Floor Tile With Small Grout Lines

While there s no set standard for the width of grout lines between tiles certain commonly accepted practices prevail.

Floor tile with small grout lines. 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. Though it can be used in smaller grout lines just as well it s a lot easier to apply it to larger lines. For small format tiles that do not have lugs i will usually use 1 16 spacers. All forms of ceramic tile use some type of grout to fill and seal the seams between the tiles.

In some cases sanded grout might not react positively with these materials as the sandy texture can scratch the tiles. If you prefer larger grout lines but have lugged tiles don t panic. There is less irregularity with rectified tiles so less spacing is needed between each piece. Depending upon the texture and consistency of the tiles i may use 1 8 spacers on occasion.

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. Minimum grout lines the quick answer is nothing closer than 1 16. Mix unsanded tile grout with water in a bucket following the grout manufacturer s mixing instructions. All other cuts of tile from tumbled to chiseled to punched contain slight variations in shape and size.

A rectified edge allows for smaller grout lines because the tile has been more precisely cut unlike our other handmade tiles. However with sanded grout you also need to pay attention to the type of tile material you re using. 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 batches you can mix the grout with a wooden paint stir stick.

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. For instance 8 inch slate tiles will usually look better with a slightly larger grout line. Small tiles such as the 4 inch by 4 inch style commonly used on bathroom and kitchen walls often are self spacing. 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.

A tight 1 8 grout space will allow the pattern to flow nicely from one tile to the next. Rectified tiles are perfectly uniform with precisely defined edges requiring the least amount of grout. Grout lines for wall tiles. The color of grout is also an important factor to complement the visual appeal of the tiles.