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How can you center a tile layout without skinny edge cuts?
Published by Tile Ledger
Try two centered dry layouts. Put a grout joint on the centerline for one and the center of a tile on the line for the other. Compare the edge pieces at both ends with your planned joint spacing and perimeter gaps in place.
Use the portion that tiles can occupy
Measure at the front and back of the room. For the arithmetic below, assume a usable 47 in span after the required perimeter clearances have already been reserved. The tiles actually measure 8 in across, and the example uses a ⅛ in grout joint. Check the joint size and movement provisions specified for your own installation.
Price the two centered rows in pencil
One layout has five whole tiles between two edge cuts. That creates six interior joints. Subtract 40 in of tile and ¾ in of grout from 47 in. The two edges share 6¼ in, so each cut is 3⅛ in wide.
Shift the grid half a module. Four whole tiles now sit between the two cuts, with five interior joints. Subtract 32 in and ⅝ in from 47 in. Each edge becomes 7 3/16 in wide. Both rows are symmetrical. The second puts a nearly whole tile at each edge, which often reads more evenly across a visible wall.
Move the sample row to the problem spots
Take the wider-edge version to the doorway, any alcove and the last wall. A layout that looks balanced at the center may leave a sliver beside a cabinet return. Mark each change in width on the same sketch. Before settling on a row, lay real tiles with spacers along the reference line and measure the last cut at both edges. Irregular tile and out-of-square walls can move a pencil line enough to matter.