Variant 04-A
Floor and wall tiles (Philippines)
Tiles, boxes, adhesive, grout and waterproofing for your floors and walls, with the right grout for each place.
Not yet Reviewed
- Living room floor, balanced from the centre lines:
- Along the length: 5 full tiles + 2 trimmed to 485 mm, one at each wall (a tile on the centre line)
- Across the width: 3 full tiles + 2 trimmed to 588 mm, one at each wall (a tile on the centre line)
- 15 full tiles, 600 mm × 600 mm
- 6 end pieces, 485 mm × 600 mm (trimmed from 600 mm × 600 mm)
- 10 side pieces, 600 mm × 588 mm (trimmed from 600 mm × 600 mm)
- 4 corner pieces, 485 mm × 588 mm (trimmed from 600 mm × 600 mm)
- Centre lines: where setting out starts
- 35 tiles before breakage (by area alone: 34).
Seen from above, to scale. Trimmed pieces dashed. Joints 3 mm; gap at the walls 6 mm, filled with sealant.
Parts at a glance
| Part | Amount | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 10 boxes | 600 mm × 600 mm × 9 mm · 4 per box | |
| 6 bags | 6 mm bed | |
| 37 | 3 mm | |
| 1 bag | Fine cement grout for joints up to 6 mm | |
| 1 set | 6 mm gap at the walls |
7 checks passed
- 3 mm joints: at least the 3 mm needed on floors.
- 6 mm gap at the walls: at least the 6 mm the floor needs to move.
- Adhesive on the base is enough for this tile size.
- Set out from the centre, every edge cut is at least a third of a tile.
- No floor or wall longer than 6.1 m: flexible sealant at the edges is enough.
- 3 mm joints: within the 2 mm–6 mm this grout is made for.
- Base 60 days old: cured (28 days or more).
| Name | Floor or wall | Length | Width or height | Area | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 m × 3 m = 12.00 m² | |||||
| Total | 12.00 m² | ||||
Variables
mm
mm
mm
%
%
mm
mm
Result
- Tiles per m²
- 2.75
- Counted from the layout (floors)
- 35 tiles
- By area alone (cross-check)
- 33.0 tiles
- Tiles to buy, with extra
- 37 tiles
- Boxes to buy
- 10 boxes
Variables
days
Buying
kg
kg
Result
- 6 mm
- Adhesive
- 6 × 25 kg bags
- Not needed
- Fine cement grout for joints up to 6 mm
- Grout amount
- 1.9 kg · 1 × 2 kg bags
| Part | Qty | Your unit price (₱) | Subtotal (₱) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles & setting | |||
| Tiles, 600 mm × 600 mm × 9 mm, 4 per box (37 tiles) | 10 box | — | |
| Tile adhesive (e.g. ABC Tile Adhesive), 25 kg bags, 6 mm bed | 6 bag | — | |
| Tile spacers, 3 mm | 37 | — | |
| Grout & joints | |||
| Grout: fine cement grout for joints up to 6 mm (e.g. ABC Tile Grout Original), 2 kg bags (1.9 kg needed) | 1 bag | — | |
| Flexible sealant for the gap at the walls: 14 m, 6 mm wide | 1 lot | — | |
| Tools & safety | |||
| Notched trowel for a 6 mm bed, rubber float, level, tile cutter, buckets and sponges | 1 lot | — | |
| Knee pads, gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask for cutting | 1 lot | — | |
| Total (7 parts not priced) | ₱ 0 | ||
Enter your supplier's prices to get a total.
- Check the base. It must be cured, clean and flat: no more than 3 mm out over 3 m for these tiles. Fill dips first.
- Set out. Snap chalk lines through the middle of the room both ways, check they are square, and dry-lay a row along each before mixing anything. Living room floor: along the length, a tile centred on the line (tiles trimmed to 485 mm at both walls); across, a tile centred on the line (tiles trimmed to 588 mm at both walls). Leave a 6 mm gap at every wall.
- Spread and set. Spread only as much adhesive as you can tile in about 20 minutes (its open time). Comb it with a notched trowel for a 6 mm bed, and press tiles in with a slight twist. Lift a tile now and then: adhesive must cover at least 80% of its back.
- Space and level. Put 3 mm spacers at the corners and check the level as you go. Clean adhesive out of the joints before it sets.
- Grout. After 24 hours, pull the spacers and press fine cement grout for joints up to 6 mm into the joints with a rubber float. Wipe off with a damp sponge.
- Seal the edges. Fill the gap at walls and any movement joints with flexible sealant, not grout.
- Cutting dust: cutting tiles makes fine silica dust. Cut outdoors or wet, and wear a dust mask and glasses.
- Cement burns: adhesive and grout are strongly alkaline. Wear gloves. Wash splashes off skin straight away.
- Knees and back: use knee pads. Tile boxes are heavy; lift with a straight back.
Draft: adhesive and grout figures come from published data sheets (ABC, Mapei, Weber) and are still to be verified. Follow the data sheet of the product you buy.
Tiles
- Tiles per m²1 ÷ ((600 + 3) × (600 + 3) mm) = 2.75
- Each tile takes up its own size plus one joint in each direction.
- Source Standard tiling arithmetic.
- Setting out (straight floors)from the centre lines
- Start from chalk lines through the middle of the room, not a wall: walls are rarely straight. This plan tries a tile and a joint on each centre line and keeps the one with bigger, equal cuts at both walls. It counts every full tile and cut piece; two cuts share a tile only when both fit (about 3 mm allowed for the saw).
- Source TCNA Handbook and BS 5385 layout guidance; standard tiling practice.
- No sliverscuts at least ⅓ of a tile
- Thin edge cuts crack and look poor. If the best setting-out still leaves them, put them where least seen. Only straight-laid floors are checked; dry-lay walls and diagonal or herringbone floors to see their cuts.
- Source Common tiling practice (half a tile preferred).
- Too thin to cutunder 1 mm
- When tiles nearly fit and the cut would be thinner than this, no cut is made: the leftover goes into the gaps at the walls, which then come out a little wider.
- Source Planning tolerance (ASSUMPTION).
- Breakage (counted floors)5%
- Cuts are already counted, so only broken or faulty tiles are added.
- Source Planning allowance (ASSUMPTION).
- Extra for cuts10% (straight)
- Edges, corners and breakage. Diagonal and herringbone layouts cut more tiles. No tile maker gives a figure; these are retailers’ usual allowances.
- Source Retailer guides (ASSUMPTION).
- Floor jointsat least 3 mm
- Narrower joints are hard to fill and leave no room for the floor to move.
- Source BS 5385.
- Gap at the wallsat least 6 mm
- Floors grow and shrink with heat and damp. Tiles pushed tight against a wall have nowhere to go and lift. The gap is filled with flexible sealant and hidden by the skirting.
- Source BS 5385-3; TCNA EJ171 (at least 1/4 in) (VERIFY).
- Spacers1 per tile
- Each cross spacer sits where four tiles meet, so there is about one per tile.
- Source Planning allowance (ASSUMPTION).
- Wet floors indoorswet DCOF ≥ 0.42
- Level indoor floors that get wet need slip-resistant tiles. No polished tiles where water stands.
- Source ANSI A326.3 (interior, wet); Crossville guidance.
- Floors outdoorsrated for outdoor wet use, or wet DCOF ≥ 0.55
- Rain, dirt and slopes make outdoor floors more slippery. The indoor 0.42 rating doesn’t cover them; the tile maker has to rate the tile for outdoor wet use.
- Source ANSI A326.3 (exterior, wet: maker-declared); 0.55 from a summary of the standard (VERIFY).
Setting and grout
- Adhesive bed6 mm, 2.6 m² per 25 kg bag: 12.0 m² × 1.1 ÷ 2.6 → 6 bags
- Bigger tiles need a thicker bed: 3 mm up to 30 × 30 cm, 6 mm up to 60 × 60 cm, 10 mm above.
- Source ABC Tile Adhesive Heavy-Duty data sheet (VERIFY).
- Full contact80% indoors, 95% wet and outdoor
- Hollow spots crack under load. Lift a tile now and then to check its back is covered.
- Source ANSI A108.5.
- Back-butteringsides over 600 mm, or 300 mm outdoors
- Large tiles don’t sit fully in the bed unless their back is coated too.
- Source Mapei Kerabond Plus data sheet.
- Extra adhesive and grout+10%
- Some is lost in mixing and on the trowel, and uneven bases take more. Both bag counts include it.
- Source Planning allowance (ASSUMPTION).
- Grout amount0.14 kg/m² × 12.0 m² × 1.1 = 1.9 kg
- (L + W) ÷ (L × W) × tile thickness × joint width × 1.6, in mm. Narrow joints and big tiles use little grout.
- Source Mapei grout formula (VERIFY the density factor).
- Grout for the placeFine cement grout for joints up to 6 mm, joints of 2 mm–6 mm
- Fine cement grout for dry indoor rooms with joints of 2–6 mm. Each grout is made for a range of joint widths: outside it, grout cracks or won’t pack in.
- Source ABC and Weber grout data sheets (VERIFY: sanded and wet-room ranges couldn’t be read; check the bag).
Base, water and movement
- Flat base3 mm over 3 m
- Tiles can’t bridge dips: they rock and crack. Tiles with a side of 381 mm or more need a flatter base (3 mm) than smaller ones (6 mm).
- Source ANSI A108.02 (VERIFY: from TCNA summaries).
- Curing28 days for screeds
- A wet base shrinks under the tiles and cracks them.
- Source Mapei (screeds 28 days, render 1 week per cm); Weber (7 days per cm).
- Waterproofingfloor, 150 mm up walls, shower walls to 1,800 mm
- Grout and tiles let water through. The membrane keeps it out of the walls and floor below. Only walls marked as shower walls get the full height; the bottom strip is counted once, with the floor.
- Source AS 3740 (Australia). No Philippine rule was found; this is good practice.
- Shower floor slopeat least 1 in 48 (about 2%)
- Water must run to the drain, not sit in the grout. That is about 2 cm of fall for every metre to the drain.
- Source UPC 408.6 (1/4 in per ft); IPC (2%). VERIFY: Philippine plumbing code follows the UPC; its clause wasn’t read.
- Movement jointsevery 6.1 m indoors, 2.4 m in wet rooms and outdoors
- Tiled floors and walls expand with heat and moisture. Without flexible joints at the edges and across long runs, tiles lift or crack. The shorter end of each recommended range is used.
- Source TCNA EJ171 (20–25 ft indoors; 8–12 ft where wet, sunny or outdoors) (VERIFY); BS 5385-3.
- Back-buttering
- A thin coat of adhesive on the back of the tile too, so large tiles have no hollow spots.
- Bed
- The layer of adhesive under a tile, set by the size of the trowel’s notches.
- Grout
- The paste pressed into the joints between tiles once the adhesive has set.
- Joint
- The gap between two tiles, kept even with spacers and filled with grout.
- Movement joint
- A joint filled with flexible sealant instead of grout, at walls and across big floors, so the tiles can expand without lifting.
- Screed
- The flat layer of cement and sand that tiles are laid on.
- Slip rating (DCOF)
- How grippy a tile is when wet. Level indoor floors that get wet: at least 0.42. Outdoors: a tile its maker rates for outdoor wet use.
- Spacer
- A small plastic cross or T set at tile corners to keep every joint the same width.
- Tile adhesive
- Cement powder mixed with water and spread thin with a notched trowel. Grips tiles better than plain cement and sand.
- Waterproofing membrane
- A rubbery coat brushed on under the tiles in bathrooms and showers. Grout and tiles alone don’t stop water.
These numbers are estimates. Check them against your own measurements and product labels before you build. Follow the data sheets of your tiles, adhesive, grout and membrane.