# Forum Home Renovation Tiling  Floor gradient large tiles

## an3_bolt

Hello, 
I have screeded my bathroom floor to the equirements for AS3740 and the MBA Guide to Internal wet area waterproofing - however it just simply looks wrong.......tiling the 1:60 - 1:80 fall in the shower is going to be a nightmare and the general area 1:80 - 1:100 looks no easier. :Doh:  
I am very much a fan of "do it once - do it properly" and I would dearly like to get a great finish. 
My floor tiles are unfortunately 300 x 300. Laying them on the rectangle bathroom (3100 x 2100) with a waste almost in the centre and a 1200 x 900 shower in one corner appears to be problematic at best........lots of diaganol cuts in tiles at worst. :Yikes2:  
So any tips or hints? Anyone come across this before with an acceptable solution? 
What about removing some of the gradient with some topping compound? Any recommended products that you can use down to featheredge and build to 10mm or so? Would a floor leveling compound be able to "worked" to create a fall - or will it simply pool to create a level? 
I have a bathroom with virtually no fall in both the general wet area and the shower - and it sucks big time to the point I will have to rip up the floor and renovate it.

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## rod1949

Go for a lot smaller sized tiles that will have greater surface contact with the slope of the floors and thus won't be rocking diagionally across the corners.

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## murray44

an3, 
I have got roughly the same prob, 300 x 300 tiles in a 900 x 1000 shower. 
People have suggested:
smaller tiles - not available in the style we bought
change the drain from the centre to an edge grate - doesn't really solve all the issues 
From what I've seen in other houses you can do 300 x 300 on a very shallow slope but you end up splashing around in too much water for my liking. 
Diagonal cuts through the tiles fixes the problem but I don't like the look of that. 
I think it's possible to lay the screed at 45 degrees to normal and have the valley of the screed meeting the mid point of the wall. Causes other issues as well, have a think about that. 
I suspect I am going to lay the tiles at 45 degrees in the shower and probably run a little border around the edge. That's solves all problems. 
Due to the way I ran my floor tiles, the cuts in the shower do not match the cuts on the floor so having the shoer tiles at 45 will solve that too. 
By the way, my shower base will be about 30mm higher than the main floor. Another reason why I didn't bother trying to match cuts in that area. 
I'm due to start in the next month or 2 so fingers crossed. 
Murray

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## m6sports

im getting the tilling done in 2 weeks and when buying the tiles i asked my tiler if 
300 X 300 would be to large for my 2500 X 3500 bathroom  
he didnt think it was going to be a problem. but he did insist that he would be doing the screeding so that it was done right 
my shower is going to be 1250 X 1000 with the drain in the center  
if you want to see some picture click on the link below    :Arrow Down:

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## murray44

By the way, what's the best cement,sand, water ratio for the screed. 
I know you don't want it too wet, too much shrinkage, and I think 'sharp' sand is best?  Dunno, might need to start another thread, I've tried searching but can't find it.

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## an3_bolt

I used a 1:3 ratio - but off the top of my head I think the "acceptable" ratio is 1:3 to 1:4 
Thanks for the replies. I am stuck with the 300 x 300 floor tiles as the Mrs has already got them. 
I think it is going to come down to some cut tiles and a little bit of "re-levelling"........any recommendations or experience with some appropriate topping compounds that might be easy to use (Lanko 133?) - needs to be a featheredge to around 10mm.... 
Cheers

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## Haveago1

I used 300 x 300 in our 2400 x 1800 ensuite - diagonally!! 
Took me 2 days to work out the right slopes but ended up with 1:40 in the shower area (900 x 1150) 1:60  to 1:80 in various parts falling to the side of the shower stall and centre drain. 
Sounds like a dogs breakfast but I used a shower stall (ie no door - one screen only) without any scilicon around the side and bottom edges to go mouldy. The fall to the side of the screen was to encourage any water splashing under the screen to flow back to the shower area, but there is so little it just stays as individual blobs/drops in practice anyway. 
The various slopes on the floor make cutting in the wall tiles a challenge as every one is different, but it is doable.

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## an3_bolt

Top job!!! 
Very nicely done!! 
Got any more pics to share? Your shower screen looks interesting - I take it is set very close to but not resting on the tiles? Anywhere special you got brackets from? 
In any case - thanks for the reply people. In a way it is a form of encouragement to complete what I have been attempting to put off and continue to do more thinking about. 
By the way, talking to Ardex and Lanko today - from the tech guys Ardex LQ92 is the same as Dunlop Multipurpose Floor Leveller in case you need to alternate. 
I am planning on rescreeding using the Lanko 189 to reduce the fall a little and make tiling a little easier. Just to pass it on - manuafcturers of the floor levellers appear to recommend waterproofing over the top of the levelling/screeding compounds.

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## Haveago1

Thanks. The screen is held off the tiles on the wall and floor by the thickness of the brackets - about 2mm. The screen was custom made 2100 x 1150 x 10mm and cost $650, which I reckon was good value. 
 The brackets came with it as the screen had to be predrilled before it is heat treated and cannot be drilled afterwards so of course the holes had to be the right size and placement. I had the holes drilled so each brackets was in the middle of the tile. 
Similarly, I designed the tile layout so the screen sat exactly between the 'points' of the diagonal longwise and ended  where the tiles could be cut in half to increase the fall into the shower area.

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## an3_bolt

Quick question for anyone: 
Using a 3mm tile spacer - is that easier to get a good level finish than using the 1.5mm spacers (ie a bit more give in the leveling of the tiles on a gradient?)? 
Thanks again. 
Cheers

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## GeoffW1

> Thanks. The screen is held off the tiles on the wall and floor by the thickness of the brackets - about 2mm. The screen was custom made 2100 x 1150 x 10mm and cost $650, which I reckon was good value.

  Hi, 
Where did you go for your shower screen? We are in the market and it would be good to know.  
Cheers

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## an3_bolt

Just to update if anyone interested: 
Re-screeded floor after appropriate priming. Used Lanko 189 (...magic stuff) and some Lanko 133. 
Spent better part of 1/2 a day trying to get it all just right. The floor leveller was good stuff as you can essentially ramp where needed if it is simply a fraction too thick and then just feather the edge out. The 189 works like thick yoghurt at ramping mix and trowels out smooth or can mix to a pour for levelling. 
I think the key was the use of my baby laser leveller!!! Get it all within a mm or 2 of where it needs to be. Especially useful if dealing with low gradient. 
Tip: Do not place your shower too close to your general area room waste. The fall between the edge of the shower and the room waste becomes excessive and difficult to work around and out of proportion with the rest of the room.

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## Haveago1

_Where did you go for your shower screen? We are in the market and it would be good to know._ 
Geoff, 
Here is the link to their site:  Australian Wide Supplies - Sydney - frameless glass shower screens - vanity - bathroom accessories 
They had my screen custom made and it only took a week or so, so not floated in from China like a lot of others I had enquired about. Prices are great but delivery and insurance would have virtually doubled the price so be prepared to pick up from Blacktown if at all possible.

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