Filling the gap between wall and tiles. What product?

[Collision]

Hi. I wonder if anyone can help. I've recently finished tiling our floor with large porcelain tiles, 100 m2 total surface area. It's an old stone farmhouse and the bare stone walls are obviously very uneven (If you put a straight edge along the wall there would be gaps up to 8 cm).

I've cut the tiles to (roughly) follow the unevenness of the stone walls and left a gap for expansion. The gap varies from 4mm to 30mm and I'm looking for a material to fill the gap.

Normally the gap would be covered over by skirtings but there aren't any (nor practical because of uneven walls)

Another option might be silicone or mastic but I don't think that's going to be a satisfactory finish. The gap is too wide in places to get the silicone flat, I'd use dozens of tubes of the stuff, silicone wouldn't be a matt enough finish and I'd probably end up with it half way up the walls too.

What I'm really looking for is something like a flexible grout, so that it's easy to work with, fill large gaps, apply easily to give a flat finish and also a matt finish. But not just flexible grout because that's going to crack with any movement.

Does anyone know of any product on the market that fits the bill? Or come up against a similar problem themselves?

Many thanks for any replies.

 

[Alan.P]

Hi and welcome to tilersforums.com

Not to be picky but couldn't you have scribed the tiles to give a better finish, then silicone the 2 / 3mm, a 30mm gap is going to stand out against the smaller ones, no matter what you use, how many of the larger gap spaces are there ? could you replace the ones that need to be ?

 

[Collision]

Hi Alan. You're not being picky! It's a bare stone wall with so many curves, bumps and irregularities that scribing each contour wasn't really practical. Tiles are 65 x 45, most have 6-8 different cuts (on the wall side) and as there are 11 different rooms within the 100 m2 that's an awful lot of tiles I'd have to lift back up.

 

[Andy Allen]

have you already grouted any of it yet?....if so what grout did you use..

 

[Collision]

I've grouted all the tiles except the gap to the wall with Weber joint flex.

 

[Alan.P]

I just re- read it, up to 80 mm, ouch, I know it's a pain, but a learning curve as well, as for what to do with the gaps now they're that big, I'm stumped, other than my original suggestion, and it is more re-enforced by the bigger gap, you will be pleased you did in futre imho.

 

[White Room]

If you going to fill that gap sand/cement would be my choice, others may have a better solution.

 

[AliGage]

Is there a grout out there that will do a 30mm gap?????

 

[John Benton]

If you going to fill that gap sand/cement would be my choice, others may have a better solution.

My choice too, it must match the mortar colour on the wall, to be a continuation from the wall. It would blend in better and not be as noticeable.

 

[Collision]

Sorry guys, I'm confused. If I fill the gap with grout or sand and cement am I not risking cracking from movement due to expansion and contraction? I left the gap deliberately to allow for expansion, if I didn't would I not have run the risk of tiles cracking?

Ps. For clarity; the gap between wall and tile is between 4 and 30 mm. The reason for such a variance itn he width of the expansion gap is the roughness of the bare stone walls. Imagine a very rough drystone dyke and you're still not close!

 

[Collision]

AlanP. Sorry, I don't think my reply earlier was very clear. I did scribe them, that's why each tile has 6-8 different cuts (along the edge adjacent to the wall) but the stone wall is so uneven that still leads to the varying expansion gap size.

Hope that makes a bit more sense.

 

[Ian]

Any chance of a couple of pictures please? If we can see what you do, it may help us find the best solution for you. The mortar to match the walls is looking like the best choice at the moment.

 

[Collision]

Thanks Bri, will try and sort out some pics when I can.

If I fill the expansion gap with mortar, what happens when it expands?

 

[bugs183]

Try and source the local sand that was used to build the walls, mix that at 3 parts sand to one part cement ,and mix with SBR.
Rough point between the wall and the tiles. Leave until its just starting to set and then mould to the desired shape with a small trowel and an old brush.
The SBR should give the cement enough flex, silicon is going to look awful.

 

[afright]

I would put a sand & cement fillet with a small upstand using a batten say a thin door stop and trowel to the batten then it might tie in with the wall and look a bit neater,as above mix with SBR.

 

[Collision]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I've been hanging back until I could get some pictures up but I'm still unsure of using sand and cement to fill the gap.
Is there going to be enough give in it to allow for movement?
Also it's going to have to be a lime mortar (well that's what the wall's pointed with) can I use SBR with that?
And will that(lime mortar) make a difference to the flexibility to allow for movement?

 

[AliGage]

Lime mortar is pretty flexible as is.

 

[White Room]

If you use lime mortar personally I would'nt add any sbr to it.