# Different size tile in the same lot



## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

OK, so what are some of the good tile suppliers out there?

Around me, I have Daltile, American Oleans and Westcott-Hindmarsh. I have not had issues with any of them. There are a few smaller suppliers on the south side but I don't seem to get as good of a discount. Hell, there's a flooring store 1 minute from my house that sells Daltile products. I can get them cheaper from Dal than they can (so they claim....which I doubt)


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## LoFiMofo (Jan 12, 2011)

In my experience, when the problem has been discovered that there is a difference in the sizes of the tiles, I make the customer aware of the situation. If discovered before installation has started I usually go with a larger grout joint, so I can individually adjust each tile as it is laid so that it is less noticeable. The best solution for the contractor and the customer is to exchange tile for ones with the same caliber.


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## TileWizard (Jan 14, 2011)

i've seen this even with high priced tiles. if you just take your time and make sure you dont group a bunch a big ones together and small ones together you can make it work fine and nobody can tell. and sometimes a little bigger grout joint to help maybe 1/4"


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## HandyHails (Feb 28, 2009)

I HATE big grout joints. Always looks sloppy to me. Even on big 18 or 24 inch tile I usually go w/ 1/8". I have tried working around the sizing issue, but if its in a small room or god forbid a shower or tub surround its a deal breaker for me.


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## TileWizard (Jan 14, 2011)

i also Hate big grout joints 1/8 is my usual and 1/16 for marble/granite. but when you get to junk such as slates and handmade ceramics you gotta make em a little bigger or else you'll have no joint left.


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## LoFiMofo (Jan 12, 2011)

I agree. Big grout joints looks horrible. But to combat the problem you don't have to go too much larger than 1/8". I bid a tearout job recently that had 18X18 travertine with 1/2" joints. Damn DYI'ers.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Hold on folks.....the problem isn't us, it's the bad tile. 

The only real "fix" is to not use tile that isn't dimensionally similar. Thicker grout joints aren't a solution, just a bandage. 

I believe we all know that. However, you might get a first-timer reading this and think "Oh, I can just do 1/4" grout joints and use crappy tile to get away with it". :no:

BTW, it still takes an experienced hand to keep grout joints straight with oddly shaped tiles.


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## HS345 (Jan 20, 2008)

angus242 said:


> Hold on folks.....the problem isn't us, it's the bad tile.
> 
> The only real "fix" is to not use tile that isn't dimensionally similar. Thicker grout joints aren't a solution, just a bandage.
> 
> ...


In a perfect world......

Sometimes we have to play the hand we're dealt.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

HS345 said:


> In a perfect world......
> 
> Sometimes we have to play the hand we're dealt.


That's why I said it still takes an experienced hand. I had an old-school union guy show me how to handle this situation. Without that education, I'd probably still struggle with odd tiles.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Grid lines.....spacers no bueno.


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## HS345 (Jan 20, 2008)

PrecisionFloors said:


> Grid lines.....spacers no bueno.


It's the only way.


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## algernon (Dec 31, 2008)

Great Thread!

I don't post often, but do check around here regularly. I've been going through the same issues with people picking poor materials. There's some good stuff in here to think about.:thumbup:



CarpetbaggerEnt said:


> I've run into the same issue with a commercial install. The corporation had purchased pallets of tile through Lowe's to do all the bathrooms in 11 retail/storage centers. I found tile that was dimensionally off too. I told the crew to set them aside, but it became too much. We ended up with over 20 boxes of tiles one size, so we used all of them on one site.


*I installed 24"x24" ungauged quartzite in Vancouver a couple of years ago. The only way was to first stack all 800' of it on edge like a bookcase and sort through from the 3/8"to 7/8" thick. FFS, what a pain. Turned out really nice, though. *



CarpetbaggerEnt said:


> Many times, when you work with one tile wholesaler all the time, your piece price will come down to under big box store levels. Wholesalers do monitor your purchasing volumes and it's best to keep purchasing at one wholesaler to keep the discount level up.


*I was charged $13.91 and $10.43 for the same piece of Jolly on two different trips in the same day at the same supplier. /scratch head*.



JazMan said:


> The customer thought they had chosen a "quality" tile because it was $1.67 a ft. LOL. Now that is really funny, good quality for under $2.00 a ft. :laughing: I ended up supplying the tiles. They were better than their first selection, but still nothing to write home about.
> Jaz


*Your website is well done. I like how you arranged the products list into an arrow. I've got to get going on a website, is there any drawbacks in publicly posting your prices? I would guess that when someone contacts you, they're not just kicking tires.*




PrecisionFloors said:


> Grid lines.....spacers no bueno.


