There are plenty of designs of large tiles, especially for shower floors. However, you need to ensure your shower pan meets the criteria listed earlier. After adhering the pre-sloped base to the subfloor, and then the pre-bonded pan waterproofing membrane is integrated with the waterproofing of the walls, and the surface is ready to be tiled. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Minimalist Grouting When you use bigger tiles, you use less. It requires someone who finds the zen in it. Are they within a whisker of being PERFECT? If you want that same gorgeous look quartzite is a perfect substitute. What Is the Coefficient of Friction on a Large Shower Tile? They provided a bit more traction underfoot. You need a good-quality mortar to ensure a safe and secure surface. The people who are good at this are artistic enough to know what does and doesn't look good and have an obsessive level of attention to detail. We havent done any full length articles on these kits, simply because they are very specific products with their own detailed instruction manuals, but they are quite popular and easy to use. Thanks, Stonetech. The more slippery the tile, the smaller you want it. Cut in the corners with the edge of a margin trowel. Dump the grout on the tile floor and press the grout into the joints with a rubber grout float. Run a bead of tile caulking around the perimeter of the shower floor, covering the floor-to-wall grout joint. Wash the floor with a damp sponge. Position the first full sheet of shower floor tile against the most visible corner. Question: I have been told by several tilers that you cannot put tile over tile because it will crack. That should have included sanding (which they did) plus leveling (which they didthat's the 1/8" you paid for). Inspect each grout joint for thinset. Also, most mosaic tiles installed on shower bases are usually spaced apart at 1/8 while we install large format tile with 1/16 spacing between each tile, meaning the grout lines are half the thickness on the shower base. As upsetting as the result is to you, it might be worth taking the 55% refund and do what you want with it. This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. We have an excellent start to finish article, Installing a Leakproof Shower Pan, on the process, but heres whats involved: After the shower has been rough framed, a thin layer of Portland cement and sand (aka mud), just wet enough to cling together, is laid across the subfloor and pitched toward an adjustable drain in the center, or to a linear drain along one of the edges. In smaller showers you may have to go smaller. Trusted, comprehensive guidance from the pros for a great-looking tile job in any room of the house. Next a waterproofing membrane (a product called Chloroloy is a popular choice) is laid down over a layer of felt paper (sometimes called tar paper), covering the sloped mud bed and integrating with a flange on the adjustable drain. If youre having trouble choosing the best tile options for your shower floor, call an expert. Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine. As a result, you get a shower floor that floods easily. But, if youre thinking of installing a tile shower floor, youve got some decisions to make when it comes to your method of installation. Continue to stir the grout until all of the dry powder has mixed and the wet grout has a uniform color. It is possible the tile salesman wants you to rip up the old floor and subfloor so that he can sell you more than just the thinset and pebble-tile you need to give the shower a facelift. Answer: I wouldn't want all the extra weight on the ceiling. Remove any raised tile using a hammer and chisel. Always remember to use top-quality grout, adhesive, and membranes when fitting your shower floor. Only cover as much of the floor as you can reach with a sheet of tile. I have never heard of having to provide a tile layout to someone who is supposed to be a professional tile setter. Plus, I dislike all the grout lines of the mosaic he is suggesting. An adapter can convert a round drain cover into a square cover. Looking through images of contemporary and modern bathrooms on Pinterest or other social sites provides some confusing thoughts about the right tiles to use for your shower. If they are not quite the same size when comparing 10 pieces = non rectified. If we do use the large format tiles, what is the largest the tiles on the shower floor can be? The second reason why people typically use smaller tiles on shower floors is to provide more traction to the surface. They turned out well. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Do you mind me asking what tile the floor is as well as what you used for the curb that makes it look so put together? Start your subscription today and save up to 70%. It "looks" nice. many thanks. Upgrading to a Tile Shower Learn from a pro tilesetter how to remove an old bathtub and replace it with a custom tile shower. Houzz Pro: One simple solution for contractors and design pros. The grout must completely fill the cavity between each set of tiles. And, as I explained above, a linear drain can be used with a central drain (unless the tile bed has already been installed). I'm seeing quite a few decent looking installations of larger format tile with center drains, so I'm hopeful that this look is not limited to linear drains. It hides "roller coasters". It dries completely, immediately after use, and has never grown so much as a speck of mold or mildew. Any size tile w any drain , hire wisely smart people. Stand them up (as if you where gathering a sheaf of paper) and see if they are all the same size? Germain, the plumbing has already been installed and we have a center drain, so we can't change to a linear drain at this point, although I should have pushed harder for a linear drain -- my contractor didn't want to do one. There are ways though that you can check what you are really