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jaidog_gw

Maximum tile size for shower floor

jaidog
12 years ago

My shower floor is 4' x 5' with a Kerdi drain in the center. The floor is sloped 1/4" per foot from the drain to the furthest point.

I'm thinking about using slate on this shower floor and I have received conflicting advice regarding the tile size. Some have advised not to go larger than 4" x 4", while I have also heard that I can go as large as 12" x 12".

From what I've read, the smaller size is recommended for two reasons. One, it will allow for more grout which will provide traction. But, slate has texture so perhaps extra grout for traction is not needed? Second, smaller tiles will make it easier to tile the sloped floor. But, with a 4' x 5' floor, could I make larger tiles work?

If I try to use larger tiles, is there a recommended layout which will allow this to work? And, is using slate on the shower floor going to result in maintenance problems down the road (eg water sitting in the crevices, etc)?

Comments (15)

  • jaidog
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    mongoct:

    Thanks for your detailed explanation. I will lay the large slate tiles in the shower and check for rocking.

    As far as using slate in the first place -- we have had this slate tile sitting in our basement for a few years with no opportunity to use it. We are now trying to incorporate some of it into our master bath shower, with hopes of using the rest in other portions of the bathroom in the future. I almost feel obligated to use it since it is essentially "free" and has a nice color/texture. But, I don't want to use it in the wrong spot (eg shower floor) if it will cause problems down the road.

  • Dando
    12 years ago

    cut the tiles you have if they are too large

  • pricklypearcactus
    12 years ago

    Thank you for your very detailed explanation, mongo, especially the part about checking for "rocking". When I (eventually) get to redo my master bathroom, I was wondering how I would know the right size of tile. This was very helpful.

  • GreenDesigns
    12 years ago

    As a general rule, 6x6 tiles are about as large as you can do in a conventionally sloped shower. Even then, you may get some issues. It will cost more to have a pro do the quadrant slope that Mongo mentions, (it's a bit trickier to accomplish) but it is a great look for a modern bath. Another choice would be to slope the entire floor in one direction only and use a trench drain. You could use one single slab of (flamed or honed) stone for that, but it would be a headache logistically.

  • jaidog
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    GreenDesigns:

    The shower pan has already been poured. I've laid some tiles down on the pan and there is significant rocking, so I am going to go for the 'traditional' 4x4 or smaller tiles.

    Regarding the trench drain, I wanted to use a trench drain and build a curbless shower, but backed off due to the cost of the trench drain and floor height issues. Just read a post by Bill Vincent stating that Laticrete has a less expensive trench drain in the works, and realized that my floor is naturally pitched allowing for a trench drain without any structural modifications. If I hadn't already poured the pan, I would go down this route. But, now it's too late.

  • aspentexan
    8 years ago

    i have a 3/4" square glass mosaic tile, would it prove to be too slippery to utilize as the floor in a walk-in shower?

  • PRO
    Cabot & Rowe
    8 years ago

    Not slippery at all. The grout will provide traction

  • nicole___
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Slate.....OK....lets talk slate on a floor. My neighbor put down slate on his entire first floor and has regrets. It's uneven, hard to keep clean, hard to walk on.....ever tried walking on an uneven surface....it's very unpleasant. Now imagine putting that on a shower floor.

    I do my own tile work and used 2" slate on a pinwheel pattern on a bathroom floor. When walking on it barefoot you can "feel" the slate tiles....they're different than the ceramic....almost bumpy.

    Cutting slate. The cut edges will be sharp. You would need to file ALL the cut edges to use them on a shower floor. The labor alone to do this "right" would be huge!

  • PRO
    Creative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Even with a traditional pan, there IS a way to use larger tiles, but the pan has to be planned with that in mind, and the drain pretty much MUST be centered. The way it's done is the pan is made up of 4 flat planes, broken by a diagonal line from each of the four corners of the drain to each of the four corners of the showers. A continuous joint is then made along those four lines, and what you end up with is four flat "panels" on the shower floor, and the ability to use a larger tile, being that you're using flat surfaces to set your tile on.

  • PRO
    Ironwood Renovation LLC
    5 years ago
    We are doing a double shower with two drains using pre-sloped pans.
    The tile is a 3.5 hex and the home owner does not want quadrant grout lines.
    To solve the lippage issue we have to re-shape the two pans and build up a skim coat of thinset.
    The hex tile is on the fringe of being to large for 3ft. x 3ft pan and the peak where two pans meet in middle require extra care.
    A 2in to 2.5in. would be an ideal size in our scenario.
  • PRO
    Creative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
    5 years ago

    What about a single straight grout line at the peak between the two showers, and then slope each shower from there?

  • PRO
    Ironwood Renovation LLC
    5 years ago
    BV - we had the discussion about a grout line at peak where shower pans meet.
    The home owner rejected that idea and agreed to live with a little lippage.
    Looks like I will be doing more skim coat today - I'll post a photo when it's done.
    Kind of a wish and a prayer - nothing worse then a client who decides after the fact that it wasn't the best decision.
  • Mrs Pete
    5 years ago

    I'd go as small as reasonably possible. Smaller = less chance of slipping. I have 2" in my current tiled shower ... and I'd like 1". I would not go bigger than 4" personally.

  • PRO
    Creative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
    5 years ago

    Ironwood-- I hate it when that happens!