*I haven't done a backsplash with out the ol' PLS3 in a long time. It's hard to argue with frickin' lasers!*


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## jarvis design (May 6, 2008)

I'm a little late chiming in, but thought I would relay a story of the worst tiles I ever has to deal with. It was probably 6-7 years ago and I was using Dal 3x6 subway tiles. In the 160 sq ft that we had, there was at least 3 different heights and the smallest to largest varied by 1/8". Tough to hide with a 1/16" grout line! My soloution was to sort the tiles and use the same size in each row...PITA, but it worked!

The 2nd worst tiles were from Olympia last November (and I use Olympia a lot, first problem ever!) Tiles were the same size, just warped! They were 10x18 wall tiles being installed like subway tiles...lippage was brutal! 
Ended up taking them back (had to go to Toronto) and found that out of 25 pallets (from 3 lots) they were all warped! Had to change tile


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## TileWizard (Jan 14, 2011)

jarvis design said:


> I'm a little late chiming in, but thought I would relay a story of the worst tiles I ever has to deal with. It was probably 6-7 years ago and I was using Dal 3x6 subway tiles. In the 160 sq ft that we had, there was at least 3 different heights and the smallest to largest varied by 1/8". Tough to hide with a 1/16" grout line! My soloution was to sort the tiles and use the same size in each row...PITA, but it worked!
> 
> The 2nd worst tiles were from Olympia last November (and I use Olympia a lot, first problem ever!) Tiles were the same size, just warped! They were 10x18 wall tiles being installed like subway tiles...lippage was brutal!
> Ended up taking them back (had to go to Toronto) and found that out of 25 pallets (from 3 lots) they were all warped! Had to change tile


 
musta been a bad lot from Dal. their 3x6 subay has allways been my favorite of subway tiles. i've had warped up tiles before that def sucks


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

the porcelain i installed today from LOWES (homeowner, happens to be a good friend of mine, purchased it) was off 1/16th on some tiles. I'm hoping the 9x12s aren't the same, i'll be checking them tomorrow, if so, i won't even attempt to do the walls/tub surround.

i bought my 4x4 tumbled from lowes for my own house, and I was impressed with how accurate they were in size. 

I have to start this floor over again tomorrow. good thing i didn't give him a bid on this job. ripped up and threw out over 25 6x6's due to the next box being larger than the ones i installed, it was 1/8th grout line, so being off 1/16th wasn't going to happen.


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## HandyHails (Feb 28, 2009)

I just intalled the 9x12's from Lowes a few weeks ago in a shower. There were two separate lots. We ran them in a brick pattern so I just had to make sure that each row was sized to match itself. Again these were a heavy 16th off. All the tiles out of the same lot were really close though. I wouldn't have noticed any variance if I hadn't been checking so closely.


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

I'm installing the exact same tiles tomorrow. but the customer wants it square pattern, and set vertically. 3 rows of glass mosaic around shoulder height or where ever is closest in the full rows. I always have some difficulty when it comes to the Bullnose as it passes by the row of mosaic border, because the bullnose are the same size as the 12 inches of the 9x12s. so the glass border keeps you from lining up the grout lines of the bullnose. that's just a pet peeve of mine that the grout lines line up. 

another thing is where the wall tiles meet up with the 6x6 floor tiles, with no baseboard installed, those lines will never line up either with 9 inch wide tiles and then 6 inch floor tiles.

we sorted through several boxes today. floor took a few hours to do and it was only 6'x5' most of the tiles measured 5 13/16 but 2 boxes of them were 
5 3/4" I'm scared to even think about sorting through the wall tiles. the 9x12s I laid out today while we were doing a mockup seemed to be all the same size, hoping for the best.


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## opiethetileman (Apr 7, 2005)

nice shower shower. I like the seat. hopefully someone will caulk that bullnose edge or something


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

opie, how often do you blend the wainscot into the shower/tub surround and how often do you have a border tile that separates the tub surround from the rest of the room when there is a tile wainscot involved. most of my jobs have all been just tile floor, and then a shower stall or tub surround. not the wainscot, if we do it, it's wood bead board.

wondering will look best.

seems like it adds too many variables to the layout with starting at the floor and then up to the tub and over into the tub surround and you are limited to the height of the tub and width, I can't stand laying out tiles when there is a sliver that only a few inches or less in size. looks horrible.


