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Flooring Bathrooms

Butt-joint mosaic floor tiles in bathroom?

Annalise Nelson

2 years ago

I purchased a marble mosaic tile from TileBar to use on my bathroom floor (NOT shower floor, just the rest of the floor) and was perplexed to see that on each sheet of tile there is virtually no space between each tile that would allow for any normal grouting. Definitely not even 1/32nd of an inch in many places (see photos). My contractor and tiler insist that the tile cannot be adequately grouted and that I will get moisture under the tile. They also say that it is hard to fit the 12x12 mosaic sheets together with a perfect butt joint so it will be a bit obvious where each sheet is. TileBar insists this tile is suited for bathroom floors and that it can be adequately installed with a wet unsanded grout. I would have to pay for return shipping and a 15% “restocking fee,” which is annoying but may be worth doing if the alternative is that in a year I have mold issues, and have to take up the floor and remedy the damage. TileBar’s web description shows an installation with what looks like 1/16 grout lines, but with an ungrounded sample with virtually no space between the pieces: https://www.tilebar.com/nature-antique-pebble-carrara-mosaic.html.

Has anyone had a similar experience with extremely minimal grouting on a bathroom floor, and would you trust your contractor and tiler over TileBar on this one?

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Comments (5)

PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
2 years ago
Minimum 1/16" joint required. I would not consider for a moment working with this product. Not to worry. You will find someone who will install it. The same with sheet mounted stones that touch each other. Hats off to your Tile Setter for saying no.
AJCN
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I looked on the website and it says which grout to use, and that 1/16" is the minimum. Why would they sell this if it's impossible?

I do agree though that you shouldn't try to get a tile pro to install something that they disapprove of. That's a recipe for failure.

See if tile bar can explain this problem and if they will let you return it. I'm sure you can find something else with the same coloration. There are zillions of marble and marble look floor tiles.
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And I thought I did bad work after drinking a case of beer and not sleeping for three days. While splitting my work hours with one eye on the tiling job and two eyes on the portable TV I brought to work with me so I could watch playoff baseball. All while minding my three toddlers that I had to bring on the job because I forgot where their daycare was located. While blind in one eye. And with my left arm in a cast and my right arm in a sling. While working barefoot. On an empty stomach. Okay. My question to him is "why" does he feel that this is the best that can be done? If it's because he has limited talent, he should have forewarned you. If it is because of limitations with the material, he should have forewarned you. But on the whole, no it is not acceptable. Repairs could alter what you have; losing the "polished finish" for example. Replacement, as has been mentioned, may be the best option.
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FWIW, I have Calacatta marble basket weave tiles on my bathroom floor and shower floors. The grout is a soft gray and I have no issues with maintainance. It doesn't appear to be dirty and it just blends in with the rest of the tile. If after a number of years. I have had it installed for almost 3 years and it still looks the same as when it was installed. I love having small tiles as it makes me feel secure. I don't have need a rug or anything else to add visual clutter because the surface - even if it is wet or my feet are damp is so grippy. That is also true of the shower. I had larger tiles prior to my remodel and I felt I needed to be ultra cautious wherever I put my feet. At least for me the issues of grout maintenance and marble etching or discoloration or whatever were wildly overstated as - with normal maintenance and not fanatical maintenance - they still look great. If at some point a decade from now, they need to be restored, it is not that expensive to have a professional come in to clean the grout and marble. My building has it done periodically in the common areas and it always looks as good as new and those floors get significantly more wear than my bathrooms do.
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PRO
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
No way. Did you receive a sample prior to ordering and did it represent what you received when you ordered? We would refuse as well and TileBar needs to step up. Don't back down with them. We would refuse this for multiple reasons, including those stated above but also what looks like very suspect marble quality just based on your photo. Do pay attention to the country of origin when considering tile from an online source. Basically, it cannot be installed to their specifications OR industry standards without taking the sheets apart and hand setting the individual mosaics. Now that's an expensive install!
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
2 years ago
It's pretty, and as the pros above say it could be grouted and will look like a 1/16" grout joint. With no grout packed into the joint I would think it would fail quickly on a floor. I have a similar tightly fitted tile on a backsplash in my office and its fine but I'm not walking on it. I would be nervous proceeding.
Nancy in Mich
2 years ago
Return it and if Tile Bar won’t work with you, buy elsewhere. The tiles are not even mounted evenly on the sheets. Maybe there is 1/16” gap between a few tiles, but not with most. Bad product.

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