Porcelain 600x600 cuts - what can I get away with?? - Tile Advice

[diy-si]

Hi guys, long time lurker, first time post!

I'm about to embark on a rather ambitious DIY project in our new build, tiling the kitchen / diner and the hallway etc.

I have been taking a look at the layout and have some questions that can only be answered by experience! I'm going to be laying some 600x600 Unicomstarker rectified porcelain tiles - at the minute planning to layout something like the below - but v. worried about the cuts around the door threshold from hall to K / D.



Is it possible to get away with such complex and long cuts with a good porcelain tile? I will invest in a decent cutter if needed - otherwise will work with grinder and a good diamond disc. Cuts required as below.



I think obviously I need to move the whole layout up and get rid of the horrible deep cut for the tile near the door - but don't really have any feel for what you can and can't get away with cut wise!

Thanks in advance!

 

[bsc ceramics]

hi diy-si
I would def try and avoid those cuts to the door if possible.
not sure how accurate your sketch is but could you move
the grout line so its actually in the threshold of the kitchen door? would you still have enough tile to the far wall? Its hard to get everything as you would like

 

[Old Mod]

Is it a heated floor?

 

[Old Mod]

Useful information would be the estimated size of the perimeter cuts.

 

[diy-si]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Probably sound advice to just try and avoid! I can shift the tiles over so the grout line runs under the door which makes the cuts simpler...but gives me quite a few areas with nasty slivers.

The biggest perimeter cut in that first layout was around 500mm x 100mm - on a 600 x 600! I think that obviously is just too much.

This is just going down on a sand/cement screed with no UFH. Hopefully straight down with an S1 addy but may need to use SLC yet (haven't see the screed finish).

If I move as per bsc-ceramics reccs then I end up somewhere like this:



Genuinely don't know how you guys do these layouts on the job, there and then!

 

[Old Mod]

The way to deal with this would be to have joints under the centre of the doors.
You can almost treat it as 3 separate areas.
Centre your hallway so you have equal cuts down both the longest runs,
When you come to doorways, cut to halfway under the door.
Do the same in what I imagine to be the kitchen/diner area, and see if the cut in to the door where the hallway is, is of a similar size.
Maybe adjust left to right a little to give the desired effect.
And the same again in to what looks like the utility room.
That will allow you to set each space as a separate area, well almost.
That way you’ll be able to eliminate the cuts you’ve circled in blue at bottom of your diagram.
The circled cut bottom right, as it is, it’s unlikely you’ll achieve it, hopefully re-evaluating the set out, may help there too.
It’s also good practise to have expansion joints thro doorways as they are a pinch point.
If you have varying temps in each area through doorways, this can sometimes cause tiles in doorways to crack or pop.

 

[AP tiler]

whip off all the skirting boards and archs if already on bit of a pain to put back on but will make the tiling 100x easier

 

[diy-si]

3_fall, good advice thanks. I'd thought about separating, but was abit worried it would ruin the 'flow' through the hall in to kitchen / diner.

Would you recommend a normal joint or something like a Schluter expansion joint? Maybe looks more intentional and neat? I'll have a look at doing this and treating as 2 or 3 layouts.

The tiles are ivory and planning on a 2mm grout line with a close colour match so hopefully lends itself to the above.

Luckily i'm getting in before the skirting / acrhi even goes up!

 

[Old Mod]

Would you recommend a normal joint or something like a Schluter expansion joint? Maybe looks more intentional and neat? I'll have a look at doing this and treating as 2 or 3 layouts.

You must be the first person that I’ve actualy come across that has considered a proper profiled expansion joint. But yes of course it’s an option.
You can actually use a soft joint, a colour matched silicone if you wish. (4-5mm)
As long as you cut the tile neatly, you can rub the cut edge up with a diamond hand rubbing block.
100-200# grit would work well to smooth an edge.
You don’t need to do the whole side of the cut, just the exposed top edge.

 

[diy-si]

You must be the first person that I’ve actualy come across that has considered a proper profiled expansion joint.

I actually don't mind them! Think they look sweet when used in the right place and obviously do the job! I'll try and centre a joint between hall and kitchen diner, I think the rest will work in ok if I make that split. Should end up with a 450 x 600 or so at the threshold.

I’ll add some diamond rubbing blocks to the shopping list. Ref cutting neatly - any particular cutter I should hire? I really want to avoid chips so wasn’t sure whether to get a cheap snap cutter and put on a good wheel or just wet cut?

Thanks again!

 

[Andy Rhodes]

I agree with what 3 fall says, but would be very reluctant to use ivory grout it may start to look dirty a few months down the line

 

[J Sid]

grout will only look dirty imho if the wrong cleaning technique is used.
job 5 years ago, about 400m2, white grout in and out and still white now.

 

[Andy Rhodes]

Nice looking job, but personally i'll always advise against it & this is because when you don't mention it, the response 9 times out of 10 you didn't tell us it might go mucky looking & if you say to them your not cleaning it correctly I not going there with that one, bad experience which very nearly came to blows

 

[J Sid]

I told a customer how to clean the floor once and she wasn't happy

find it's better to speak directly to the staff then the owner.

 

[Andy Rhodes]

my point exactly