Using large format tiles on shower floor? Yes or no?
Pipdog
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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Linda Doherty
7 years agoPipdog
7 years agoRelated Discussions
help -- large format floor tiles with linear drain
Comments (32)"I'm not very worried about the traction under foot, as my tiles are textured and hence has excellent traction. The look of the large format tile is what I was going after at the very beginning." Me too - ours have texture and are recommended for many applications, but do make sure you test a couple of yours out before you live with them - wet one down outside or in the garage and stand on it. Maybe even add soap. Move around. Bend over and pretend to pick up the soap. I was OK with them but after doing this a couple of times, my husband felt he definitely could slip (especially as we age) on a 12x24 tile. And he's pretty agile. The tile setter and the GC both recommend more grout lines for safety. The shower floor tiles will be cut a little smaller than the average foot size and the rest of the room will remain large format. I LOVE the large format but made the concession....See MoreCutting large format tile down for shower floor?
Comments (12)abbycat- Linear drains can be expensive, because, like a lot of fixtures for the bath, they are, in my opinion, overpriced, and, also, installers sometimes add more to their normal charges. However, you can also do them less expensively with the right products and installer. I did a lot of research to find a reasonably priced linear drain, and finally settled on the Luxe brand. They are very solidly made and precisely manufactured. After shopping all around for price, I found it online at HomeDepot (!) for $214 for the 26" wide model, which was substantially lower than any other place (elsewhere online it was in the $340-$400 range). And it was way cheaper than a number of other brands I looked at, some of which approached $800. An install for a linear drain should not, again in my opinion, cost any more than a regular drain. You use a pretty standard shower drain base (with the linear drain and the plumbing for the p-trap is the same. (The drain base is a PVC fitting about 8" in diameter which seals the place where the drain penetrates the shower membrane.) For a linear drain, the mortar bed for the tile is a slightly sloping, flat plane to the drain, so that's basically easier to form than the standard bed which has to be sloped in from all directions to the drain. And tile laying is easy because, since the mortar bed is flat, you can use any format tile without having to worry about the slope you have with a regular drain, so no fancy tile cutting is involved. The only thing that is challenging is making sure the linear drain hole is precisely placed in the middle of the end you are choosing so that the linear drain is perfectly symmetrical between the walls. And, when the mortar bed is laid, there needs to be a removable form (such as a 2 X 4) inserted so there is a place for the drain to be set in. I did the plumbing, and my tile guy was experienced enough with linear drains that he didn't charge more to do it. However, I think linear drains are still slightly out of the ordinary, and it gives installers a chance to charge more because the drain seems more complicated and exotic. Shower drain base...See MoreHelp laying out a large format tile for a standard shower
Comments (9)We're interested in a 17x26" Porcelanosa tile. Would this be a good size and would the best layout be vertically because of the 17" width for our 34" shower? I'd say look for the same tile in a smaller size. 17" + 17" would give you one seam /grout line down the center of the shower, which would be odd looking. You may be looking to eliminate grout lines by using a large-scale tile -- and that's a good goal -- but this large tile and your small shower are out of proportion. As for LVT, I'm using it in my bathroom too. Why? Because I'm concerned about aging-in-place, and I want to use the same product throughout the whole house /avoid transitions and thresholds. True, I could use the same shower tile in the bathroom and still have the same number of products /transitions ... but I'd rather go with the softer, knee-and-hip-friendly product. Finally, I have tiled bathrooms now, and I don't enjoy the cold underfoot. Yes, I could go with heated tiles, but why not just use a product that isn't so cold in the first place? My linoleum kitchen floor isn't "cold" in the same way as tile....See Morelarge format shower tile, size and layout?
Comments (3)@Patricia Colwell most likely the niche will be on the right hand wall in the big shower or we will keep the low ledge so all the items are not directly displayed when looking into the room. the model has a super high ledge, ours is about the height of a standard tub edge. for the stall upstairs shower we arent set which wall. its a metal framed home so its where ever one could fit and if it cant we may do a stack of a few corner shelves next to the facet and shower head. also that smaller shower is in a side 'hall' so when you look into the bathroom its to the side. here is a Pic of the layout in the model. you don't see in the shower unless you are using the toilet or getting in it. I hate caddies cause they never stay together or end up rusting. plus i dont want more things taking up room in the shower itself....See Moredchall_san_antonio
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7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoAvanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
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