We have 1/8" groutlines in our bathrooms and laundry...We have 1/4" groutlines behind our rangetop. (Only the bathrooms are grouted so far, but the tiles are up in the other spots.) Are you concerned that 1/8" will be too wide?

Hi Rhome, yes I am concerned they'll look too wide. Do you have any photos that you can share of your 1/4" grout line?

Although we generally prefer tighter grout lines, our stilatto (stillato? I never get it right!) tile came pre-mounted on a mesh backing, so the spacing was "chosen" by default. It's roughly 1/8" (maybe 1/16" in some spots according to DH).

Oh, it looks totally fine! I was worrying over nothing. Thanks Rhome!

Catmom - good to know yours is 1/8 too...I know your backsplash looks great too!

Meow! love the tile! I was also worried about my subway..I wanted to make sure I kept it as "modern" looking as I could and didn't want fat lines...he initially suggeste 1/4 but I did 1/8...he said don't do smaller (I think they might be lazy...dunno)....but it looks A-ok..never give it a second thought..you won't either!

I can't wait to see your tile up in your gorgeous kitchen red! It's gonna look awesome!

Thank you moremoremore...good to know that you like your 1/4" line too.

Catmom, we're almost almost there! So close that i can taste it! In two weeks the uppers should be up, we're getting quotes for window treatments and the upholstered kitchen chairs, will order the table very soon. The backsplash will be in shortly after the uppers. SO close!

Yay!!!!!!! Looking forward to seeing it all!

If the tile is handmade, I'd say 1/8" is the bare MINIMUM grout joint to use!! Even at that, it must be pretty uniform for handmade.

OT but rhome, just want to say I really like the backsplash you used in your bathroom with the formica beluga pattern...or is it something else on the counter--I seem to remember it as that but maybe I'm seeing it wrong. Really nice color combination, though :)

And what's the counter in the laundry room, if I may ask? TIA.

An eighth is thinner than you think, and will dissappear into the tile if you choose the color of your grout carefully.

My only concern is that on handmade tiles, it might actually be too thin: I'd stack a couple boxes worth and check just how much variation in size there is. This is information you need to have before you or your pro start the install.

Bill and Oruboris - Okay, I will keep that in mind! I do remember posting awhile back and people with handmade tiles said they did 1/16 grout lines, or some did 1/8 to 3/16. Ann Sacks themselves said their Heath handmade tiles (in their website photos) are done with either 1/8 or 3/16. One member posted her 3/16 bathroom backsplash and I found it slightly too thick looking...so hopefully I can do 1/8. A former member named Axxis_Rose did her Heath tiles in (she thinks) 1/16 and they look great. But since she's not sure about the thickness, I'll probably be safe and do 1/8 so we don't see the variation in the tile edges.

I will take your tip Oruboris, and stack a bunch of them. Thank you so much!

Here's the original post:
Subway tile lovers - What size is your grout line?

Thanks for the compliments, Flyleft. Good eye!--Yes, that's Beluga Beige. We have the other Beluga (kind of a soft green/teal color) in another bath. It wasn't intentional to have Beluga in both. DD picked the Beluga for their bath because of the cool pattern, and I picked it for our bathroom because it went best with the flooring and I could find backsplash tiles to go with it. In other words, DD formed their bathroom around the Beluga and I chose it for ours pretty much last. (I'd wanted a gray bathroom, so actually have some regrets.) OK, I'm rambling and that's likely TMI...

The laminate in the laundry is Formica Realcrete in the Riverwash finish. Here's a closeup:

rhome410, What tile is the third picture and what color grout is that since it is perfect! I love it so much. Now I am worried since I chose a tile (Rialto Beige) that is not straight edged so my tile guy is going to do 3/16th. I hope the grout lines do not look too thick. Most of the time, the less grout, the better looking I feel but I am sure there are exceptions.

There may well be some handmade tiles out there that can be set with 1/16th lines, but the whole point of handmade is that it's variable.

So check.

I don't think 3/16 would be too wide. I'd have to do some investigating to find what tile that is...The grout is Polyblend in oyster grey.

rhome410, thank you for letting me know that the grout is Polyblend in Oyster Grey. I just love that tile you posted for a back-splash. Thanks for letting me know that you do not think 3/16th would be too wide. The Rialto Beige is a Porcelain Tile with a 5 Rating (the best) and is stain proof ( I tested it), not slippery due to the pits that surprisingly were easy to clean for me when I tried it out on a sample tile, and it is supposed to look like tumbled marble. The tile looks like real stone to me and I plan to use it in my foyer.

I still have to choose my tile for my kitchen. Everywhere else I am installing hardwood floors. I am leaving the bathrooms alone for now. I just wish the smooth tile on the bathroom floors were not so slippery. The Master bathroom has a Jacuzzi having tile all around it and on the wall above it. It is nice but a very plain looking tile that I loved when I bought my home about 11 years ago. The shower also has the same tile as the Jacuzzi with no pattern and just light and airy. The grout lines are very thin in all my bathrooms.

