Tips for tiling a wall.
Keep large tile flat on wall.
To address this on a practical basis some manufacturers recommend against any patterns with offsets in excess of 33 if the tile being used has an edge larger than 18 inches.
Below are three tips to maximize the advantages of large format tile.
Having a flat or plumb substrate is also critical.
Substrate preparation for walls and floors that will be tiled with large format materials must be perfectly flat.
Apply the mortar to the wall creating 1 4 inch ridges with the trowel.
If this tolerance isn t met lippage can occur.
The level of flatness dictated by the tile council of north america for large format installations is 1 8 over 10.
Wall installation lippage can be both a structural and an aesthetic concern.
Don t start it at the floor.
Use tile spacers if necessary to keep the tile lines straight in the layout.
Again the maximum tolerance is 1รข 8 inch in 10 feet.
A batten board helps you start your bottom most course or row of tiles.
Next press the tiles into place.
To keep grout joints uniform use small plastic spacers between the tiles.
As with floors secure bonding is key to the success of a large format tile wall installation.
The weight of a large format stone tile can cause it to sag or slip during installation on the wall.
Press the tile firmly in place making sure it is flat and level.
Spread the mortar with the flat edge of the trowel then groove.
Hang a batten board to prevent tile slippage.
A batten board is nothing more than a 1 x4 or 1 x2 board screwed directly into the wall horizontally.