What Size Grout Line For 12x24 Wall Tile

Installing 12×24 tile can exist a petty tricky compared to smaller tiles, but with a little planning, and a few tricks up your sleeve, this tin can be a slap-up DIY project even if you don't have a ton of tiling experience.

12 x 24 tile is everywhere lately. When we installed information technology in our bathroom a few years ago, information technology seemed like kind of a fun, more modernistic selection, simply now it seems to have pretty much get the standard for new tile floors everywhere. I've seen it used a lot in commercial applications as well as in a lot of homes and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere any time soon. I really honey the look and durability of 12×24 tile flooring and so I definitely remember it's a great choice. It is, notwithstanding, a little trickier to install than the more than traditional 12×12 tiles.

Since nosotros just finished installing 12×24 tile in our mudroom, I thought now would be a great fourth dimension to become over some tips that we've learned. Hopefully we can make your tiling experience a little easier and a piffling more successful!

Installing 12×24 Tile: Focus on Keeping Things Level

When yous're working with giant tiles like these, getting (and keeping) everything level is pretty much the biggest claiming. You demand to make each private tile level, only you as well want to make sure that all of the tiles are sitting evenly and at the same height every bit i another on pinnacle of the mortar.

Earlier yous get started, brand certain y'all have a small 24 inch-ish level so that you can cheque how each individual tile is sitting. A larger 4-5 foot level is also super helpful for checking how level your floor overall is, and when comparison the tiles to each other. Have a rubber mallet handy to tap tiles for slight adjustments.

These tile lash systems are also super helpful because they automatically line the tiles up to each other as you go and make certain your floor is perfectly smooth. We didn't end up use the lash organisation this time, but we used it last time we installed this type of tile and it actually helped keep united states of america in line.

We've as well noticed that if you mix your mortar to be a petty bit on the thicker side, information technology'south much easier to achieve and maintain levelness. If y'all're getting a bit frustrated with how difficult it is to brand things level, try making your next batch of mortar a piddling thicker.

Utilise The Right Mortar for 12×24 Tile

You often hear about using "thin set" to install tile, but in the instance of installing 12×24 tile as flooring, yous'll want to use something called "medium bed" mortar. The medium bed holds its consistency better than the sparse fix, which will sag a scrap in the middle of the tile. If you use the thin fix, your tile will end up being unsupported and unattached in some areas as everything dries and sets up and this could pb to loose tiles.

Tools and Tips for The Actual Mortar Application Process for 12×24 Tile

As I mentioned before, mix your mortar to be a trivial bit on the thick side, and use a ane/2 inch notched trowel to apply information technology to the subfloor where you want your tile. You'll also desire to have another smaller, un-notched trowel (called a flat margin trowel) on paw for a few other purposes.

Firstly, yous'll employ the flat margin trowel to scoop your mortar our of your bucket and place it in a pile on your subfloor before you notch information technology with the 1/ii inch notched trowel. You'll likewise want to use this trowel to "back butter" your tile before y'all lay it down. You lot may exist used to either dorsum buttering or laying down a bed of mortar, but in this case, it's all-time to do both. Applying the mortar in both places will allow the tile to exist suctioned on to the subfloor and volition create an incredibly strong bond.

Keep Your Work Clean

Although it seems like installing large tiles similar these will be a super quick process, yous actually practise spend quite a bit of time making sure you set the tiles down simply right and ensuring levelness. By the fourth dimension you lot work your way across your entire room and come up back to where y'all start your rows, any excess mortar that was hanging outside of the area where y'all put downward your tile volition probably have started to dry. This is true even when you're working in a small room like our mudroom here, so it'southward a good idea to accept your apartment margin trowel (utilize number three!) and remove whatsoever excess mortar effectually your tiles before moving on to the adjacent one. Use a rubber margin grout bladder if you're installing over a heated floor organisation to prevent damage to the wire. (Run into all the tools listed at the end of this post for a clear view of the differences between the 2.)

Y'all'll also give thanks yourself after if you keep a grout sponge and a bucket of water handy to wipe down the tops of each tile after you lay it down to pick up any excess mortar that may take found its way up at that place.

Cleaning as you go ways you're non pressured to try to get the job done quickly (and then you can catch that pile of mortar before information technology dries or clean up whatever mistakes you made when you're washed) and allows you lot to have the time you need to set each tile perfectly.

Installing 12×24 Tile: Grouting

We used ane/4 inch spacers to attain the perfect grout lines that you see here and I would definitely recommend using them, even if you recollect you're pretty comfy with tiling. They only cost a few dollars for a few hundred of them and they make such a difference. We used a sanded grout for this project, which is nearly always recommended for flooring and for larger grout lines because it tends to be a scrap stronger than united nations-sanded grout. Some people complain that they find that sanded grout can sometimes attract dirt more hands than un-sanded and so it's important to retrieve to seal your grout after it has fully dried. I likewise recommend using a darker grout colour in high traffic areas similar this mudroom. It volition really make a large different as to how your tile floor looks subsequently a few years!

Have y'all installed your own 12×24 tile in your dwelling house? Do yous have any helpful tips that you would add for anyone looking to install their own tile?

See below for a detailed list of all the supplies that come in handy on a tiling job similar this!

What Y'all'll Need

Get-go with a proper base of operations:

1. Medium-Bed – for large format tile (LFT) 2.Mixing Wand three. Garden Trowel – for scooping dry out material 4.5-Gal. Saucepan

Go the job done right using proper hand tools:

ane. 1/ii 10 i/ii Notched Trowel 2. Margin Trowel 4. Margin Float 5. Grout Float

Keep everything straight and level:

1. Safe Mallet 2. Big and Small Levels 3. Lash Leveling Organization 4. 1/4″ Tile Spacers

Keep your workspace make clean:

one. Pail – for clean water two. Sponge – for backlog grout and mortar cleanup 3. E-cloth – for grout haze iv. Scrub brush – to make clean all your tools

Wet tile saw:

For jobs with many or complex cuts – Wet tile saw

We too installed a really great heated flooring organisation under this tile (dissimilar from the concluding heated flooring system we did) and I'll be sharing all the details well-nigh that adjacent week, and so go on an center out for that post coming shortly! *Update* You tin can discover that postcorrect hither!

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