Although 1 16 of an inch may seem unimportant for example on a 12 tile it represents a 50 variation in a grout joint 1 8 inch wide.
Medium size tile bond pattern shower wall tile grout sizing.
Finished grout lines will vary from 1 16 to 3 16.
Though if you re tiling a closet sized shower a medium size tile such as 4 x 8 and 6 x 8 could work better for the floor larger tiles square hexagon or rectangular with tighter and fewer grout lines can similarly make a room seem more open.
Tile patterns one size pattern tile size percent a 4.
Actual finished grout spaces will vary from 1 8 to 1 4 if 3 16 spacers are used.
If midsize tile fits better with your design consider plank size or a 4 x 4 or smaller wet application tile as the bathroom and shower floor.
Nominal centerline of all joints shall be straight with due allowances for hand molded or rustic tiles.
This is a twist on the basic offset pattern where each tile s edge is only offset by one third of the width of the tile above or below.
Tile size percent a 6 x24 100 running bond brick.
Even small variations can throw off the pattern of the tile if adjustments are not made in the grout joint.
Medium sized grout line widths 1 8 to 1 4 inch require the use of sanded grout and are typically featured when moderate size variation occurs among the tiles or when tiles with lugs are used.
For tile having a total variation of 1 6 inch in facial dimensions a minimum of 3 16 inch grout joint shall be used.
This thickness leaves room for the natural variation in size and the perfectly imperfect edges of handmade tile.
If smaller spacers like 1 8 are used it will accentuate the size difference of handmade tile.
Especially in a small shower a larger white tile can make it feel less cramped.
Tcna recommends a minimum 1 8 grout joint for rectified tile and minimum 3 16 grout joint for calibrated tile.
For example if the edge warping of a rectified tile is 1 32 the minimum grout joint is 1 8 1 32 5 32.
This will help to visually stretch every inch of the room.
For shower walls generally it is best to use larger tiles from 4 inch by 4 inch tiles on upward to large format tiles in the 15 inch by 30 inch range.
Note that using the smallest grout possible will increase installation time.
From a visual standpoint tile smaller than 4 inches square creates a busy appearance.