Herringbone tiling - AVOID MISTAKES

Herringbone tiling and where I went wrong...

[@johnbell1246]

Tile guy 28 years here.Love when people realize what's really involved in this structural Art.Intricate Difficult and Huge Math knowledge Involvement. 👍

[@jaydaawg.8191]

1mm off at the start pretty soon turns into a 10mm nightmare . Happens the best of us no matter what anyone says.

[@amattson6578]

A little pro tip i came up with for herringbone. Lay the pattern out dry on the floor with actual joint width and make a jig/template you can put against each row to line the rows up to and check to see if everything is tight and square. Its quick and easy and works great.

[@scottybotty7289]

Great advice!

[@thecollector77]

What do you mean by Jig?

[@andrewoates540]

You done it correct your work tops could be slightly out assuming the vertical line is spot on with a laser

[@chorleyone]

Thanks for letting me learn from your mistakes.

[@terencebroderick2682]

Today (24/6/21) I put up a herringbone splash back for the first time .thanks to your video and your advice over placement of the bottom row I felt much more confident in setting out my job , which is the be all and end all Thank you scotty

[@scottybotty7289]

Perfect Glad it helped Thanks for your feedback 👍

[@mufuliramark]

Apart from the extra small cuts off the corners, once you silicone the bottom to the worktop no ones going to notice mate... Well done!

[@scottybotty7289]

Thank you Turned out ok and I appreciate your comment :-)

[@_.Dave._]

Yeah, either your cabs or your countertop are not lvl,.. or at least, they're not square to one another. But this is a great case study in what to watch out for.

[@nikolanecic3367]

Here's a tip from 24 years experience.. if your kitchen top is on the piss by 35mm right to left, then either get it level or don't choose to go herringbone pattern. Just my opinion, other then that you done your best with what your working with.

[@__Joe]

I think what you did is actually correct. If the surface is sloped, it's sloped. You want your tiles to be level to the eye, not to the level of the counter. as long as your first tile was at 45 degrees, you should have just laid your first tile where all the cuts would have been nice and not slithers. you weren't left with any slithers on your left side, but if the counter continues downwards to the right, you will end up with slithers., so you might have been better off laying that first one slightly higher. That's my slightly educated opinion anyway :)

[@locofunkster4599]

You would want to ask the homeowner before chasing a out of level counter

[@stephenhaywood5672]

Being a professional tiler you soon realise that literally no fixtures,floors,walls etc are level and vertical. It’s a sad fact of life. It’s a bitch

[@matthartford6338]

A lot of tile jobs, you have to trim the bottom row. Like when you set above an existing tub that isn't leveled properly. You find the lowest point, and you run a full sized tile there, then trim as you move to the high spot.

[@stephentimoney6951]

Great advice, thank you. Will be doing this next month 👍

[@theandroids]

There is no mistake here. If you need to cut the tile to match you countertop then so be it. You will probably get worse problems doing it the way you suggested. Because your countertop is not level. I believe the best way to do herringbone is going upwards one row at a time, not sideways. Get the first vertical row finished then work of that.

[@jamieadams3281]

Just about to fit this style and really useful tip, cheers

[@sekhul04]

I just completed herringbone backsplash. I didn't even draw the center line but just like you mentioned, what I did was set all the bottom pieces up first and followed alone. it came out really nice. By the way, your tiling looks nice as well, I wouldn't notice it if u didn't mention it.

[@scottybotty7289]

Thank you for your comment :-) I hope the video helped you.

[@jameskirk7652]

I don’t know how much tiling you’ve done before but I think despite this job going slightly off as it goes away from your centre line, you’ve done a really good job. Herringbone is widely thought of as the trickiest tiling pattern to get spot on. The only thing I’d recommend, apart from the what you described in your vid, is the use of a laser level. They’re perfect to help you keep the corners of your tiles plumb and level as you build your pattern. Apart from that, nice job!

