Floor Tile With Small Grout Lines

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.

Floor tile with small grout lines.

All other cuts of tile from tumbled to chiseled to punched contain slight variations in shape and size. First the smallest grout lines less than 1 8 inch are ideal for rectified tiles. The color of grout is also an important factor to complement the visual appeal of the tiles. If you want to know why please keep reading.

When re modeling floors bathroom or a kitchen almost everybody wants to have the minimum grout lines between their tiles. A rectified edge allows for smaller grout lines because the tile has been more precisely cut unlike our other handmade tiles. In some cases sanded grout might not react positively with these materials as the sandy texture can scratch the tiles. There is less irregularity with rectified tiles so less spacing is needed between each piece.

For small format tiles that do not have lugs i will usually use 1 16 spacers. For small batches you can mix the grout with a wooden paint stir stick. If you prefer larger grout lines but have lugged tiles don t panic. Grout lines for wall tiles.

Minimum grout lines the quick answer is nothing closer than 1 16. Small tiles such as the 4 inch by 4 inch style commonly used on bathroom and kitchen walls often are self spacing. 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.

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. Mix unsanded tile grout with water in a bucket following the grout manufacturer s mixing instructions. For instance 8 inch slate tiles will usually look better with a slightly larger grout line. All forms of ceramic tile use some type of grout to fill and seal the seams between the tiles.

While there s no set standard for the width of grout lines between tiles certain commonly accepted practices prevail. 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. Depending upon the texture and consistency of the tiles i may use 1 8 spacers on occasion. Though it can be used in smaller grout lines just as well it s a lot easier to apply it to larger lines.