How to Set Out Tiles

in this the next in my series of tying videos in conjunction with the tile Warehouse I show you how to set out wall tiles and floor tiles to make sure they're spaced properly and they just look right [Music] in this video we're going to look at how to set out floor tiles so we've got the tiles and all the tools we need we're ready to start but before we just jump in and start fixing them we need to think a little bit about the layout the pattern of the tiles and also the setting out and all that means is where we start the tiling left and right and front and back because that's going to dictate where the joints end up and more importantly it's going to dictate where the cuts end up at this stage we would highly recommend dry laying at least some of your floor tiles to double check what the pattern you're thinking of laying actually looks like in the room so I'm starting here by just laying out the tiles on the floor with the right size spacer between them I would always suggest wearing gloves for this because sometimes the edges can be a bit sharp and the bigger tiles especially can be heavier than you think so using rubberized non-slip gloves can help you grip them easier here I've decided to see what a herringbone pattern looks like but then I try a linear brick pattern lengthwise which makes the bathroom look longer and thinner so I turn everything 90 degrees to see what that looks like and then stagger every other course to make a brick bond pattern so I think I'm settled on this brick bond pattern with the main joints going across the room rather than along the room just to make it feel a little bit wider and a little tip for me at this point it's a really good idea to invite in anyone with a vested interest like husbands wives and partners just to comment on this sort of pattern rather than leaving it until you're halfway through laying it it's just a little bit too late by then so we've agreed on the pattern but I don't want to lay in this position because I can see over here I'm going to end up with a Slither of tile which isn't going to look very good and at the same time on this side I've got plenty of tile to spare so I'm now going to take all of these up and I'm going to Mark A Center Line in both directions in this room to make sure that these tiles are centered and then to just double check that I don't end up with a Slither on either side to Mark a center line of your room just measure the width of your room at one end half the measurement and mark it on the floor it's then important to do the same at the other end because rooms widths are not always the same at each end then simply join these two marks up here I'm using a chalk line you could use a straight edge and a pencil in the opposite direction measure the length of the room and then Mark the center of the room on the line then using a board lined up on your line and a square or something that you know is exactly 90 degrees mark a line perpendicular to the first this will give you a good reference line in each direction to work from and the center of the room with a bit more dry laying from these lines this will show you if you need to adjust your starting point Say by half a tile to avoid ending up with any small Cuts right next to the walls right floor tiles before we just jump right in and start sticking these on the wall it's worth investing a little bit of time thinking about the layout that's the pattern of how they all fit together and the setting out and all that means is where we start them left and right which will dictate where this joint is and how it interacts with things like doors and corners and up and down which will fix that horizontal joint and how it interacts with the floor or the ceiling or maybe under a windowsill before we decide on the setting out though we do need to fix the tile layout you see unless we know the tile layout we don't know where the joints are going to lie so I'm just laying out different patterns here on a board on my workbench you can do it on the floor if you want I just find it easier doing it here standing up so after trying different patterns from linear to basket weave and herringbone I finally decided on this brick bond pattern which is quite traditional with these Metro type tiles so now I've fixed the pattern I can look at how to set these out on the wall a great tip here is to First make a gauge Rod sometimes called a story stick or story pole which helps you see the layout of the tiles without having to keep measuring and all it is is a stick with a joint smart accurately on it including the gap between each tiles for the grout all I do is to transfer the joints on the tiles to the stick accurately so I can offer it up to the wall and then see where the joints are going to fall so what I've marked on this gauge Rod is each tile accurately and because I know that I'm going to do a brick bond pattern I've also marked on the alternating courses so now I can see exactly where each joint is going to lie on every single course and because my tiles are 200 millimeters by 100 millimeters I can also use this vertically to Mark out the horizontal courses and exactly where they're going to end up next I'm going to Mark the center of the wall and the center of any important features such as this window so I can offer up the rod to see where the tile joints are going to end up I'm doing this for two reasons firstly so I don't end up with small slithers of tile in the corner and secondly for a feature like this window I think it's going to look better if the tiles are centered on it so it all looks symmetrical you also need to do the same for the vertical layout of your tiles as well and remember don't assume your floor is dead level quite often floors are not level and they can rise and fall in different areas so avoid the temptation to Simply start your wall tiles sitting on the floor oh because you may find you end up with wavy rows which is never a good look to overcome this start your wall tiling with the second row from the bottom sitting on a baton that's screwed to the wall that you know is straight and level once these are fixed and cured then take the Batten away and pop in the bottom row so I hope that helps give you some tips on how to set out wall tiles and get yourself going enjoy your project and I will see you in the next video

Channel: Proper DIY

Views: 23,363

Keywords: how to tile, setting out for tiling, tile installation, subway tile, tile layout, tile installation tips and tricks, tile installation tips, how to tile a bathroom, subway tile shower wall, subway tile installation, tile layout for bathroom floor, tile layout for bathroom walls

Id: MNSLvE3K9Rk

Length: 7min 19sec (439 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 07 2023