I just finished tiling my own backsplash with handmade tiles and a 1/16th grout line. The reason it's generally recommended to go larger is that it's extremely difficult to get handformed tiles level with one another with such little clearance. You wind up with an uneven plane; here's a first attempt before I redid it. This is something of a Vincent Price shot. ;-)

Here's the wall redone -- such tiny groutlines are possible with handmade tile, but it is very time-consuming and it will never be a perfectly level plane. My kitchen is vintage, so I was willing to accept the irregularities, but it's not for everyone. (Grout is still wet here, so it looks darker than after it dried.)

I suspect 1/8 or 3/16ths will work just fine for you, redroze.

rhome410, I'm also interested in knowing the name of the tile you used in your master bath. They look beautiful.

I guess I will have to do some research! I'll get back to you both when I find out.

We used 1/8" spacers with our tumbled travertine and are very happy with the outcome. Good Luck!

Prior to grouting:

All done:

Ngng - it looks great! I feel much better and am okay with doing the 1/8 grout line now.

ngng, I love your travertine tiles so much and I love the thinner 1/8th grout line! What color grout did you use? What is the name of the travertine tiles you used that would be a great for a kitchen!

Thank you for the nice remarks, we are really pleased with our first DIY tile project.

We used Durango Cream tumbled travertine that we purchased locally (So. Calif.). I forget the color of grout (maybe Linen?), we had some problems in that all the colors on the grout chart are not available at the local stores (HD/Lowes). Nor are all the colors of grout available in unsanded. So we had to compromise, but I think it matches pretty darn good. Good Luck!

ngng, Thank you for letting me know the name of the travertine for your back-splash that will look nice in my kitchen also, along with your grout color.

ngng, that is honestly one of the nicest backsplashes I have ever seen. The color of the think accent strip is a perect compliment to your granite but does not take away from the granite at all. VERY nice job!

Thank you again for the nice compliments. We used noce colored pencil rail (Lowes) to match the granite and to break up the field of tile.

Redroze, I can't wait to see pics of your backsplash. I think your tiles really compliment your granite. It should be a beautiful flow between the two. Good Luck!

Sorry I haven't gotten back to those who wanted to know what my tile is. The back says "Gres" and "Porcellanato," but I've done searches and can't see that that's much help. We got this tile in a batch of stuff and the receipt wasn't itemized. I remember asking for an itemized listing, but never got it, so I won't be able to answer this question until I make it over to the store where I bought it. It isn't on my normal 'beaten path,' so I can't say exactly when that will happen. I'll try to do it soon, though.

I'm happy to see that people are using this post to ask questions and educate each other. Don't feel bad about being "off topic" or anything - post on!

redroze, please post pics when you are finished installing your tile. We can't wait to see what grout line you used. I wish I was handy to do my own tile.

Sorry I'm coming to this so late...my Heath tiles have a 1/8 grout line. Can't do any thinner because they are VERY irregular.

Axxis Rose

Thanks Axxis Rose!

Lynn - of course I will post pics. The backsplash should be in next week, hooray! We'll the 1/8th like AxxisRose suggested.

AxxisRose...what colour of grout did you use on your tiles, and what colour of Heath tile did you purchase (mine is Chalk White)? It looks like you did a light grey grout in your finished kitchen pics. We chose a white grout from Home Depot...

The grout is a light grey. I really like the way it looks against the Heath tiles, which are opaque white. Having a contrasting grout probably makes the tiles stand out more.

AR

When you say "irregular" with 1/16" grout, do you mean the grout lines themselves are crooked, or the wall plane isn't flat (across the tiles)?
I'm trying to get a look of solid surface, so that the grout isn't noticed at all, and so I want as thin a grout width as possible.

Carla in Sac

Sautesmom - I think the idea is that the tile edges are irregular, therefore if you have a thin grout line it is harder to get the tiles aligned with each other as the tile edges aren't straight. So you can't go with a really thin grout line as there is less buffer room to compensate for the difference in tile edges. Does that make sense?

I did 3x12 uneven tiles (they look handmade) on my backsplash with a 1/4 offset pattern. I used 1/8 grout lines and sanded grout. I did the same treatment in my bathroom with a 1/16 line and I unsanded grout. Both look great but the narrower grout line emphasized the waviness and natural lippage. Both beautiful- both different. Go for what pleases you.

This is what I mean.

This is the backsplash with the 1/8 grout line. Both the same tile, just different colors

Yeah, I like the 1/16. ;)
Why unsanded grout?

Unsanded because it works better than sanded in a narrow grout line. It is also easier to work with in a vertical job- doesn’t glop all over because it is sort of “sticky”, yet washes right off the tile surface. Unsanded can be used in a 1/8 grout line, but that’s pushing it. Unsanded also dries very smooth looking.

Bear in mind that 1/8" is the "break point" about sanded vs unsanded grout. Either will work, but sanded is preferred as it fills better and shrinks less. Personally, I like "prism" from Home Depot as it fills from a sixteenth to a half inch.

Traditionally, you rack up 5 or 10 tiles on edge and measure any variation. That variation should be multiplied by three for the optimal grout width. 1/8" variation means 3/8" grout line.....