Tile Spacers??

Say you use the 1/8 inche tile spacers to layout your tile.
Do you have to remove the tile spacers after setting the tile or can you just leave them sitting in the thinset and grout over the top of them?
Thanks

 

Take them out after the thinset has hardened. They may cause problems such as the grout cracking over them if you leave them in. You can wash them off and use them again.

 

If you use them it is easiest to stand them up like crosses,using 4 per junction of 4 tiles. Buy more then one bag and work until you run out then, pull out the first row of used ones and keep on working.This is faster easier and less intrusive to the tile compared to trying to pry them out.There cheap a 100 of them will take you 25 tiles. Dont forget joints around the perimeter.(soft) its the #1 reason for failure.

 

Thanks....I figured they must come out but wan't really sure how to get them out once everything hardened...I can see then breaking etc when prying them out once it all hardened...I like the ides of using them as crosses at the intersections....Thanks again for the advice.

 

It's actually easier to place the hollow ones in the corners of the tile, rather than standing them up. Standing them up in the joint rests them in the thinset.

Standing them up will not guarantee that the corners of the tile will meet and you might find that your lines won't be straight after a few tiles.

Taking them out is easy, since they never touch the thinset. You take a drywall screw, spin it half a turn into the spacer and pop them out.

Don't push the spacer all the way into the joint. Leave the top part of it flush with the tile top. You will have to stand them up when your tile is along the wall. Otherwise, they should stay pretty clean and you can reuse them over and over.

 

Well, there was supposed to be a picture for last post.... hmmm.

 

how about the Tavy spacers? NEVER USED THEM BUT I LIKE THE CONCEPT.They are avalible at alot of dist.

 

The TAVY spacers don't let you see the intersection of the four tiles. They're easy to remove, but you still have to concern yourself with what to do at the edges where the tile ends. You can't stand them up.

 

I graph the entire floor, with lines. But went I do use spacers on smaller bathrooms and entryways, I too stand them. Intert one nub and the cross sits on top.

There are tiles out, that using spacers will throw the lines off, because the tiles are not consistent in dimensions.

 

Yet another reason to buy quality tiles

I'll admit, even they can be off a bit some times, but it's rare.

Regardless of whether you're using a grid or spacers, if the tile's off, your line will be off.

 

I hear ya! I hate trying to explain to people that not all tiles are "exactly " the same size. THey look at me sometimes like I'm lying!

 

The same people are the ones to say, "What's an eighth of an inch out of level? No one will notice that".

Well, an eighth of an inch (3 mm) over an 8' length is one inch.