ceramic tile sizes

[Jules Richardson]

silly question time :-) Are 12" ceramic tiles actually 12" on each side - or are they slightly smaller (maybe 11-3/4" or 11-7/8"?) to account for a mortar gap?

cheers

Jules

[chaniarts]

they're smaller, except when they're not, and each line/style may be smaller by a different amount. the gap is user settable; there is no standard except for what looks good to the installer/customer.

iow: you have to look at a specific tile. in some cases, they won't even all be the same size even if they're from the same lot (satillo mexican tiles come to mind).

[Jim]

That certainly was NOT a silly question...This may be a silly answer though but I'll try... I have ceramic tiles in my kitchen that are 13 inches square...I also have different type of ceramic in my bathrooms that are 15 and 1/2 inches square... When my wife and I went shopping for ceramic tiles they came in all kinds of dimensions depending on brand name , design etc... another example of this is ceramic bathroom tile... I have tiles about 6 and

3/8 inches square lining the shower stall.... My point is I think it differs from brand to brand weather you will get the dimensions....factor in your wife to choose style and color and you may as well throw your tape measure out the window and nod and say 'yes dear"... hope I was of some help....Jim

[RonB]

Nope, not silly. !2" tiles seem to come in a variety of sizes. I only recall buying 12" tiles once that measured 12" consistently. I just laid some that were called 12" that are 13" square. Others are around 12-7/8". Best to pick out a tile then plan you lay around the actual size.

RonB

[krw]

Grout gap. No, yes, maybe. They can be any size and likely won't be the same from batch to batch. The tile box should have a size and shade code printed on it. *ALWAYS* buy all from the same batch (same codes). Buy extras in case you screw up. It's really nice to have a half box left over for later "oopses". You'll *never* match them later.

[gfretwell]

Any "inch" measurement is just a rounding of the metric sizes 99% of the tiles are made in. There may still be an American tile company making inch size tile but I haven't seen one.

[Oren]

Not all tile is square. There is sometimes a "marking" stamp on the back of the tile. Always set the tile with the stamp in the same orientation. Stack a few tiles on each other and you may find that there is a small difference and you can't get the stack to line/square up.

The wrong orientation of the tile stamp will cause the grout line to drift off across the room, so pay attention.