About Plan Your Installation Layout
The tile installer in the cartoon is bragging about only using full tile, but the grout joint size keeps increasing towards the room’s corner and the installation and is most certainly unacceptable to Mr. Homeowner. Laying out a tile or stone installation correctly is critical to the aesthetic success of the final product. The layout process is not only necessary to plan where to start full tiles and where the cut tiles will be placed, but it can also be used to check the squareness of the area to be tiled.
ANSI A108.02-2016 Section 4.1 Inspection of surfaces and conditions states, “Prior to commencing with the tilework, the tile contractor shall inspect surfaces to receive tile and accessories, and shall notify the architect, general contractor, or other designated authority in writing of any visually obvious defects or conditions that will prevent a satisfactory tile installation.” ANSI A108.02-2016 Section 4.1. states, “Surfaces to receive tile shall be plumb, level, and true with square corners.”
The layout process helps with meeting these ANSI requirements by running reference lines first that are used to check the area for squareness. A room that is out of square can have a negative impact on how the tile lays out and is most likely the cause the uneven grout joints in the cartoon. Performing a proper layout process and room squareness check correctly will help avoid costly mistakes, rework, and a bad reputation.