Spacers (floor)

[charlie1]

Having only been tiling for 2 yrs now I am allways trying to pick up more improved, efficient methods of tiling that give a better finish.

There have been a few good points made for and against using floor spacers.

Gary- When you say grid the floor I assume you mean draw lines on the floor in a grid so you know where to place your tiles but I dont quite follow the guage rod and square part, please explain:whatchutalkingabout

I would like to be able to do it all by eye but I having always used spacers then I have became used to them.

Having seen a few floors tiled without using spacers with horendous results , spacing varing from 5-8mm I would like to get as much Information on different methods before I would ever try it.

 

[Perry]

spacers for floors ? i dont understand the need for them, i have seen tilers asked to pack their tools up and go home for using spacers on floors as it was always considered that diyers used floor spacers as a tiler would be able to grid a floor out or have guage rods and and a square for spacing their tiles,
i dont think that is any thing wrong with using floor spacers but would never waste money on something that is not needed to do the job

Gary i grid most floors but if you have floor say 60 mts x 18 mts with 600 x 600 rectefied tiles with 2 mm joints a guage rod wont help much better with a tape imo that is when i use spacers ete

 

[LM Ceramics]

i also think floor spacers are unnessecary i have never seen a tiler use floor spacers at all obviously if your eyes arent that good i can see the point in them. i believe that is were the skill comes in tiling floors without spacers.

charlie when you say you have seen floors with spacers not used then obviously who ever laid them must be blind or they have set the floor out wrong i think you should give it a go without spacers but if your comfortable using spacers then obviously its your choice

 

[Perry]

i also think floor spacers are unnessecary i have never seen a tiler use floor spacers at all obviously if your eyes arent that good i can see the point in them. i believe that is were the skill comes in tiling floors without spacers.

charlie when you say you have seen floors with spacers not used then obviously who ever laid them must be blind or they have set the floor out wrong i think you should give it a go without spacers but if your comfortable using spacers then obviously its your choice

LM are saying that you could tile a 1000 sq mtr floor with 2mm joints by eye ?

 

[LM Ceramics]

LM are saying that you could tile a 1000 sq mtr floor with 2mm joints by eye ?

ok pjc i see your point with a 2 mm but i have to agree with gary the tilers post though i dont tend to use them

 

[Perry]

LM this was my post to Gary lol

Gary i grid most floors but if you have floor say 60 mts x 18 mts with 600 x 600 rectefied tiles with 2 mm joints a guage rod wont help much better with a tape imo that is when i use spacers ete

 

[LM Ceramics]

sorry pjc im havin a dopy moment:lol:

 

[Perry]

welcome to my world lol

 

[The D]

I agree with Mick 100% I use spacers on most of my domestic work in fact the only time I do not use them is if I have a big floor 100m2 plus and the tiles are 8 by 8’s or smaller. I would not say someone is not a professional because they use spacers. Spacers were designed to do a job and they do the job well.

 

[The D]

Just to add I grow my thumb nails especially for pushing the spacers back dos anyone do the same.

 

[White Room]

Just to add I grow my thumb nails especially for pushing the spacers back dos anyone do the same.

You tart:lol:

 

[The D]

You tart:lol:

That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it :lol:

 

[Yorkie]

Just to add, if your tiling something like a 100 sqmtr room etc and rely on spacing it more than likely will at some point run out unless EVERY tile is exactly the same dimensions which we know is extremley unlikley therefore the need to grid out is evermore important in establishing your base lines etc. What i tend to do is brake it down into sections that are easy managable ie: a full room or split with sections equalling a 4x4 (16 tiles)which I make sure when I fix sits perfectly upon my grid lines that I have set down and if that means that they may be slightly of within the tile field of 16 (4x4) then so beit especially when tiling in an area where acsess is not atainable to ensure your natural flow of tiling (this could be an instance like tiling a surgery in and out of all rooms and you cant gain entry to each room on a natural progression) but imo its more important that you are satisfied that when you eventually conjoin the seperating fields they actually meet as this is where peeps will notice a bad job.
Hope this makes sense

 

[Alberta Stone]

I use spacers on lots of my jobs, but I don't put them into every joint.
I use them where I feel it necessary and if the tiles are odd sizes I will just use an open joint.
I have a bucket with bags of 1/16, 1/8 and 3/16.
I have both the hard plastic and the rubber ones.
For 1/4 inch which I tend not to do often I gauge by eye.
I also grid my job out first and draw reference lines where needed.
On small areas I only check for square and figure the center out.

I pack a bag of plastic wedges which are excellent for wall tiles.
And I use finishing nails on occasion to keep things in place until they set.

Anyone who would send a tiler home for using spacers is a real sh i t.

 

[charlie1]

I agree with Mick 100% I use spacers on most of my domestic work in fact the only time I do not use them is if I have a big floor 100m2 plus and the tiles are 8 by 8’s or smaller. I would not say someone is not a professional because they use spacers. Spacers were designed to do a job and they do the job well.

I know what you mean with larger areas, a job (my biggest) I done last month 100m2 with 600x600 porc on the diamond set I noticed towards the end that my line was running out from 1-2mm. I see the logic in sectioning the floor in to smaller areas so to contain any run-out.

Having never done this before I suppose I am curious on exactly how different people do this.

I think this is what I really love about tiling, there are different ways of doing thing’s some better than others, trying to perfect a finish whilst trying to do it more efficiently is an ongoing process as you guy’s will know. I try and learn something from every job.