Floor Tiling around architraves

I have 20 sq m of floor tiling to be done in a family room on a new slab.

I am going to have a crack at it myself.

I have done a little floor tiling years ago, but very basic.

I have got the builder to leave off the skirting boards, but he has attached and painted etc the architraves around 3 doors right down to the slab.

I have been told it looks better to leave the architraves, and cut the tiles around them (rather than cut the bottom 10mm or so off them, and tile under them).

Can anyone help with what tool/technique to use to cut the tile to the shape of a Colonial architrave.

Cheers

Mark

I would cut the tile with a rectangular (ie have a straight edge) and then use grout to fill the gap, it will look neat when it's finished.

you will use a grinder with a diamond blade to cut the tiles around the door frames, you could always use a profile gauge if you were trying to follow the contours of the architraves but I highly doubt you will get it looking neat, just cut it as mentioned above or even at a strait angle.

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Originally Posted by AIRMAN

you will use a grinder with a diamond blade to cut the tiles around the door frames, you could always use a profile gauge if you were trying to follow the contours of the architraves but I highly doubt you will get it looking neat, just cut it as mentioned above or even at a strait angle.

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Thanks for the tips.

Do you mean a normal angle grinder?

Cheers

Mark

it is very easy to get them spot on. use a fine liner and a off cut of your ark, for a template. Mark it all up and sit the ark on the tile, where it should be and mark it on the tile then get your grinder and cut it up.:roll:

Even run a NICE silcone beed around it, if your not happy with your cuts.
good luck hope it helps you out a little

I know you have been told it looks better to cut around the architrave but IMO this is not true. The grout-filled gap around a door architrave will invariably start to crack after a short while and look ordinary. The closer the tile cut the less ordinary it will be. Better, neater and easier to have the architrave sit on top of the tile.

some tilers i know cut the bottom of the ark out so the tile will slide under. Not the best look but may help you out. if you do this make sure you cut it so it slides under perfect and allow for glue under your tile.

I'm no tiler by trade, but I've done two houses, a number of small repairs, our local CFA Fire Station, and am in the middle of my front porch and the back deck is next. The two houses I did I had no choice but to tile up to the existing architraves and skirting. Here's a couple of thing I came accross...

- Firstly you wont know how flat your floor is until you try and put skirting around. And, depending on how consistantly you mix the tile adhesive will depend on your finished tile levels as well as the flatness of the slab or floor structure. It will look pretty ugly to have wavy gaps all the way round the room if the tiles go under the skirting, and alot more fiddly to try and fill them with gap filler after.

- Secondly, I hate with a passion the look of a tile round a door jamb that's just had a large rectangle cut out of the tile and the resulting gaps filled with grout. It looks half-ar$ed and cheap. Maybe not completely follow the exact profile of the architrave, but if you follow close enough with flats, tapers and steps, you'll get a very professional looking finish. It just takes a little patience.

As AIRMAN said, you can get a diamond encrusted steel blade for your angle grinder, between $35 & $50. They're worth their weight in diamonds..., and will even cut bricks, pavers, roof tiles and smmoth off concrete chunks. The big tip I'll give you here is when your cutting the tile for around the architraves, don't try and cut the whole piece out in one go. Cut a majority of the section out close to your lines, and then use the disc to gently grind out bit by bit. Also, if you can't cut right through a line because it's shorter than the diameter of the blade, turn the tile over and cut through from the back. Here it doesn't matter if you go past the lines a little on this side.

Hope this helps you.

Yonnee.

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Originally Posted by scottyb

I know you have been told it looks better to cut around the architrave but IMO this is not true. The grout-filled gap around a door architrave will invariably start to crack after a short while and look ordinary. The closer the tile cut the less ordinary it will be. Better, neater and easier to have the architrave sit on top of the tile.

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I just tiled my dining room... replaced original cork flooring... what a nightmare getting that up then putting a flat coat over the top, but thats another story. Had two doors to contend with re. architrave. I decided to take these off, tile and then reinstall with bottoms sitting on top of the tile. I think it looks neater and cleaner that way, and less hassle not having to cut funky shapes in the tile :)

I just read your other thread about the different sized tiles in your ensuite and your possible choice of diamond pattern. Do you realise how many cuts you will have around the entire perimeter of the room??! And some of them will be tiny little fiddly triangles. Not to mention the cutouts around the architraves. Can I suggest using a brick pattern, running the rows accross the short distance? This will help reduce the effect of a long, thin room by not having rows down the long length.

Yonnee.

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Originally Posted by Yonnee

I just read your other thread about the different sized tiles in your ensuite and your possible choice of diamond pattern. Do you realise how many cuts you will have around the entire perimeter of the room??! And some of them will be tiny little fiddly triangles. Not to mention the cutouts around the architraves. Can I suggest using a brick pattern, running the rows accross the short distance? This will help reduce the effect of a long, thin room by not having rows down the long length.

Yonnee.

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Thanks everyone,

Keep the suggestions coming

Yonnee, I have decided on a traditional square layout, and have bought the square tiles

Cheers

Mark

get a die-grinder, you can buy a multitude of attachments that you can do that sort of detailed grinding with

we just get a biscuit jointer set the depth at the thickness of the architrave plus a mmm or so,.then work out what height we need to cut ,find some peices of ply to make up the height required then simply cut the architrave through ,simple really

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Originally Posted by SkyHook

Thanks everyone,

Keep the suggestions coming

Yonnee, I have decided on a traditional square layout, and have bought the square tiles

Cheers

Mark

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I didn't mean a brick pattern using rectangular tiles, you can still get the brick effect using your square tiles. Start one row accross the short length of the room, then offset the next row by half a tile. I did this in one house to break up the long continuous line of tiles from one end of the house to the other.

Another tip;
I nailed some small brad nails into the skirting boards and ran some string lines to give me a straight line guide to tile to. And you can set up as many string lines as you want. I did one every 2-3 rows to keep it all parallel and square. Best thing about a string line over a chalk line is you can trowel the adhesive out and your string line is still visible. You can even use this method for a brick pattern, just set one line down the long length of the room for every second row, and another line 1/2 or 1-1/2 tiles over for the rows in-between.

Yonnee.