getting. With fewer grout lines, this versatile material brings a smooth appearance to walls and floors, Feeling Good Underfoot: Shower Tiles, Mosaics, Teak Slats and Pebbles, Bad remodels had managed to leave this couple cramped in an expansive bath. If your existing shower floor flexes, the new tile will crack in the same areas. Large format tile - how much lippage is acceptable, Mixing subway tile and porcelin large format tile. The crack reduction membrane is standard and should have been included in the first quote. So far they were on the up and up. The installer told the home owner he had never had one leak. At Coco Tile, we have developed a unique way to install a large format tile into any size of custom shower base. My instinct tells me if it is a small space that using the same tile on both the floor and in the shower would give a more cohesive look. 2022 Coco Tile Flooring Contractor Inc. Those numbers should be on the box the tile came in. But we can't find smaller mosaic tile that is a good match to the 48x48 tile on the floors, and I'd rather have the continuity of flooring throughout the bathroom and not be broken up with different tile on the shower floor. Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers. Can you use large tiles on a shower floor? If you cant find the COF value, call the manufacturer for the information. White-colored thinset will not bleed through the new shower tile's grout. Our master bath has extra large format floors (48x48), and we have a bunch of leftover tile, and I am trying to figure out if we can use the same tiles in the shower, just cut down in size a bit. Those are the "good guys". Any larger than that, and the tiles wont be able to conform to the gentle slope of the mud pan. It really does depend on the tile and its wet coefficient of friction. I've found a couple inspiration photos on Houzz where larger format tiles are used in a shower, but my tile installer is reluctant to do this and is pushing me to get mosaic tiles for the shower floor. Lightly tamp the tile into the wet thinset with a grout float. Are you sure you can do this successfully? Do you have any information on this, like how to seal the drain to pan? Instead of installing the traditional and old fashioned 2 x 2 mosaic tile on your shower base, you should consider a large format tile (24 x 24 or larger). Look for large grout or tile cracks that run across the entire floor. So long as it stands up to every day life (with the anti fracture membrane you have a very good chance it will work hard for a very long time) you have a functional floor - albeit not the one you envisioned. When carpet is specified as part of the "interior finish" the flooring guys do NOTHING to improve the initial pour.NOTHING. If you fit a shower floor, avoid any tiles with COFs under 0.5. An even simpler option is to eliminate the mud altogether, and choose a sloped shower pan that already has the waterproofing layer attached. :) Have a great day and good luck with your kitchen remodel! There are plenty of tiles that have minimal slipperiness, even in large format. Vacuum any debris from the grout joints. From there, sheets of tile backerboard are fastened to the wall framing, and another 2 to 3 inch layer of Portland cement and sand are applied over the membrane, again sloped towards the drain. The rag prevents debris from falling down into the drainpipe. Carpet hides a plethora of problems. Continue to add thinset to the problem areas, as needed. "Another idea I had was to install small cut pieces of the large format,and then place a teak grate over them to reduce any slipping risk.". Note that the sloped mud bed is still providing the drainage, just like in a traditional pan, but the mud pan wont be getting saturated. Because it takes them longer to get a good result with non-rectified, they will charge more so that they don't get a complain about how it looks. Many shower floors have cut tile with sharp or rough-looking edges. Wipe any excess thinset from the grout joints with a wet sponge. Make sure the subfloor is solid and then install a pan membrane, slope the floor, and install the tile. Can You Use Large Tiles on a Shower Floor? Grout? Yes, I understand the topography, which is why I went with 2 x 2 hex. Earlier I mentioned the option of a form that helps you create a perfect slope. That means the floor stays in one or two flat planes and any size tile can be used. I've done that in showers and once on a tiled exterior balcony. Use the nipper's blades to shape the tile so it fits tightly against the floor drain. Doesn't etch either. The backing keeps the grout joints between each small piece even. A redesign gave the room a luxe hotel feel, Quell your fears of cooking splashes, cleaning nightmares and dust with these tips from the pros, The sky's the limit for beautiful blues in your home's dining spaces; here's how to make it work, Large-Format Rectangular Tiles GIve a Bathroom a Fresh New Look, Dare you consider trading that 'coveted' design feature for something you'll actually use? We decided to use that money and take my mom to Hawaii. If using a square cover, mount the adapter to the extension ring now. Home Tiling Advice Can You Use Large Tiles on a Shower Floor? Answer: The new tile will crack again if the foundation continues to settle. Hold the grout float at a 45-degree angle to the tile floor. Your email address will not be published. After the new tile floor dries, the ring will hold the drain cover flush with the new shower floor tile's finished surface. Always follow the manufacturer's powder grout to water ratio. The mortar is the most under-thought element in installing a new shower floor. How slippery tiles are varies greatly. If youre itching for bigger tiles and less grout joints, consider the linear drain option mentioned above, which wont limit you when it comes to tile size. Today, large tiles are available in a variety of styles and designs. Set the cut