Tile - 12'' OR 18'' (floor, color, living room, kitchen)

[HereItIs]

Builder’s standard tile (entry/kitchen/breakfast) is 12’’ and we are thinking of using the same tile to extend it to living/dining/family and extended entry. But we are confused whether 12’’ may be considered too cheap and out of standard.

Is 12’’ tile all over your house considered crappy-creeppy-cheeppy ? Is it better to have 18’’ – 20’’ tile wherever possible (with in your budget) and be satisfied with carpet for the rest ?

[hothulamaui]

I like the 18 inch, it looks better to me.

[cdelena]

It depends upon the size of the space... larger tiles are attractive in a large space but less so in a smaller room.

[Cosmic]

I would be wary of using the giant sized tiles on anything except a cement slab. Or a very small room with super sized joists over small spans.

If that floor is capable of flexing a wee bit, lots of them bigger tiles may crack. They do not build the modern shacks rugged enough.

Might not happen, might happen. If it does, how do you fix it after the fact?

You see a lot of the giant sized tile in Florida but almost all I've seen are on concrete slabs. I would want to see some working examples of 20" tile over conventional joist systems and see how they have worked out for that builder first. Even 12" is pressing it with the crap construction of most builders. If definitely CANNOT flex, bend or deflect even a wee tad with a large tile system. The bigger the joist span, the more the worry. I sure would not like to be there if the failures start to happen, duh what do we do now.

As in our standard is 12"; ok you want 20", no problem but the floor support design does not change. Might be how it will occur. Might work, might not.

[texdav]

Originally Posted by cdelena

it depends upon the size of the space... Larger tiles are attractive in a large space but less so in a smaller room.

+1

[desertsun41]

cdelena is corect. As a designer I place large tiles in large rooms and small tiles in small rooms.

If your walls are crooked or you want to transition from one room to another then do a diamond pattern. This will hide crooked walls.

[pekemom]

I had the large tiles put in our new ranch style house 4 years ago. Entry, kitchen, dining area, 2 baths and laundry room. I like them but wish they were laid in the diamond pattern.

[Ceramictec]

a larger tile is the current trend in the tile industry, builders and for homeowners.
15 years ago 8x8 & 12x12 were large, now recently in the last 8 years 16x16 & 18x18
and more recently tile up to 20x20 & 24x24.

as others said, the size of the room matter, but a 18x18 with a tight joint and a good
pattern, color will look good in a small hall bath too.

many sizes, colors, textures and patterns to use tile in....choose wisely.

[ayannaaaliyah]

I used 18 tiles in my living room and extended it through the breakfast room into the kitchen. I had mine laid in a diagonal pattern to add more detail. I'm happy with the selection and the final outcome.

[gentlearts]

Could someone weigh in on what you mean by a small room? I'm about to tile a bathroom which is
8x10'. Is this large enough to look good in a 16" or 18" tile, or should I stick with 12"?