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## HS345 (Jan 20, 2008)

ApgarNJ said:


> I'm installing the exact same tiles tomorrow. but the customer wants it square pattern, and set vertically. 3 rows of glass mosaic around shoulder height or where ever is closest in the full rows. I always have some difficulty when it comes to the Bullnose as it passes by the row of mosaic border, because the bullnose are the same size as the 12 inches of the 9x12s. so the glass border keeps you from lining up the grout lines of the bullnose. that's just a pet peeve of mine that the grout lines line up.


I usually cut a piece of bullnose the same width as the decorative row. That way I can line the bullnose up with the tile. 

Most of the time the bullnose is the width of the short side. That's an unusual situation you've got.


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## opiethetileman (Apr 7, 2005)

ApgarNJ said:


> opie, how often do you blend the wainscot into the shower/tub surround and how often do you have a border tile that separates the tub surround from the rest of the room when there is a tile wainscot involved. most of my jobs have all been just tile floor, and then a shower stall or tub surround. not the wainscot, if we do it, it's wood bead board.
> 
> wondering will look best.
> 
> seems like it adds too many variables to the layout with starting at the floor and then up to the tub and over into the tub surround and you are limited to the height of the tub and width, I can't stand laying out tiles when there is a sliver that only a few inches or less in size. looks horrible.





well I have done it before i am looking for pictures right now. But seems to me the border is too low and ya neew another higher up. Let me find a picture. and the shower pan i did something new to tie it all in


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

HS345 said:


> I usually cut a piece of bullnose the same width as the decorative row. That way I can line the bullnose up with the tile.
> 
> Most of the time the bullnose is the width of the short side. That's an unusual situation you've got.


I thought about cutting a 3" high piece of bullnose and then continue the 12" bullnose lined up with the other pieces. wasn't sure that would look great or not.


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

thanks for the pics opie, we only have enough glass mats to cut 12 strips. (3 rows each strip) and so they want one border and the rest field tile. 

I tried to talk them into glass at the top of the wainscot. but they didn't like how the rows wouldn't line up where the tub border was higher up than outside the tub. They want me to cap the wainscot with bullnose. but they are 12" and we are running the 9x12s vertical so the bullnose will all have to be cut or the grout lines will be all over the place on the cap.


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## opiethetileman (Apr 7, 2005)

word of advice check your thickness of the glass and field tile now and figure that out before you start setting


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## HS345 (Jan 20, 2008)

opiethetileman said:


> well I have done it before i am looking for pictures right now. But seems to me the border is too low and ya neew another higher up. Let me find a picture. and the shower pan i did something new to tie it all in


Dang Ope, that looks like one of my job sites, complete with Milwaukee cordless, and bag of Jolly Ranchers. :laughing:


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## opiethetileman (Apr 7, 2005)

maybe it is your job. The grou haze was awfull in thoose pictures. that was a fun bathroom that shower floor came up 18 inches:w00t:


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

opiethetileman said:


> word of advice check your thickness of the glass and field tile now and figure that out before you start setting


glass is slightly thinner than the porcelain. but I think a little dab of thinset on the back of the tiles will make it flush. the original border tiles they picked out were twice as thick as the field tile and so they returned them. I know we could have done it but it would have mean laying it all out and putting 1/4 durrock where the border would go and the owner didn't want to get into that time consuming layout. I'd rather pack it out than try to recess the backerboard.


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## HS345 (Jan 20, 2008)

Here's one I did last winter. Instead of using bullnose on the outside corners I mitered the tile. I also cheated on some of the 2x2 mosaics and made my own, but they were tumbled with a chipped edge, so it was pretty easy.


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## HandyHails (Feb 28, 2009)

opiethetileman said:


> nice shower shower. I like the seat. hopefully someone will caulk that bullnose edge or something



:laughing::laughing:Nice catch. This was done WAY out of order. They only had first coat of plaster on when I came in to do the bathroom. They promised they would have it done before I got there. I had to go back a week later and caulk up. 

I like the idea of cutting the long bullnose to match up w/ your tile for continuous grout joints. That one of those "Why didn't I think of that?!" moments.


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

HS345 said:


> Here's one I did last winter. Instead of using bullnose on the outside corners I mitered the tile. I also cheated on some of the 2x2 mosaics and made my own, but they were tumbled with a chipped edge, so it was pretty easy.


I love the mitered corners. I don't have any outside corners on this particular job. on my own bathroom, I took out an old window, ordered an obscure thermopane glass panel and replace the blind stop with Azek. 

I tiled back to the new window pane and mitered the edges. it came out great and I got to keep the light coming in without the nightmare of an operating window in the tub.


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