[@scottybotty7289]

Music to my ears to hear positive advice! Perfect Thank you very much for your comment and tips :-) I will use a laser next time.

[@Etherglide]

I agree, way too hard on yourself. Nice job.

[@elizabethbroughman6125]

Thanks! Your project looks fabulous, and mine will be too because of this tip!

[@scottybotty7289]

Hope it worked out well :-)

[@lcuriel2891]

You really didn’t do anything wrong. Backsplashes are way more detail and time oriented than people think. 1) The layout has to be right which in this case it is. 2) Countertop must be leveled, in this case if you didn’t shave off the corners of the full tile it would most tilted the layout to the right. 3) The drywall, especially the corners must be close to plum if you’re wrapping the layout to another wall. Not shaving off the bottom tile corners would fix the issue of having the same size tiles at the bottom, but would’ve created another issue up top. Nice work!

[@thruss91]

Thank you for sharing! Just about to do ours

[@minime9990]

Hiya bud, given the finish it's still a cracking job. It's hard to have everything perfect as we're always working with uneven walls, worktops and sockets, so given the worktop is out a touch, I think choosing an even and aesthetic hood splashback is the lesser of two evils. Nicely done!

[@scottybotty7289]

Your comments are much appreciated. Thank you 👍

[@playwithpower9384]

Thank you very much. This is a great help

[@Jack-russell103]

All depends on how level that countertop is. That’s the key. The center line with equal cuts either side is most important. If you have to trim tiles where they meat countertop so be it.

[@kenbosch9872]

i have one coming up soon i might give your trick a try

[@unpostropicciato]

Assuming your worktop is perfectly level, yes i believe your suggestion is correct

[@MrPyadster]

Ive been tiling now for 25 years and still to this day dread when a customer asks for herringbone 🤦‍♀

[@scottybotty7289]

Herringbone is tricky and I'm sure there are a few different approaches. I'm DIY And wish I had your experience. I doth my Cap to you!

[@xavytex]

Not a big deal on the left side. The right side will be a problem. The tile will open up more and more and you’ll end up with a tiny 3/4” triangle. It’s better to seal your drywall and use thinset to have time to readjust the tile. With mastic over unsealed drywall you only have 5 minutes.

[@chipburns4123]

Was the “work top” level as well as the cabinets? Also, there is room to fudge each grout joint just a tiny unnoticeable amount to fix things. Wait until you start to tile to the right side and your tile start to lift off of the “work top”. Have fun and good luck! With herringbone, when it matters, its best to make a template on a floor so you can check layout in every corner and edge. The best thing to do is to talk the customer out of it or go with a herringbone mosaic.

[@melindamercier6811]

If your tile dimensions aren’t divisible, that can also cause a shift. Herringbone is a beast. But it looks beautiful.

[@scottybotty7289]

An awkward beast! Thank you for your comment Melinda.

[@lydellgreen1968]

Thank u

[@muhammada5178]

Hi brother this happens when the tiles width doesn’t divide by the length perfectly. Pattern is still achieved but it slants and gets worse progressively as you have discovered here. It’s nothing to do with the centre sir

[@muhammada5178]

I hope this helps. They must divide exactly

[@brianaustin2135]

Thanks buddy I’m actually about to start the same tile style just in a shower

[@scottybotty7289]

Best of luck. I'm DIY Not a tiler by trade I'm just starting another job and I've purchased a laser level for £50 Best thing for tiling Wish I had one years ago And i would deffo recommend especially for herringbone 👍

[@sggibson62]

Thanks for that , you would of only needed to be out a small amount at your hob 45 degree start point but the further you go out either side the more the angle compounds, ie one side would rise up from the worktop and the other would dig in 👍

[@scottybotty7289]

Exactly! The error would exaggerate over distance 👍 Hopefully the vid helps others avoid that, however... many so far say it's not too much of an issue?

[@andrewdrummond8576]

You are not wrong .Did you consider creating a border round your units and worktops. The border could be slightly trimmed when required leaving the main field of your project perfect.

[@scottybotty7289]

I didn't think of a border no. It's a good point though and a nice tip for other tiling jobs in future! Top tip 👍 Thank you

[@elcoyotecojodeldesierto2300]

Better shaving the tile than to have a big gap on the right side of the counter top.

[@tn9274]

this confuse me, as far as I know the way you set the center line is already correct theory. probably when laying the tile, they didn't form exact 45 degrees angle, hence the shaving?

[@scottybotty7289]

Not sure myself either? I kept the tiles tight against each other and used 2mm spacers to keep the gaps small. Ah well... It looked good in the end and more importantly centred on initial impression 👍 From other comments I've since learned that a laser level is key to ultimate precision (if you really wanted to be that accurate).

[@marcelchristie5612]

Bro this is fukin brilliant!!!

[@scottybotty7289]

Lol Thank you very much! I appreciate your comment 👍 Hope it helped in someway 😊

[@gextreme2381]

I don't think you did anything wrong wrong, I think your tile is not dimensional. Meaning 3x height don't equal the length. Nothing you can do about it, you did the right thing and it is installed correct. Unless you didn't cut on a 45, which might explain the small adjustments, but I really think it is my first comment.

[@scottybotty7289]

Cheers Gamer I appreciate your input 👍

[@jayhopkins6755]

Get a set square can't fail

[@billm.8220]

We all learn from mistakes. I’m sure your next will be done correctly.

[@paulfitzpatrick4780]

I assume you put a level across the work surfaces to check for level. And I would never run the corner of a tile to the surface edge, you are asking for trouble even it if went well across the first wall the side walls may then not be so forgiving I personally would have allowed for a 10-15mm cut off the corner edge, as I would if I was tiling in a stack formation or any given pattern. And again I would always do a dry run , or pencil out my tile run , not having a dig at you but always plan your work and always check your levels . On the whole I'd say you've gotten of with a fairly easy process to rectify .

[@scottybotty7289]

Cheers Paul Don't feel your having a dig, all points mentioned are helpful. (To me and others who may read the comments). The surface was checked and level and I take on board what you say about taking a snip off the corners giving it a flat surface to sit on rather than a fragile corner. Thanks for the input.

[@anonymous7192]

You've tiled this correctly. You tile to the eye, not the countertop which isn't straight.

[@lrc87290]

I assume the counter is dead level?

[@scottybotty7289]

Yes Toni The counter was checked and level 👍

[@rvg31gil78]

Same thing happen to me lol

[@cjkcommercialflooring5674]

I'm installing tile almost 21 years but one thing I never done yet herringbone in 20 years

[@Louthemailman]

wtf

[@grizzly8859]

Well dont start now.

[@skulijakobsson5116]

Lucky you. I am taking over a badly started bathroom tomorrow 🥺 It's going to be tricky....

[@scottybotty7289]

@@skulijakobsson5116 good luck!

[@skulijakobsson5116]

@@scottybotty7289 thx, I will need it!

[@BlacknightOscar]

So as you head off to the right they will be off the work top .

[@thecollector77]

This is painful to watch first of all that tile could pop because he didnt leave a 1/8 expansion joint at botton of tile which later needs to be caulked.

[@scottybotty7289]

Porcelain tile is very dense. It has a very low thermal expansion rate and expands approximately . 000004 inches per degree Fahrenheit. It's not a floor tile, Being walked on, Having objects dropped on it. Unless the house moves, That won't crack...

[@jscivolette1180]

So... no matter what herringbone is wack.. does not look good. Ever.

[@melindamercier6811]

It can look great but a lot of factors can ruin uniformity. Unlevel counters, unlevel cabinets, non-divisble tile diminsions, centering at points rather than the sides, etc. It’s a beautiful pattern that is timeless regardless of fading trends, but it is a beast to work on bc math and artistic ability combine.

[@davegilbert1866]

Parkae,when on 45