centered floor layout?

[Hornviper]

Hello guys,
I have a rather general question, but I am trying to learn as much as possible.I know that it all depends. Imagine a rectangular-ish bathroom floor. I do like centered layouts, but I know a lot of people who just start off the doorway or one of the walls and hope for the best. I've traveled a lot, and I don't think I've ever seen centered bathroom/toilet floors, so that makes me wonder. I guess a centered layout would only make sense if all the cut pieces are visible. I am just starting to wonder if snapping chalk lines and getting the same size cuts everywhere is really the "end of the world".
I am not trying to get on your nerves , there are just thousands of people who start off one of the walls and that doesn't seem to be doing them any harm.
By the way, I am not talking about any complicated/intricate layouts. Only the simplest layouts you can think of.

Thank you and please take it easy.

 

[J Sid]

chalk line

depends if the walls are being done

 

[Hornviper]

chalk line

depends if the walls are being done

Some people use chalk lines to mark the center of the room. Or at least they used to. Let's assume everything's being done. I guess a centered layout is a bad idea then. Starting off a wall seems to be the way to go regardless of the situation. Hmm...

 

[J Sid]

centre wall or work of a focal point centred or halves tile then see how it looks

 

[Spare Tool]

There is no right or wrong way rule book, as you've found on your travels everybody has there own ways of setting out and the floors are still tiled.
If the floors are running through multiple rooms would try and centre a focal point like a corridor or patio door, sometimes no matter what you do things just won't land right, and if that's the case would just work to nearest to balanced and largest cuts possible, never hope for best though..your luck will eventually run out!!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

The first question I’d ask you - are the walls being tiled with the same tile as the floor?

 

[Hornviper]

I lived in Germany for a while and I paid attention to what all the Turkish tilers were doing. They would start with a full tile in one of the corners and work out. No dividing the space into quadrants, pythagorean theorems, laser levels, symmetry. An American tile setter I knew used to divide the room/space into quadrants, so he could get the same size cuts on all sides. That's one of the reasons I posted this thread as I was a little confused. It's good to know there is no wrong way as the EU way is much faster and therefore more lucrative.

Thank you so much guys. Happy New Year and lots of luck and happiness.

 

[Spare Tool]

I lived in Germany for a while and I paid attention to what all the Turkish tilers were doing. They would start with a full tile in one of the corners and work out. No dividing the space into quadrants, pythagorean theorems, laser levels, symmetry. An American tile setter I knew used to divide the room/space into quadrants, so he could get the same size cuts on all sides. That's one of the reasons I posted this thread as I was a little confused. It's good to know there is no wrong way as the EU way is much faster and therefore more lucrative.

Thank you so much guys. Happy New Year and lots of luck and happiness.

All though there is no right answer that fits all, generally a centred balanced look is aesthetically more pleasing to the eye than say a full tile to the left and a slither to the right..

 

[Dumbo]

Even if you centre a room in both directions you can not guarantee and it would be unlikely that the end cuts would be the same as the side cuts .

 

[Hornviper]

Even if you centre a room in both directions you can not guarantee and it would be unlikely that the end cuts would be the same as the side cuts .

Naturally. The cuts in the horizontal rows won't be exactly the same as the ones in the vertical rows. Can't argue with that.

 

[Hornviper]

I don't mind starting with a full tile at the doorway or in one of the distant corners but if the area that's being tiled is out of square I might find myself up the stream without a paddle. I've seen that happen several times but a lot of people don't care. And probably rightfully so.

I've only helped other tilers and I am not a pro, as you can see. I only know what looks good to me and what doesn't.

 

[Dumbo]

Naturally. The cuts in the horizontal rows won't be exactly the same as the ones in the vertical rows. Can't argue with that.

But you said the American tile setter got the same cuts on all sides .

 

[Hornviper]

But you said the American tile setter got the same cuts on all sides .

I did. The same/similar size cuts along opposite walls. Similar cuts in the horizontal rows, similar cuts in the vertical rows. Not the same/similar around the perimeter. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Hornviper]

I worked for him for a few months. He used to find the center points of all four walls and snap lines. (so there's a cross in the middle of the room) Then he would make sure the intersecting lines formed a 90 degree angle. That's why I was a little surprised when I went to Germany. No one cared. No measuring or worrying about small cuts, symmetry, balanced cuts, etc. The only problem was that most rooms weren't perfectly square.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

@Hornviper - I see from your November welcome that you are young and new to tiling!
My advice would be to forget the habits of those you’ve seen who ‘don’t care’ and learn this trade correctly.
You’ll never work on a building site in Britain ( as you have no location in your profile) if you don’t set a room out symmetrically. Architects and designers have no tolerances for the aesthetics of tile spacing, pattern continuation etc. IMHO .
In the private contract market a skilled tiler will spend a good length of time setting out the room prior to fixing their first tile so they know where every tile will finish.