Hi, I was wondering what type of tile is easier to lay down on a bathroom floor, large, single tiles or small tiles that are connected together by mesh. I have never done anything like this before, so any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!
depending on the size of your bathroom. dont use them 1x1 tile you spen more time cleaning them things more than when you lay them down. 4x4 tile are mosly common in you average home. mainly on the walls. the flooring would be great with 10 by 10 tile. a dimondblade tile saw will be easier to work with on cutting tile. but i would also go with single tiles. some tiles with the mesh sometime dont stick good specialy natural stone tile with mesh is a nightmare but are pritty nice tiles. according to what i've worked with so far.
You did not say how big the bathroom was and that is important in deciding what size tile to use... You said layng ceramic tile... you did not say if it was ON the floor or ON the wall behind the vanity top and that makes a difference. I would love to answer as I have just completed another job in my bathroom this week ... but I just do not have enough information from you
The easties size is 12 x 12. Small tiles on the mesh are a real pain, each tile must be moved to get even. The tiles move around when you set in the morter. Tiles larger than 12 x 12 take extra care to keep level. Go slow.
Either way, the hardest part as I understand it is prepping the floor for the tile. You should install a hardibacker (kinda like drywall for your floor) if you are not putting the tile directly onto concrete. Tile that is meshed together would be easier to install as you don't have to worry about buying the little rubber pieces so that you have straight lines. However 12x12 tile looks best in a bathroom. If you go to Home Depot or most other large hardware stores there is a new product on the market for tiling where the tiles have groves so that they slide together and space themselves evenly. The biggest problem with any tile is cutting it without the tile saw. To do it without the tile saw you need to buy a special tool to create a cut in the tile then you fold it or break it at the cut line. This tends to cause broken tiles. So maybe the mesh deal is the better option. Hope this helps.
Well, I'm a tile installer, I think the larger tiles are easier to lay. The small tiles that are connected by mesh are hard to get aligned perfectly. The smaller, single tiles (4-1/4 x 4-1/4), are easy to lay, but they're not rated for floors. So, that leaves the larger tiles (anything 8x8 or larger). These are set with a product called thinset mortar. It comes in a bag in a powder form. You mix it with water to a peanut butter consistency spread it on the floor with a notched trowel (usually a 1/4 x 1/4 square notch). You let that set for 12 to 24 hours, then come back and grout the grout joints.
