Herringbone tiles were all over the place because I trusted a wall that wasn't square.

Measuring from the room's center instead of the wall fixed the entire layout in minutes.

4 comments

4 Comments

Seriously? I've messed up cuts following a bad wall too, but it's just tile. Most walls aren't square anyway, that's just how houses are. You can spend all day trying to make a perfect pattern, or you can just get it close and grout it. Once the furniture is in, nobody is ever going to notice a slight angle except you.

tara6421mo agoTop Commenter

I read on an old DIY forum about the "rule of 18 inches", where if a flaw is that far off the ground, most people won't see it. @the_stella is totally right about walls never being straight. I used to drive myself crazy with a level and a pencil until a contractor told me his whole job is hiding imperfections. You get it close, use a wider grout line if you have to, and call it a day.

logan_murphy1mo ago

Nah, "get it close and grout it" is how you end up with a job that looks bad forever. If a wall's off, you fix the wall first, that's the whole point of doing it yourself. I'd rather take the time than stare at a crooked line every day.

avery_jackson1mo ago

My friend Lisa in her old apartment worked forever to get her bathroom tiles just right. Her contractor said the walls were off, and now she doesn't even notice the small gaps.