tile in their respective spots on the shower floor. The bad cuts can turn an otherwise good-looking tile floor into an amateurish-looking maintenance nightmare. Above that, you can get excess rocking and lippage since the flat tile can't conform to the curved bowl. Thanks, all. Looks like the best marble and is as hard and non-porous as granite or quartz. Now for the material chosen/purchased. However, other issues need to be kept in mind, such as, the extra tile thickness means the shower valve often requires longer escutcheon screws, glass enclosure's size needs to be adjusted, and so on. This is the traditionalist approach to preparing a shower floor, and requires some labor. I suppose tile with deep rough texture would be better on wet soap? I put matte finish tile on shower by my pool and it feels ok non slip until my grandson uses half bottle of body wash. I have heard some mixed advice, and have seen very few related articles on the subject. I agree with the advice to go with a linear drain and use large format tiles. He told me installation would be "significantly higher" than a normal center drain, which usually means he doesn't want to do it or isn't sure how to do it. Failing that, you don't want to go larger than 4"preferably 2"Yes, you could cut down the larger tiles, but would probably need to "dress" the edges to make them more comfortable. Remodelling the bathroom is one of the best ways to add value to your home. Thankfully the "tile guy" told them before the job started and they obviously added that cost/material to the job before anything else started. I would not trust the drywall above to hold two layers of tile, grout, and thinset. A planar surface like a curbless can take large format, uncut, as long as the tile is not too slippery. What I'm saying is to not assume you need a teak grate until you see what the floor is like after the install. Question: Would it be possible to tile over existing shower wall and ceiling tile? The tile setter dry packs the mortar mixture in the shower pan. Preferably, you want a tile offering a COF of 0.6 for your new shower floor. Tile is then adhered to the top of the membrane using thinset cement. I don't know how much it would cost to use them as countertops but my hunch is that the cost would be prohibitive across the board too. This option might be a good choice for anybody whos nervous about their skills with dry-packed mortar. Choose wisely. MongoCT, good to know. Each settlement crack in the grout creates a pathway for water to seep into the concrete subfloor. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It does have a texture, so it might work just fine in the shower. If you are working in a larger shower, start at a far corner and work back toward the door. Do not install the tile surrounding the drain opening or any cut pieces of tile near the shower walls yet. What you have does not look good. Having money given back to you at the end of the day is not something to sneeze at. Shower floor sheet tile has several rows of small tile that are held together with a mesh backing. Waterproofing a window in a tiled shower There are a few different ways to approach this project. By Famrnylongras CC-BY-SA-3.0 | Wikimedia Commons. Once dry, the mortar gives the tile a solid surface to rest on. Hiring a GC in the Seattle area to remodel a 7x8.5 bathroom costs another $20K minimum (we live in a condo), so for now it's Hawaii. Most good tile setters will tell you that a high-quality tile project always starts with subsurface preparation. Bert spent 25 years working as a home-improvement and residential construction contractor in central Florida. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page. in a linear drain shower but not ok in a center drain shower. Read on to learn how to tile over an existing shower floor! Bath tile: large format porcelain vs. engineered quartz slabs? I called the tile place and they looked up the specs from the Spanish manufacturer, and it's not available. Put on all safety equipment, including safety glasses and leather work gloves. We have 2-inch white tiles because we could not find a mosaic match the stone and wood look of our walls. A linear drain works fine, even if the drain is in the center, as long as the drain runs pretty much the full width of the shower.. My shower is 55"X84", with a 48" linear drain across the center. As a tile shower floor ages, its imperfections quickly turn into an eyesore. If I were you, I would pose this question in a thread over at the "Tile Forum". The material cost buy-in is higher than a couple yards of PVC membrane and the bags of mortar, but it results in a thoroughly impermeable barrier between the wet and dry sides, and and smooth, flat, square base upon which to set your tile. This thin-bed mud approach is also the method of choice when building a barrier-free bath, where the floor of the bathroom connects directly with the floor of the shower rather than being separated by a curb (see A Sloping Floor for a Barrier-Free Bath, and also our full video series on the same topic: Tile a Barrier-Free Bathroom). The membrane not only catches water seepage, but it creates a barrier that prevents minor subfloor settlement cracks from transferring to the tile. You've received excellent details on why. When working on a larger shower floor, consider laying about half of the tile at a time, completing the far half first. We have bought 12"x24" porcelain tiles and a Sicis glass mosaic for the "vanity" wall already so the remodel will happen ultimately but not until those crazy prices go down. By U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kate Thornton-Maurer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. The look is beautiful, elegant, and highly sought after by those who desire a high-end, one-of-a-kind shower. Good luck! Carefully run a handheld grout saw across any thinset. With a linear drain the slope is only from one end to the