R
Raymond
Cut the joints out before grouting
Use a shaping blade.
Use a shaping blade.
Chiselled edge travertine laid in french pattern ( grout joints )
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I'm preparing to lay tile following this French pattern and noticed this same problem. In my case my tile dimensions are in exact 6" increments (6x6, 6x12, 12x12, and 12x18). My plan is to use a small 1/16" grout line, and then to trim the smaller tiles down to 5 15/16" so I can use a tile leveling system throughout without fighting this, but do note that only half of the smaller tiles need to be so trimmed. See the attached diagram where I've carefully laid out the pattern with an extra thick grout line (effectively 1") to make it clear what's going on. If you trace your finger either horizontally or vertically across the pattern, you'll note that you always cross either 2 or 3 grout lines before you reach the end of one copy of the pattern. Those traces that cross 3 grout lines always involve the smaller tiles highlighted in green. So in the diagram, those tiles have been trimmed by one grout line thickness.
My tiles do have a chiseled edge, but because I'm only trimming 1/16" (1/32" from each side), most of the chiseled edge will remain and so I don't expect the trimming to be noticeable.
Another annoying effect of this pattern is a natural upward stair-stepping of the grout lines as you move from left to right, and similarly a natural rightward stair stepping of the grout lines as you move from top to bottom. Notice how the tiles shift relative to the large dashed-line reference square. For each copy of the pattern, the grout lines will shift by one grout line thickness. So this effect is also minimized by using a small grout line. In my case, the shift will nominally be 1/16" every 3 feet -- which is surely smaller than the errors I'll naturally introduce with my unskilled hands. But I should think the effect might very well be an annoyance for a larger (say 1/4") grout line -- the concern being that you end up having to cut small tile strips at the walls as the tiles shift. I suppose you could try rotating the tiles clockwise a small fraction of a degree (so that the grout lines slope 1/4" every 3 feet in the opposite direction) to compensate for this slow drift. I'm not sure if such a small rotation would be noticeable and spoil the look of the room. If you try this, just make sure you're using this same layout. If you use the mirror image of the pattern the drift would be in the opposite direction and you'd need to instead slightly rotate your tiles counter-clockwise.
This is actually my first tiling job. Despite all my careful planning, I fully expect I'll make a mess of it and have to get a jackhammer out before I'm through. Wish me luck.
My tiles do have a chiseled edge, but because I'm only trimming 1/16" (1/32" from each side), most of the chiseled edge will remain and so I don't expect the trimming to be noticeable.
Another annoying effect of this pattern is a natural upward stair-stepping of the grout lines as you move from left to right, and similarly a natural rightward stair stepping of the grout lines as you move from top to bottom. Notice how the tiles shift relative to the large dashed-line reference square. For each copy of the pattern, the grout lines will shift by one grout line thickness. So this effect is also minimized by using a small grout line. In my case, the shift will nominally be 1/16" every 3 feet -- which is surely smaller than the errors I'll naturally introduce with my unskilled hands. But I should think the effect might very well be an annoyance for a larger (say 1/4") grout line -- the concern being that you end up having to cut small tile strips at the walls as the tiles shift. I suppose you could try rotating the tiles clockwise a small fraction of a degree (so that the grout lines slope 1/4" every 3 feet in the opposite direction) to compensate for this slow drift. I'm not sure if such a small rotation would be noticeable and spoil the look of the room. If you try this, just make sure you're using this same layout. If you use the mirror image of the pattern the drift would be in the opposite direction and you'd need to instead slightly rotate your tiles counter-clockwise.
This is actually my first tiling job. Despite all my careful planning, I fully expect I'll make a mess of it and have to get a jackhammer out before I'm through. Wish me luck.
