Can you take a picture?

We are having 3x12 tile installed in our shower in June with a 1/16th-inch grout line.

Your picture is not quite clear enough to judge the appearance well. However, the grout line width may not be the issue. Unless the tiles were dead flat, it's common for them to not be entirely flush (which is called lippage), especially with the tile layout pattern you used. Changing the grout line thickness would not do much, if anything, to counteract that appearance.

The lighting is playing a significant role in this. Look how nice it looks in the shower head area:

This is because it’s being lit from above AND indirectly from the side by the light bouncing off the opposing wall.

Sammy-

That's true, but that's typically the lighting one has in a shower, and why there are so many posts about tile lippage problems here on GardenWeb. Changing or eliminating the lighting is typically not an option to try to improve the appearance.

Kudzu so you are saying that most or all 3x12 tiled walls will have lippage? It’s not considered large format. Too me it’s puzzling and doesn’t make sense.

I'm saying that this is a not infrequent occurrence. Did you check the tiles for flatness before they were installed? If you have any left, take a pair, place them face-to-face, and see if you can see daylight anywhere by looking edge-on. If you try this wth several pairs and they are all dead flat, then the problem was with your wall surface not being totally flat and plumb and/or the skill of the tile setter. If you enter "lippage" in the search function here on GardenWeb you'll see other instances of this problem. I've seen pictures of people using tiles half the length of yours with this problem. The firing process can cause tiles to bow or warp, even some expensive ones. I'm not saying you should find it acceptable. But it is something that happens to people who aren't aware that some tiles are not as good as others for avoiding this problem. Too often, tile setters simply do their best to install what the owner wants without mentioning that there could be appearance issues.

“That's true, but that's typically the lighting one has in a shower, and why there are so many posts about tile lippage problems here on GardenWeb. Changing or eliminating the lighting is typically not an option to try to improve the appearance.”

@kudzu9: I didn’t recommend the lighting be changed or eliminated, simply pointing out a significant factor contributing to the appearance. Of course using a 1/3 offset and a wider grout joint might’ve helped make it look a little smoother, optical illusions and all.

Sammy-

The lighting wouldn't make it look that way if the tile was flat and it was installed properly. However, I think the photo is too low in resolution to make a definitive judgment about the causes(es) of the problem. I'm just speculating on possibilities, too.

I apologize for my old iPhone resolution of the photo. I don’t think it’s ok and honestly the tile guy should say something. He’s the expert.

nuppal-

Sounds like a good idea to talk to him. I was simply trying to give you some understanding of what you might be dealing with. Still curious if you have spare tiles you can check for flatness... that might help narrow the problem down.

As we are unable to see the lippage you are referring to from your photos, my question would be, what is the exact lippage dimension? 1/32", for example would be acceptable but other factors can influence that. And what exactly is the grout size?

nuppal-

Those tiles do look pretty good from the picture. If the tiles were all flat like that, lippage can still occur if the walls aren't really flat. They often look flat, but, if you lay, say, a 6' straight edge against them you can see bows due to the studs not being perfect. If the tile setter is particular, he adds thin shims to the studs before the backer board goes on so that it lies perfectly flat. My tile guy last time was a fanatic and would not accept even 1/32" of deviation. Varying the amount of thin set behind the tiles can compensate for slightly non-flat walls, but it makes it a lot harder to get a good result. I can't say whether this is a non-flat wall issue or just the fact that the tile setter is not perfect, or both.

Please update when you meet with the tile guy and let us know what he has to say. Good luck.

I just posted a question about not having grout lines between marble tiles. My tile installer said today that real stone doesn't warp, but porcelain does. Maybe this is the cause? I have never heard of any of this, really, but happened to be talking about grout lines today.

The tile store I bought the tiles from was flabbergasted at the job. They said this is Italian rectified porcelain and has never been seen installed like this. I’m meeting with tile guy Tuesday. Will update you. I also did “the credit card” test and it gets stuck which means lippage is more than 1/32

Dragongly, the grout line was 1/16 since the tiles are rectified, they are able to be laid close.

Great topic and feedback from everyone.

As long is that tile is rectified and flat as you say, the lippage should not be beyond the acceptable standard of 1/32 and the 1/16th grout size should be fine. Of course, when you have those long tiles in a brick joint pattern, the prep has to be extremely flat. That is the challenge built into that design. Regardless, I think you know that you should be able to expect a better result from a real Pro who was attentive to the details. Good luck.

nuppal-

That's good news. Many contractors wouldn't be so responsible or accommodating.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm in the Pacific NW and the bids for tiling one 5'X6' bathroom (bathroom floor, and shower floor, walls and ceiling) were in the range of $7-8,000. I think you got a real deal....