A question I’ve been asked a lot lately is what size should I make tile grout joints?. Regular format tiles are what I install on most of my jobs. If you are aiming for this size of gap, buy 2 mm (0.08 inch) spacers. The size and spacing of the trowel teeth are the basis to measure tile trowel size. After picking out your tiles, you will need to also make sure you have all the other materials to complete your job. Find tile spacers at Lowe's today. Selecting the right width for grout lines on your tile project may seem unimportant compared to picking tile sizes, patterns and materials. They can be off as much as 3/32 of an inch. When installing wall and floor tiles, technicians place plastic spacers between each one to ensure the lines remain uniform.Tile spacers range in size from 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch. The tiles are not exact in size. * Actual coverage depends on substrate, type of tile and setting method. According to The Tile Association, the smallest gap you should allow between tiles is 2 mm (0.08 inches). These spacers are made from flexible plastic, which allows for slight compression as needed during tile installation. Without this 1/16″ spacing, ceramic and natural stone won’t have the proper expansion and contraction joint. Shop tile spacers and a variety of flooring products online at Lowes.com. This tells you how much thinset the trowel will leave on the substrate when you spread it out. The general rule is to use tile spacers of 2 - 3mm for a ceramic wall tile installation and tile spacers of 5mm for a ceramic floor tile installation, but there are numerous factors that can influence the size of the tile spacers you use. The trowel’s tooth shape and spacing determines how much thinset is sandwiched between the tile and substrate once the tile is fully installed. Regular format. To figure out the size of your grout lines you also need to add the size of the lugs to the size of the spacer if you use the spacers between them. There are several different sizes of spacer available, from 2 mm (0.08 inches) to 6 mm (0.24 inches). But with bathroom tile installations, every detail is key.. Also, keep in mind that porcelain tile is a form of ceramic tile. The manufacture specifies 3/16 of an inch for grout spacing. Homes and buildings move, thermal expansion happens and even certain tiles expand or contract with seasons. In other words do not put a spacer between the lugs on one tile and between spaces where there are not lugs on another. Also, my floor joist are 24 inches apart. Mortars Selection Chart and Approximate Coverage Select a Trowel (based on tile size) To properly bond various types or sizes of tile or stone, select a trowel according to the size of tile you want to install. Place them between the tiles are you lay each one and grout straight over the top. Porcelain, granite and marble tiles are generally installed with a 3mm spacer. The tile is Devonshire DV-43. For example: A higher quality tile could allow for a 1/16" or 1/8" grout line and maybe even a brick layout as lippage may not be an issue (in a perfect tile world) where as a lower quality tile might have major lippage risk so laying the tile in 1/3's and having a 1/4" grout line is recommended. For floor tiles, 3 mm (0.12 inches) is the smallest gap. Luckily my husband is in the tile industry (owns Tile Republic store in Canberra) so I could pick his brain to get all the latest info relating to tile grout joints.. Related article: Everything you need to know about picking the right grout Reusable and compatible with various tile types, these spacers are imperative to keep on hand for professional looking results. 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