Bathroom renovations advice- tile size

[petee_c]

I ended up laying my 16 tiles and 8 part tiles last night. Stuck with the 13" tiles and they don't look too bad. Used 1/8" spacers. The cut tiles around the edges were between 2 3/4" and 3 3/8" in width, so pretty even to the eye.

I think I mixed the mortar a little on the thick side.... or it's a lot of work to comb through a big glob of mortar..... I had heard to mix it about the consistency of peanut butter, I bought the bigger bag of mortar and guesstimated 1/2 of it to use for setting the cement board, and the other half for setting the tile.

Going to take my 1st tentative steps on it tonight when I get home and then choose the grout.....

I think I would like a light colour grout..... except advice i've heard is it's difficult to keep clean......

P

[matt in golden]

Originally Posted by Mike Graham

Matt, I've never used an uncoupling membrane like Ditra, but I can't figure out how they can give you a lower floor height. They are added to the floor height, and they're, what, 3/8" or 1/2" thick?

Mike,

I should have qualified it, a lower height than adding onto the sub-floor. I don't know the thickness off hand but it's under 3/8". If you are making a transition to laminate you will still be high, just not as high as you may have been.

Matt

[Dave in Calgary]

I think you will be happy with the larger tile. I'm not a tile expert but a few interior designer ladies that I know have pounded it into my head that larger tiles make a small room appear larger. That is the opposite opinion of one of the earlier posts. I used 12" slate in a small bathroom and it looks great. Lay them on the diagonal to add visual interest.
Dave

[Drew in Victoria]

See that no one has mentioned anything about Sealing the tiles and grout. Bathrooms are always getting wet from toilets and showers and getting water on the floors gets into the grout. It sits and mildew forms adn the grout takes on odors. I had to rip up one bathroom where small kids had urinated beside the toilet and the grout had aquired the smell. larger tiles are easier to pull the grout out to replace ( if nessesary), Tiles do hide lots of water problems that can happen as well as being slick when they get wet. Stepping out of the shower on a cold wet tile floor can be an adventure. Also heating the tile floor is a good thing as even indoor upstairs tiles can be cold on the feet and that can cause back problems as the feet have numerous nerves in them that can create all kinds of health problems. Warm tiles are easier on the body and if you are putting them in now why not do the whole thing right. Just a few thoughts to throw out there.

[petee_c]

Drew,

Thanks for the input. Grout went in last night.... My tiles are just porcelain, so I don't think they need to be stained.

I used a stain-resistant mortar by http://www.trafficmasterstainproofgrout.com/ so it apparently doesn't need periodic sealing. We'll see how it holds up to the 4yr old boy when he starts to aim. He currently is a sitter, unless he's going in the garden (supposedly was just a one-time unattended occurrance)

This bath is on the mainfloor and doesn't have a shower/tub. When I get around to the master suite, then I will definitely consider adding infloor heating.

[josphill812]

If you choose to use smaller tiles, it helps mask any measurement errors you made during installation. There is also more room to correct if you are a little off course with your layout. I am not the best handy man, so this is a detail I learned when I remodeled my bathroom.

[scott_w]

Originally Posted by josphill812

If you choose to use smaller tiles, it helps mask any measurement errors you made during installation. There is also more room to correct if you are a little off course with your layout. I am not the best handy man, so this is a detail I learned when I remodeled my bathroom.

Actually, the opposite is true. Larger tiles hide unsquare walls better. You try not to have small "slivers" against any outside walls that can be seen. If the grout line is within 6" of the wall, it BETTER be straight, or any variance in the wall will show.

scott