How to Choose the Right Grout Size For Your Tile (2024)

FAQs

How do I choose the right grout size for my tile? ›

The wider spacing will help to accommodate placement of tile and maintaining straight lines. TCNA recommends a minimum 1/8" grout joint for rectified tile and minimum 3/16" grout joint for calibrated tile. They also suggest adding to this width the amount of edge warping on the longest edge.

All ceramic and stone large format tile (greater than 15”) requires a minimum 1/16” grout joint according to ANSI. Daltile recommends that large tiles have a 1/8” or 3/16” minimum grout joint for the most successful installation.

For tiles that have the opportunity to expand, for example non-rectified ceramic tiles (do not have cut edges), the grout groove should be at least 2 mm. If it is rectified granito tile or rectified porcelain tile (cut edges), maybe leaving only 1-1.5 mm. of grout groove is enough.

Finished grout lines will vary from 1/16" to 3/16". However, the actual finished grout spacing will vary from 1/8" to 1/4" if 3/16" spacers are used. If smaller spacers, like 1/8", are used it will accentuate the size difference of handmade tile.

If you're trying to unify your tile, such as with a wood look tile floor, go for a close match that's a little bit lighter than your tile. If you want to highlight a color or accent in your tile, like the gray veins in a marble tile, go for a close match, or a bit darker than that shade in your tile.

One way to measure for the spacers needed is to use washers. If you have lug studs, this is simple as you will just install washers onto the studs and remount the wheel to verify clearance against the suspension. The size spacer you need will be equal to the thickness of the washers used.

Whichever tile joint solution you choose, you need to calculate how many tile spacers you need. The simple way to do that is multiply the number of tiles you've got by the amount of corners on each tile. So, if you have 105 tiles, 105 tiles x 4 corners per tile = 420 tile spacers needed.

We used 1/4 inch spacers to achieve the perfect grout lines that you see here and I would definitely recommend using them, even if you think you're pretty comfortable with tiling. They only cost a few dollars for a few hundred of them and they make such a difference.

Tiles with a square edge need to have the grout finished flush with the tiled surface. Tiles with a cushion or radius edge should have the grout finished to the bottom of the cushion or radius.

How do you calculate tile with grout lines? ›

To do that you take the total area of the tile and divide it by 144 (the number of square inches in a foot). So, for example, if you have a tile that is 24” x 24”, you'd first add the ⅛” grout line to both sides so that it comes to 24.125” x 24.125”. Then, you'd get the total area (length x width): 582.02”.

We usually recommend a grout width of around 3mm for pressed edge floor tiles and no less than 1.5mm for wall tiles. Outdoor, terracotta and quarry tiles will typically have wider joints.

For standard patterns like offset or straight set, we recommend a 3/16” grout joint size. If you'd like a tighter install,1/8" is the absolute minimum size we suggest. However, if you want to install a more intricate pattern like parquet or herringbone, you may have to use a larger grout line.

It is not recommended to go below 2mm for wall tiles and 3mm for floor tiles due to the requirement of stress relief. All walls and floors are subject to movement (due to climate condition changes etc) and without an element of stress relief tiles will either crack or buckle.

To work out how much grout you'll need, follow this easy 6-step calculation: Step 1: Tile width (mm) + tile height (mm) = A. Step 2: Size of spacers (mm) x tile thickness (mm) = B. Step 3: A x B x 1.2 (this number is the coverage ratio of all UltraTile grouts) = C.

Get samples or a color chart of new grout and hold it next to your existing grout. If you can salvage a chunk of existing grout from under a baseboard next to a wall, this is the best way to start the matching process.

The 1/8-inch grout lines are perfect if you're new to tile installation, but the 1/16-inch grout line is good if you want something clean and modern. The level of difficulty for both varies, but they certainly complement your subway tiles!

Sanded Grout: Use sanded grout for grout joints from 1/8 inch to 5/8 inch to resist cracking and shrinkage. Unsanded Grout: Use unsanded grout for grout joints up to 1/8 inch. Use only unsanded grout with glass, polished marble or metal tile to avoid scratching the tile.