Last year I had my bathroom remodeled. I had a new tub and tile installed. I asked the tile man to put the tiles together and not to have grout lines. He insisted that they HAD to have grout. I told him to put in the smallest, narrowest grout line as possible. Well now the tile grout is looking yucky. I know how to clean it so that is not the question. I just want to know why do you have to have grout in the first place? If the tiles are pushed up against each other with the sides touching and then put in grout in the very small area. why would a professional tile man insist that it MUST have grout?
2007-08-03 15:35:19 · 5 answers · asked by kingsley 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
Some tiles have little knobs on the sides that keep them from being pushed together. They make for a min grout line. It makes it easier for the installer to maintain consistent sized joints. If you don't want grout lines, you have to buy tiles that don't have the knobs. Tile joints, or grout lines can be as small as 1/16th inch. These are almost invisible and are called 'hairline joints', because they aren't much wider than a hair.
In no case can you have no grout line at all. It is the grout that keeps water from getting behind the tiles. In a shower, hairline joints have to be inspected regularly to make sure that it stays in place. The smaller the joint, the easier it is for it to fall out. Grout doesn't stick very well to glazed tiles; it sticks to the rough sides. Smaller joints means that you have more of a chance for voids between the tiles, leaving grout only on the glaze, which can fall off over time.
If the grout lines in your shower are as wide as a pencil, he should have told you to get different tiles if yours had the knobs. Many tilesetters are just committed to certain sized joints for certain types of tile and want to get the job done. They don't want to put your job off until you can replace the tiles to get the look you want (they want to use what's in front of them).
You can get any look you want if you buy the right materials for that job. You should have stated your concerns with the supplier when you bought the tiles, not the guy who's setting them.
To alleviate the problem of mold and soap scum, make sure that the grout is sealed. Regular cleaning of the tiles will also keep the grout clean if it is sealed. No matter how large or small, you will always have grout lines, and they will need regular cleaning. If you don't like cleaning your shower, consider Corian (very expensive), or whole sheets of natural stone, like marble or granite (much more expensive). Otherwise, you will always have to deal with discoloration of a masonry product.
EDIT: BTW, grout doesn't hold the tiles in place or keep them from shifting. It's only a filler to plug the gaps between the tiles. It has no structural characteristics.
2007-08-03 16:25:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, obviously the tile man was not aware that there are tiles now on the market that don't have to have grout... In fact, they now make tiles that have a flat edge and are glazed right to the edge. These tiles can be glued with a special glue and need no grout whatsoever as they touch one another. It makes for a very nice finish! I've recently done it in a kitchen with 13 x 13 pure white tiles on a backsplash..it looks great!
2007-08-04 02:30:10 · answer #2 · answered by The ReDesign Diva 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
How the heck do you plan on keeping your tile from shifting? Use some common sense. Something has to hold them in place, and if you didn't have grout, they'd be all over the place and they'd break and crack and chip and dirt would be all up in them and they would be even more difficult to clean. When you want tile, the grout comes w/ the pkg. If you didn't want that, get vinyl or something similar.
Sorry, don't want to sound negative, but you have to see things from thier point of view before you start to argue w/ the man. Please research a little bit.
Mandy
Architectural Building Tech.
2007-08-03 15:43:27 · answer #3 · answered by Amanda 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Because you dont ant water to be able to get underneath the tiles. However, if you push them close together you can caulk the seams with a similar color caulk.
2007-08-03 15:41:37 · answer #4 · answered by drunkbomber 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
There,s nothing like (MUST) as he said to you, tiles can be install without any spacing between and this is it's up to owner how he/she like it . Even you can choose design and color and kind of tiles use in your home .
2007-08-04 00:21:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