripped off
oh and any tips on how to tile them brickwork style ??
thanks again
Tony
 
trowel size depends on condition of wall also.... worse the wall and bigger the tile= bigger the trowel, You will use more adhesive also. (use flexible powder addy)

Think and measure carefully before mixing your addy, measure and make marks on walls and avoid tiny slither cuts as they will look awful. If you have slithers when measuring then shift the markings over until you have a decent cut. (this applies to ceilings/floors and internal walls)

Is the suite in also as this could lead to problems if inexperienced!
 
i was thinking of useing 4mm spaces on bith the floor and wals??
.
4mm is fine on floors but is not good on walls; it look rather odd & my advice is to go for 2mm.

and the walls are plaster on 2 sides and plasterboard on the other 2 ( stud partion walls i think, no expert lol!)
.
You need to be aware of tile weight limits; raw plasterboard is 32 kg/sqm; plaster is 20 kg/sqm & that include up to 4 kg/sqm for the addy & grout. You need to check your tile weight per sq/m & you may be in trouble with the plaster finish but they don’t tell you this when you buy them. The plasterboard should at least be MR & if it’s a wet area, you need to tank or it wont last.

the floor is floor boards which i am goingto plywood over
ermm and no not done a great deal of research about the tiles, they are a similar size ( just a little bigger)
.
When you say floor boards, what exactly do you mean?

oh and any tips on how to tile them brickwork style ??
.
Let’s take one step at a time. ;)

There are many things to catch you out particularly if you intend tiling a suspended timber floor. I would advise you read the Tiling Sticky & Forum Archive posts before doing any more work or buying materials, it could prevent you making disastrous & potentially expensive mistakes. It’s also important to use only quality trade tilling materials of the correct type for your tiles & tile base; cheapo own brand & DIY stuff is mostly crap.

We'll cover trowel size & the type of addy/grout you should use later ;)
 
not checked about thee weights etc, how do i do that?, i have just based it on the old tiles,they were a similar size , and what do you mean by 'tank'it ?? never heard of that before
the best way i can describe the floor is that its normal floorboards over joices am no expert lol,
 
Sorry PBD but there is absolutely no such thing as a "standard trowel size”; although you can generally get away with two.

no need to be sorry RC,
when I say standard trowel, I was regarding to the common trowel size of about 11 x 4 1/2-inch.
But of course depending on the area you covering it would make perfect sense to have selection.
 
and in regards to the floor, would it be ok to tile it up to the bath ( as in just up to or under the panel) rather than the whole floor ?
 
not checked about thee weights etc, how do i do that?, i have just based it on the old tiles,they were a similar size
As a general guide, tiles more than 8mm thick usually weigh over 20 kg/sqm & are unsuitable for fixing to plaster. If it doesn’t give the sq/m weight on the box, weigh a tile & work it out. You must allow up to 4 kg/sqm for grout & adhesive which, as Paul states, must be flexible cement powder not tub ready mix. I would advise a thick solid bed trowel (20mm round notches, 10mm deep, at 28mm centres) for wall tiles that size.

and what do you mean by 'tank'it ?? never heard of that before
You should not use plasterboard (even MR) in a wet area unless you tank it;
http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/products/wp1-coating
If water gets through it’ll disintegrate very quickly. Far better to use a waterproof tile backer board in wet areas.

the best way i can describe the floor is that its normal floorboards over joices
Are they proper timber floorboards or crappy chipboard? What size/pitch/span are the joists; if the floor is not prepped correctly & has any discernable flex, your tiles will fail very quickly. What thickness ply were you going to use? It must be WBP not ordinary ply. You will need a large format trowel - 20mm round notches, 13mm deep, at 28mm centres) for the floor tiles.

am no expert lol,
As I said, I advise you read the Tiling Forum archive posts & Tiling sticky before you go any further or you could easily make disastrous & potentially expensive mistakes.
 
ive checked the tiles and thankfully the weight is 16, so going by what you said they should be on for plaster with the 4 added for addy and grout
ive looked into tanking, but its only the edge of the bath 9 away from where the shower will be that is plasterboard, so do you think i still need to tank it, or should i do the plaster walls around where the shower will be to be on the safe side?

not sure about the joice sizes, or the floorboard dimensions, i did replace them all so they are new timber, just cant remember the wood size i got from the woodyard, i asked them, so what ever the standard will be is what size they are

thanks again for all yyour help
 
ive looked into tanking, but its only the edge of the bath 9 away from where the shower will be that is plasterboard, so do you think i still need to tank it, or should i do the plaster walls around where the shower will be to be on the safe side?
Wet areas are;
• inside the shower cubicle & around 300mm beyond the shower screen
• above the bath extending around 300mm beyond the edge of the bath

Use a flexible cement powder adhesive, tub ready mix is not suitable for tiles that size; you must acrylic prime plaster to avoid a possible reaction between the gypsum in the plaster & cement in the tile adhesive. Use quality trade tiling materials not cheapo own brand or DIY products which are mostly crap.

not sure about the joice sizes, or the floorboard dimensions, i did replace them all so they are new timber, just cant remember the wood size i got from the woodyard, i asked them, so what ever the standard will be is what size they are
thanks again for all yyour help
There is no such thing as a standard joist size; they are all usually 2” wide but the depth varies; anything from 4” to 8”. The pitch is usually 400mm but can be 600mm & the span will vary depending on the construction of the building. You still haven’t said if you have proper timber floorboards or crappy chipboard? I see your going to over board with ply; over timber floorboards use 12mm WBP (not ordinary ply), screwed through into the joists not just into the top of the floorboards (check for pipes & cable); fix every 200mm max & acrylic prime the underside & edges before laying. Alternatively use a decent waterproof tile backer board; do not prime the tile surface.

Chipboard is completely unsuitable as a tile base even when over boarded & should be replaced with 18-25mm WBP, again, depending on your joist size
 

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