Floor Tile With Small Grout Lines

First the smallest grout lines less than 1 8 inch are ideal for rectified tiles.

Floor tile with small grout lines.

If you want to know why please keep reading. They have small protrusions called lugs that fit against adjoining tiles and create an automatic space for grout normally 1 32 to 1 16 inch wide. Depending upon the texture and consistency of the tiles i may use 1 8 spacers on occasion. Rectified tiles are perfectly uniform with precisely defined edges requiring the least amount of grout.

For small batches you can mix the grout with a wooden paint stir stick. Minimum grout lines the quick answer is nothing closer than 1 16. For instance 8 inch slate tiles will usually look better with a slightly larger grout line. If you prefer larger grout lines but have lugged tiles don t panic.

In some cases sanded grout might not react positively with these materials as the sandy texture can scratch the tiles. Whether the tile is traditional ceramic porcelain or a quarry tile or natural stone it is critical that the seams between the tiles be adequately filled with a material that prevents moisture from seeping down to the underlayment to maintain this water proof quality all grout will need to be. If you re using small format tiles such as those 8 by 8 inches and smaller the tiles may come with built in lugs that make spacers unnecessary if you want a standard look tile installers recommend grout lines of 1 16 inch for walls and 1 8 inch for floors. Small tiles such as the 4 inch by 4 inch style commonly used on bathroom and kitchen walls often are self spacing.

For small format tiles up to 8 inches by 8 inches the spaces between tiles will normally be either 1 32 or 1 16 inch. A rectified edge allows for smaller grout lines because the tile has been more precisely cut unlike our other handmade tiles. All forms of ceramic tile use some type of grout to fill and seal the seams between the tiles. The color of grout is also an important factor to complement the visual appeal of the tiles.

Though it can be used in smaller grout lines just as well it s a lot easier to apply it to larger lines. For regular format tiles between 12 by 12 and 16 by 16 inches you can stay with those measurements or go up to 3 16 depending on the. For small format tiles that do not have lugs i will usually use 1 16 spacers. There is less irregularity with rectified tiles so less spacing is needed between each piece.

However with sanded grout you also need to pay attention to the type of tile material you re using. Mix unsanded tile grout with water in a bucket following the grout manufacturer s mixing instructions. A tight 1 8 grout space will allow the pattern to flow nicely from one tile to the next. All other cuts of tile from tumbled to chiseled to punched contain slight variations in shape and size.