Large Porcelain: 1200 by 600 vs. 600 by 600

[Ripmaster]

In the UK its a different (and flexible) story with half timber houses which breath and move.

I see you are between a rock and hard place. If you go for a min joint and 6mnths later it cracks then you have to go back. The only other way is to super strengthen the room, floor, wall so that movement is impossible.

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i'm not sure what you mean by Superstrengthen?. The property is, lets say a little more substantial than run of the mill UK cardboard boxes:

• Steel frame
• Solid Block in fill (although this is minimal as many walls are glazed) - we used a mix of 9'' and 6'' as I thought 4'' were flimsy! LOL
• Block & beam floors with 50-55mm screed on top of UFH.
• The foundations are mostly built on very hard shale, we did not have to dig down too deeping before we started hitting rock.
• Over 100 Cube of Concrete in the foundations supporting the Steel uprights in 2 to 3 meter square pillars all 2 to 3 meters deep.

Other than using Titanium for the frame, I'm not sure what else we could have done to make it stronger ;-)

I'd put money that it is stronger than that Guantanamo cubicle 🙂

Strength of the structure aside, I still take on board the expansion issue and minimum grout mm. With UFH is is going to move a little without a doubt. I'm not after "no expansion' either.as can be seen in the pic, there is already a 8 to 10mm expansion joint all around the slab. This would be replicated with the tiles and covered with large skirting boards. It is just the grout line that we are considering how small we can get away with, as they do look better than larger lines, especially on large format tiles.


Anyone know a good Spanish Tiler? LOL

PS: I thought porcelain tiles needed a cement based adhesive, anyway, (due to the lack of porosity or so I was told) so not sure what is so Spanish about that.

 

[Deleted member 1779]

I'd put money that it is stronger than that Guantanamo cubicle 🙂

Maybe they will turn it into a tourist spot like Alcatraz.... If so then that's what your shower block will look like!

NB: If anyone is wondering about the use of the image - its not been ripped.
Its free-licence on a website called WikiMedia this site is for free use of images
If anyone wants free pictures its a limited resource. But you can use them for £0

 

[Deleted member 1779]

Also meant to add that you MIGHT be alright. In my own home I strengthened everything to include the floor joists, ceiling, walls.

Even then the top of the shower cracked.

Cant see it?

Closeup.

Point is if there is any flex or give then it could affect your finish.
Lucky for me this flaw is at the top of the shower (not the bottom) so not in contact
with water. And behind the tile is a Bal tanking system which waterproofs the cubical.

But it does sound like you have solid foundations so you are off to a great start.

Yes porcelain tile addy is cement based (has additives like polymer to stop it going off so quick and give it more flex)
In other countries they just use the basic sand and cement render and work a bit quicker !

 

[beanz]

As the others have said, size is down to personal preference. For me, i'd like the 1200x600 laid in a brick bond with 2mm lines. :smilewinkgrin:

edit* I should've finished reading your post... Didn't realise they were porcelain; that might make a difference if thinking about brick bond. Worth checking them for flatness. 😉

 

[Ripmaster]

They will be straight lines rather than brick in any case. Thanks.

 

[Rich]

Would like to agree with most of the guys above, size of tile is really down to preference but the joint size is important. BS state that the min grout width is 3mm. 2mm looks better but imo you should follow the standards so that if anything goes wrong in the future, your covered.

 

[beanz]

Would like to agree with most of the guys above, size of tile is really down to preference but the joint size is important. BS state that the min grout width is 3mm. 2mm looks better but imo you should follow the standards so that if anything goes wrong in the future, your covered.

Does NOT following BS void your insurance? I've often wondered about this, as the standards are just guidelines and not actually rules/law, and in most cases complete overkill imho. I recently did a floor with 3mm lines because the tiles were cheap, and coming out at different sizes. Hated the finished look. 3mm lines are just too big, and look hideous!

 

[Rich]

Agree that a lot of it is over kill. 2mm looks a hell of a lot better but I dont think you can always go on how it looks, there is a lot more to consider. If hes going to be using ufh id want to open the joint to 3mm for expansion (BS min for any floor). Dont understand why following BS would void your insurance??

 

[beanz]

Dont understand why following BS would void your insurance??

NOT following BS. 😀

 

[Rich]

Ahh... I see. Sorry, My mistake.:iamwithstupid: