Refreshing your tile grout

I agree with you Solovino but stuff happens when you're not on the job site 100% of the time. Too bad it wasn't caught and fixed before the grout went in...but that would have meant taking out ALL of the tile on that side of the shower. Who pays for the new tile...can the tile lot number be matched...who pays for the workers' mistake....and who pays for the aggravation and time lost????
And, trust me, that kind of stuff happens in the U.S. and Canada too.
BTW, I appreciate your knowledge and expertise in the construction field.

The tiles fit on the other end of that wall in the shower. This end is the toilet. Matching grout lines from wall to floor is the last of my concerns and am enjoying much of the imperfections of the house - there are many. There's not a straight wall or 90 degree corner in the place but most hard to notice 'till the tile goes down.

Just ordered 90 meters for the main floors and I'll make sure the splash guard tiles are lined up with the floor ;)

sparks wrote:
Just ordered 90 meters for the main floors and I'll make sure the splash guard tiles are lined up with the floor ;)

Depends on the tile you use but that is an instance (the baseboard or zoclo) where you can stagger them by a half tile. IOW the grout lines of the base meet the floor tiles in the middle. Works good on large tiles such as a 30 x 30 or larger saltillo for example.

BTW, the rule a good tile setter follows is to never use less than one half of a tile.

Big floor tiles are 33x33 so I'll look into staggering the baseboard. Were even thinking of a diagonal pattern that may cover the lack 90 degree corners better. Maestro just says more cutting and work

sparks wrote:Big floor tiles are 33x33 so I'll look into staggering the baseboard. Were even thinking of a diagonal pattern that may cover the lack 90 degree corners better. Maestro just says more cutting and work

Diagonal patterns look good in big rooms. You can do the full room in diagonal or a tapete,a rectangular area in the middle with a square border around the room's edges. This takes careful planning and layout but can be very attractive.


Don't let the maestro run the job. It's your casa, not his.

He has no problem with either ... it was just a matter of time and work .... and would it really improve the look with my chueco walls

sparks wrote:He has no problem with either ... it was just a matter of time and work .... and would it really improve the look with my chueco walls

By the way it appears your maestro lays tile you'´ll get a gradual tapering course of tile and might wind up with some more small slivers in narrow trianglular shapes that looks like crap. Not the best way to disguise a crooked wall. By breaking up straight grout lines (by laying tile diagonally), out of square walls will be less noticeable.

If we start at the doorway and 7 meters in head 6 meters over to the kitchen counters ... I guess we could end up with tiny pieces or reasonable ones. Guess it just a matter of measuring out the tile ... but if you continue the pattern in adjoining room ... you get what you get.

Then the hallway and/or bedroom. Change the pattern at every threshold?

Sometimes you just get what you get.

sparks wrote:
Sometimes you just get what you get.

That certainly seems to be the case with you. See ya.

That mean I'm booted outta here ... or I just get no more unsolicited advice from ???

sparks wrote:That mean I'm booted outta here ... or I just get no more unsolicited advice from ???

What? Am I a mod now?

As far as unsolicited advice goes, some may benefit, some won't. Its obvious which category you fit in. Doesn't worry me in the least.

sometimes advise after the fact hurts....
what U say is 100% ... but to little to late...

with tiles it's all a visual thing...

start with the most used ( seen ) position in the room... usually the doorway... find a center line and work your way out to the corners...

not everyone is built to do tiles... hell I don't even like doin it...

betcha Scott could do circles around most of us when it comes ta Puter Stuff










u

Sorry it's not refreshing grout

Finding a straight line
http://sparksmex.blogspot.com/2011/04/finding-straight-line.html

It is indeed a visual thing and sometimes it's hard to find straight walls. Our contractor went all around the outside of a room with a full tile. Within that framework, he laid the tiles on a diagonal. It was very effective and resulted in the of hiding any imperfections created by walls not perfectly straight.
In one room, it was a combination...three walls "framed" and totally diagonal to the fourth wall which itself was on an angle. Sometimes laying the tiles out dry can give you a good "visual" of the end result. They sure are easier to pick up and change when they're not stuck down.
Balance is important to me and, unfortunately, I can see a 1/8 of an inch difference in something very clearly from 10 feet away. It's not a gift...it's a curse.
Concentrate on the things that are important to you.

ferret wrote: Our contractor went all around the outside of a room with a full tile. Within that framework, he laid the tiles on a diagonal. It was very effective and resulted in the of hiding any imperfections created by walls not perfectly straight.

You are describing what I referred to above as a tapete and it very effective way to hide out of square walls. It just takes a little time to figure out the layout but worth the effort. We snap chalk lines and spray a clear lacquer over them to prevent their erasure from foot trafic.

For bath walls or kitchens, etc we use a "tic stick" on which we mark the width of the tile to be used. Ideal cases have the tile chosen early in the project to help laying out niches in walls etc. With the field and trim tiles we can build these details to fit the tile and not the other way around.

Thank you Solovino...now I know what the pattern is called...tapete.