Just realized most people ignore the floor slope when tiling

I keep seeing folks in here ripping up perfectly good tile because they didn't check if the floor was level first. Last month at a duplex in St. Louis I spent an afternoon with a 6-foot level and shimmed the subfloor before laying anything. Two weeks later the tenant texted me a photo of cracked grout along the kitchen island. Turns out I missed a low spot near the fridge by about an eighth of an inch. How do you all catch those sneaky dips before the mortar sets?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_thomas7315d ago

Laser level and a chalk line.

olivia_chen3515d ago

That's a solid starting point @felix_thomas73, but I'd argue a chalk line is only good for rough layout work. In my experience, the old school chalk lines leave a lot of room for error, especially on textured walls. They're fine for framing or subfloor layout, but for finish work like hanging cabinets or trim they can be off by an eighth inch or more. Your best bet is a laser level that self levels, and then still double check it with a long spirit level. A chalk line just has too much potential for the line to curve or snap crooked, trust me I've learned that the hard way.