other, or from both ends to the center. Lay each full sheet of uncut tile on the shower floor. Required fields are marked *. Techniques weve learnt from European Master Tile Setters in Italy are now implemented on our very own jobs, right here in Ottawa. Answer: As long as the existing floor is solid with no major settlement issues or loose tiles, then the tile setters are correct. If your next bathroom remodel includes a tub or prefab fiberglass shower base, then the installation is going to be pretty straightforward. Measure the space between the full sheets of tile and the adjacent wall. I'm not affiliated with Schluter in any way, but am a big fan of their very well engineered products. Do they lay perfectly flat or very close to being perfectly flat? Spread the thinset on the shower floor with a notched trowel, starting at the far corner and working toward the shower curb. Adjust each full sheet of tile until the grout joints between the sheets match the joints between the individual pieces of tile. The grate can also slow evaporative drying. There are plenty of large-tile designs, and you feel its the right choice for your new shower remodel. Another idea I had was to install small cut pieces of the large format, and then place a teak grate over them to reduce any slipping risk. Fill any dips or missing tile in the existing tile floor with the thinset, using a flat trowel to feather the thinset into the surrounding tile. Below, you'll find instructions for prepping the old floor tile, installing new tile over it, and finishing the job. Once the floor has dried, any excess white thinset will stand out against the grout; white grout makes white thinset look grey. Lightly press the shower floor tile into the wet thinset with a clean grout float. These pans are made by several companies (Noble and Schluter are two mainstays), may be foam or plastic, and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. What is your professional opinion? Grout affords you a non slip surface, particularly on the more slippery tiles. The tile setter came up with the arrangement and would review it with me and DH before he started (no one likes to redo work), but I don't recall having to change anything. Thanks for the link @Creative Tile Eastern CT. Yes, its entirely possible to use larger size tiles on your bathroom floor. Mix a white-colored thinset in a bucket, using the thinset manufacturer's instructions. Thanks! My tile setter recommended nothing larger than 4" x 4" on the floor of my shower. I'm wondering, though, is it any more slippery than having a tub? Double-check the floor for slope and dips with the level. I'm meeting with my tile installer tomorrow so I am going to walk through options with him. I know what you want to do is being done successfully. Check the coefficient of friction both wet and dry. From squares to rectangles and even hexagons, theres plenty of variety available. I can't figure out why large format tiles are ok (not slippery??) Since most showers are small spaces, using large tiles on the floor interferes with the shower pan slope. I would strongly urge you not to do marble in the kitchen. Lots of variation in a small space can tend give a room a "fractured" look as in the photo (although what you are using would be less frenetic than the photo attached). If the existing shower floor does not have the proper slope, build up the low area with thinset. Because if the membrane under the thick layer of mud is installed without an adequate slope or the weeping mechanism in the adjustable drain is blocked, water will just sit in the mortar bed and never dry, and that can lead to problems with grout failure or worse. Maybe we can just wear flip flops. The tile I am using is 12x24 in matte finish. Note that there are companies that sell forms that help get the slope right. However, I hate the style and color, and I want to install a pebble floor. One other thing I've done a couple of times with large format that we figured would be too slippery in full tile size was scoring light lines across the surface of the tile. Typically, smaller tiles provide ridges between the tiles, giving you more grip on the floor to prevent slips. If the added thinset created a high spot, rub the high spot with a sanding stone or cinder block. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. We can't do a linear drain because the plumbing is installed and it is plumbed for a central drain. Good. Hello @pipdog I M curious to know how your show turn out? When measured from the drain opening to the furthest wall, the level should show about 1/4-inch of slope per foot. I'd offer that a fourth option, that I'd place at #1, would be the Schluter Kerdi shower system. Another perk is that with a thin-bed installation you only have one mortar bed instead of two, which means less time waiting for the mortar to cure (about 24 hrs), and eliminates the weight of the mortar. A pro tilesetter gives tips for a solid installation without removing existing tiles. We have a Duravit tub that does not have a slip-resistant surface, and we've showered in it for years with no problems. Transfer the measurement to a sheet of tile. Or remember to rinse Aaron's soap off the floor before you walk in? Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox. Most large format can be cut into smaller tile, but it's possible the cut tile edges will have to be dressed to match. A center-drain inverted (and truncated) pyramid slope with four distinct sloping planes can take large format as four triangular pieces. So it meets the minimum, but have no idea what the actual DCOF is. Hi sirenaeg, I'm happy with the large format tile in the shower, no issues with slipping at all after a year and a half of use. An improperly created subsurface causes high and low spots in the finished floor. Yes a skilled tiler could figure out the slope, but you would not like the result. 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.