3mm Grout line & which tile for my main floor

We have finally found tiles from Di Lornzo for our home.. our first quote was 19.5K from Di Lorenzo so we had to go back to relook at our choices....

We have ended up with better choices and a bit cheaper.

The question is would you do a 3mm grout line to save 5.5K in extra labour charges or is it worth 5.5K for 1.5mm grout lines?

the next question is would you use the 30X60 Brown or 30X60 cream matt porcelian in your main living areas? I would love your opinion. Grout will be off white.

Our kitchen will be in a nocturine oak with white shimmer stone benches and steel kick plates.

http://wisdommajestic35onourland.blogspot.com/2011/11/tiles.html

I can not understand why they are cheaper for smaller grout joints as I have never heard of that before. In choosing a grout width size it all depends on the tile size. 600 x 600 tiles should have a 2ml-3ml gap and tiles that a smaller 5 ml gap.

The problem with a 1.5 ml gap is that the grout can not be sanded you have to use unsanded grout as sanded grout will just end up falling out over time.

Craig

Hi Craig

So what you are saying a 3mm grout line for a 300x600 matt Porcelain tile laid throughout all main living areas is what we should be looking at and 1.5mm is just going to cause us problems down the track.

Because if this is the case then it makes our decision a whole lot easier.

What do you think of the colour choices?

Craig, they are charging us 5.5k for the 1.5mm grout line... if we do a 3mm grout line we will not have to pay the additional 5.5k for extra laying charges... sorry first email was a bit disjointed...

I have 1.5 mm gaps between my tiles and there was no mention of extra cost.

Yes I would go with 3 ml joint as some do have 1.5 ml but they will have to use unsanded grout as sanded grout will end up falling out.

I am unsure why they want more money for 1.5 ml though. The colour you have chosen off white will not stay that colour for long due to how porous grout is. The matt finish tiles can also be a pain to keep clean depending on how you maintain them.

The reason is that with a larger joint there it is easier to humour a tile to the floor without exposing a stepped edge from tile to tile. If the tile is rectificated the floor must generally be screeded prior to tiling ( after checking the floor). The large gap allows them to possibly get away with out screeding and therefore quicker to lay. I personally always recomend screeding the floor to ensure a tiler has a flat level base to tile with. Also does depend as mentioned above on the edge of the tile.
Cheers
Charlie

I think they are just trying to convince you not to do the 1.5mm grout line which I doubt would even be to Australian standards.

It could also be to allow for grinding & maybe some leveller as Zedman has pointed out.

We grind every slab regardless.

It could also be so they have some coin in there pocket to allow for any problems you may have later on.

I would ask the question on Australian Standards & want to see the standard myself, as I don't believe 1.5mm or even 3mm is acceptable & in my opinion too small.

We work on 4mm or 5mm on most floors.

We have Alpine Ivory Tiles with matching grout. They were laid 3 years ago and grout is still the same colour. I would say that our grout is probably 3mm wide (no problems).

There should be no difference in price between laying with 1.5mm or 3mm its just the size of the spacer.

The real question is are the Tiles chosen Porcelain Rectified Tiles ? if they are than 1.5mm joint wont be a problem as the tiles are cut precisely the same size. If not than dont even try using 1.5 just go for 3mm.

Next question is the laying pattern ? If you lay in a stackbond lay than it should be no problem but if you are looking at brickbond pattern than its hard to stop the lipping tiles of 30x60

The only option you should be paying for is for the Tiler to use leveling clip system which will help maintain a level finishing floor with even spacing.

1.5mm spacing is fine for main area floors but it is not allowed for wet areas. Get your floors inspected by the tiler prior to starting to make sure they dont need levelling or grinding before starting.