tile spacers and floor tiles

[White Room]

Spacers........

 

[kilty55]

mostly use spacers only a few occasions i have used eye on floor

 

[Rookery]

One old tiler I worked with always used spaghetti as spacers

Yes but to be fair, he used alphabetti spaghetti and used the X's and T's

 

[John Benton]

Yes but to be fair, he used alphabetti spaghetti and used the X's and T's

He used to use plastic be that was before he was pasta his best

 

[Andy Allen]

You need to use measurements and stick to them. So you have your straightedge on paralell line and then your square line. Say you are using 200 x 200 then take measurement of 5 + joints and use this to move away from the square line . If you want to and you are doind a largish room then create chalkline boxes by paralelling in each direction from the square line. Then just keep every 5 tiles inside that box and adjust the tile joints to fit . This comes in handy when you fit so called 'modular' tiles , in tilers speak they mean SIZEY :0).

This is how I used to do large quarry tile floors years ago ,in the days of 300m²/400m² tiled floors.

Hope that made sense.

Diggy

thanks for that... ive been doing it that way for 30 years.....:lol:

ive never used spacers for floors just stright edges and chaulk lines, i was just trying finding out off those that use spacers all the time how they stop the tiles from running out when using cheap rubbish that vary in size....

 

[Perry]

i have never laid a floor by eye other than smaller than two mts and only use spacers on small joints like a rectified tile or stone i would hate to think doing a 70 mtr long floor by eye :yikes: always laid in a grid and yes always used matches even on floors

 

[Perry]

thanks for that... ive been doing it that way for 30 years.....:lol:

ive never used spacers for floors just stright edges and chaulk lines, i was just trying finding out off those that use spacers all the time how they stop the tiles from running out when using cheap rubbish that vary in size....

Diggy Andy were you two taught that or was it just common sense ? always done it but self taught

 

[AliGage]

Depends on the tile for me. Cheap nasty ones by eye. Anything of any quality then i'll use spacers.

 

[Andy Allen]

Diggy Andy were you two taught that or was it just common sense ? always done it but self taught

it was the way i was taught, comes from the days when we used to fit hundreds of m2 6x6 pilks four square/pin head/dorset stone ect on large hotel refurbs and contract work, it helped to keep all the lines stright and stop you from running out, and ive continued to use the same method, square the room, and keep measuring 2 or more tiles back and fix to the stright edge..

 

[Perry]

never seen anyone else do it before thought i was a crank always measure from a set point been handy when had a few tilers on the same floor been able to all start on different parts of the floor and meet up :yikes: nerve racking got to make sure its right lol thats why a staffs no good can be 1mm out x 20 = 20mm + or -

 

[afright]

i have never laid a floor by eye other than smaller than two mts and only use spacers on small joints like a rectified tile or stone i would hate to think doing a 70 mtr long floor by eye :yikes: always laid in a grid and yes always used matches even on floors

Biggest floor I've worked on was nearly 500m2 never used one spacer just straight edges,when I done my apprenticeship there was no spacer's think it's good not to keep using them gives you a better eye for your work,only use them if I have to ,mind you I did watch some tilers in the 70s laying a sand and cement floor using 6 x 6 Wolliscroft tiles they had a plastic grid which they laid on the screed and just inserted the tiles in the grid never seen it since

 

[sjw450]

I just finished a job where I had to tile round a kitchen island and when the tiles came to meet at other side of island they lined up perfect and the joints were perfect, I know i couldn't have done that without spacers, the problem ive got is that spacers slow me down because they always break off when im pulling them out and get stuck in the joints, Whats the strongest spacers?

 

[Andy Allen]

heres some pictures i found, give you an idea how i do my floors..

 

[Perry]

the same as me but i use chalk lines instead of straight edges

 

[Perry]

I just finished a job where I had to tile round a kitchen island and when the tiles came to meet at other side of island they lined up perfect and the joints were perfect, I know i couldn't have done that without spacers, the problem ive got is that spacers slow me down because they always break off when im pulling them out and get stuck in the joints, Whats the strongest spacers? View attachment 46377 View attachment 46378 View attachment 46379

i have never taken that chance i have always used maths instead and a grid as in chalk lines