Easier or harder to lay small tiles vs large?

[atgcpaul]

Going to retile our master bath--maybe 50sqft after you subtract the shower and vanity. We're thinking to use ~2" hexagonal tiles on the backer sheet. Are these easier or harder to lay than 12" tiles? I've laid 12" tiles before and the challenge there was getting the corners to be level to each other.

[Cooler]

I was watching one of those home flipping shows on TV and they were working on a tight budget.  One of the (professional) home flippers said to the designer that he wanted large tiles to avoid the higher labor cost of installing the small ones.

I assumed that meant the labor (time) would be greater for the larger tile.  I have no personal experience either way.  

I've seen them cut sheets of small tiles with a tile saw.  If you were using a cutter that would take a lot longer.

[Roly]

I was watching one of those home flipping shows on TV and they were working on a tight budget.  One of the (professional) home flippers said to the designer that he wanted large tiles to avoid the higher labor cost of installing the small ones.

I assumed that meant the labor (time) would be greater for the larger tile.  I have no personal experience either way.  

I've seen them cut sheets of small tiles with a tile saw.  If you were using a cutter that would take a lot longer.

 Time is greater for the small tiles.   Remember on a large tile you only have to level the four sides as it is rigid.   On the backed tiles since the sheet is flexible it must be leveled along all edges and through the middle of the sheet.
 Also a lot more grouting to do with the small tiles.     The main factor is what you want it to look like,   sounds like you prefer the looks of the smaller tiles.  Roly

[joe1086]

Done a lot of DIY tile jobs over the years, large and small tiles. Run a 3' straight edge over floor first to find out if you have high/low spots and take care of them. Floors aren't as flat as they sometimes look. Flatter floors make leveling the tiles easier.

[Mr_Mike]

Use a tile leveling system like the one linked below and go with the bigger tile if that is what you like. I used the ones below with great success. I was installing travertine and the square edge made perfection important. Mine were 18 x 18 and turned out great.

I've only done a few sq ft of 1x1, half on a wall, half on a shower pan so I don't have much recommendation there.

http://www.qep.com/en/products.php?c=2&c...0&prod=200

[Trusty Rusty]

Listen to Joe above
If there are any irregularities float the floor
Then go very easy on the thin set as it is a nightmare to clean out in between the small tiles
Rusty

[K. L. McReynolds]

Good advice so far.

Leveling tile is not difficult, but it can be tedious. The more pieces, the more tedious and the more opportunity for unlevel tiles.

Those leveling systems take a LOT of the tedium away. That means the major gotcha is too much thinset in the grout lines. That is a really aggravating problem for inexperienced DIYers.

[vernonator]

Done a lot of DIY tile jobs over the years, large and small tiles. Run a 3' straight edge over floor first to find out if you have high/low spots and take care of them. Floors aren't as flat as they sometimes look. Flatter floors make leveling the tiles easier.

This...if your floor is prepped well and level then bigger tiles are easier. However if the floor is wavy you will spend a lot of time getting them level AND even with their neighbor.

[Snipe Hunter]

Use a tile leveling system like the one linked below and go with the bigger tile if that is what you like.  I used the ones below with great success.  I was installing travertine and the square edge made perfection important.  Mine were 18 x 18 and turned out great.  

I've only done a few sq ft of 1x1, half on a wall, half on a shower pan so I don't have much recommendation there.  

http://www.qep.com/en/products.php?c=2&c...0&prod=200

I just used those lashes on my bathroom floor and shower walls. My work still isn't perfect but those made it look a lot better. Especially with the 18" x 18" bathroom floor tiles.  Really nice on larger format tile. Home Depot stocks them.

I do my own tile work. It's tied with "plumbing" for my least favorite projects. I'd rather tape drywall with my face than set tile.

I'll always install the tile over a backerboard. Backerboard is set in thinset and screwed to the floor. I tape the joints with mesh and thinset.

You'll find that the Home Improvement stores generally stock "thin" ceramic or porcelain tile. The price is attractive but it's thin. I find that it's hard to set the thin small format "meshed backed" tile without the thinset pushing out the top when laying tile. You're forced to use a very small notched trowel. The thicker tile lays easier and neater imho. There's less of a chance seeing the thinset through the grout in a thicker tile. Also use a white thinset with lighter grout and grey thinset with darker grout.

Personally, as much as I like the way some of the modern small tiles look, I don't think I'd like to do more than a shower floor with them. They're tedious and grouting is a long process. Sure looks nice though. If I weren't remodeling a whol house, I might consider the smaller tiles. They do take longer to lay. Longer to cut, longer to grout... longer longer

[EricU]

I've always been pretty happy with the tile I have set with big tile.  The one time I did 2" square tiles, I wasn't as happy.  Just seemed a lot more difficult.  Of course, it was in a shower, so it wasn't on a flat floor and there was a hole in the middle that had to be cut out in excruciating detail.  Then again, I wouldn't use big tile for a shower floor because I don't need any slipping hazards