What size crosses for tiles on the walls. Crosses for laying tiles. How to choose and which ones to use? Other structural features of the described elements

Now I will tell you why I choose the size of crosses for wall and floor tiles.

To do this, I first check the dimensions of the wall tiles. It is done like this: I take 6-8 tiles from different boxes and I make such a panel out of them, that is, I put them tightly to each other.

In this case, the edges of the tile in the center should converge clearly. And now I look and feel with my fingers the convergence of the edges of the tiles on the other side. My task is to determine the average error in the size of the tiles. For example, there is a small protrusion here, about half a millimeter.

Even lower, I also observe a small ledge. But for other sides, the tile converges normally, without protrusions. I do the same check for the other side.

After that, I must conclude for myself how many millimeters I will have to adjust the seams of the tiles on the wall. This tile has an error of up to a millimeter, so in this situation you can choose the size of the crosses of 1.5 - 2 millimeters.

Here I have two-millimeter crosses, which are standard, and one-and-a-half-millimeter crosses, which are used for good tiles.

Most often, it is these two sizes that allow you to get best result. To finally decide, I will insert one and a half millimeter crosses between the tiles and see how beautiful the seam will be.

You need to insert crosses between at least four tiles. Then the overall picture is better seen.

As you understand, the same operations must be carried out with floor tiles.

After installing the cross on a dry one, we should visually try to evaluate the beauty of the seam.

For example, this result suits me. I am not a supporter thick tile joints and try to make them thinner where possible.

And here is another trick that you need to know when choosing the size of a cross - this is the technological gap between the tiles. I again made tiles without crosses. Technologically, the shape of the edges of the tile is most often beveled. Because of this, a small groove forms at the tight junction of the tiles, which must also be taken into account.

That is, when I take a one and a half millimeter cross, I must understand that after jointing my final seam between the tiles will be 2 - 2.5 mm, so know that the size of the crosses and what you see on the wall are different things.

And as a conclusion, I will say that in my work I often use the following sizes of crosses:

For wall tiles - 1.5 - 2 mm
For floor tiles - 2 - 2.5 mm

And the last thing I would like to add on crosses. When choosing, also look at their quality. Here are two samples of the same size, but different manufacturers.

The cross on the right has obvious errors in manufacturing, and the cross on the left has beautiful even edges, so I recommend not taking crosses that have artifacts.

All rights to the video belong to: DoHow

I did not pay enough attention to this topic, then in this material I will give more detailed information.

So, what crosses for tiles are, how to choose them, and what sizes of crosses should be used in each case. Let's take everything in order.

What crosses for tiles are

Actually, there are two types of crosses: with four ends (for straight laying), and with three (for laying apart). However, “three-pointed” crosses are not sold in stores, so you will have to make them yourself by biting off an extra element from an ordinary specimen with wire cutters.

Their sizes are as follows: 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3; 3.5; 4; 4.5; 6, 7 and 8 mm. (The size of the cross means its thickness, and the width is usually 10 - 12 mm.) They are packed in packages of various sizes, usually polyethylene.

The number of crosses in the package is different, but most often a multiple of 50 - for example, it is 50; 100; 150; 200 and 500 pcs. Alternatives also present: company BISON"doses" 75 pcs. on a sachet. By the way, there are also bags made of cellophane, for example, the company packs its products in them. Remo Color.

What size crosses for what size tiles

There is a certain myth spread by "teapots". It consists in the fact that "the thinner the seam, the better the tile is laid." Naturally, this nonsense simply cannot be invented by a person who has a good idea of what it means.

Moreover, if you are working with relatively cheap tiles, building a thin (for example, 1 mm) seam will not only not improve the cladding, but may significantly degrade its quality and significantly complicate the work, because in the presence of an unreasonably thin seam, it will become impossible to qualitatively adjust the inter-tile distances.

You will not be able to “play” with the width of the seam, while its calibration will force you to correct the allowances that arise during the laying process. Any defect will be clearly visible, and you will not be able to cleanly align the tiles along such seams for the reasons described above (apparently, the “myth about the thinness of the seams” was born from this).

Plus, if the seams on a medium format tile are poorly visible, this will seriously impair the appearance of the cladding, since tiles designed for laying with seams, for which reason the ends of the tiles have a certain angle.

Therefore, you can (and should) apply the following rule: width tile joint must be equal to the length of the longest side of the tile divided by 100.

That is, if the tile format is 200 x 300 mm, then the width of the seam will be 300/100 = 3 mm; if the tile format is 150 x 150 mm, then the joint width will be 150/100 = 1.5 mm. This rule is not described in the literature, I myself derived it for myself. In practice, for laying medium format tiles (such as 250 x 250, 200 x 300, 250 x 333, etc.), it is best to use crosses ranging in size from 2.5 to 3 mm. (wall), and from 3.5 to 4 mm. (outdoor).

Crosses for floor tiles should be somewhat wider due to the fact that the floor tiles themselves are larger, and, in addition, they are most often square, and the cladding visually looks different. 4 mm. crosses are optimal for tiles and granite ceramics in formats 300 x 300, 333 x 333 and other similar ones.

How to choose crosses for tiles

Now this product is produced by all and sundry. More precisely, a number of certain offices in China produce all this, and in our country they package and sell it all, sometimes at very low prices (the price of a package of 100 pieces ranges from 9 to 35 rubles per unit with an average consumption of 30 - 100 pieces per 1 sq. m.). Thus, the choice of products is very large, and there is plenty to choose from. Stop! Do you have to choose? Isn't it better to just buy any crosses, because it's just a piece of plastic? The answer is clear - you have to choose. And that's why.

What is the difference between crosses for tiles from different manufacturers and do they differ at all? The first significant difference is the viscosity of the plastic. Some crosses are quite brittle, it is easy to break off a piece from them. Others, on the contrary, are strong and flexible - it is difficult to gut them.

The second difference is the profile of the cross. Some crosses are the same in any projection. Others are different, that is, such a cross is wider on one side than on the other.

At first glance, all this is nonsense, but in practice it turns out differently. For example, brittle crosses are often not removed from the seam and break off in it, causing a lot of inconvenience (you can spend almost an hour picking out the remains of the damned cross).

Crosses for tiles with an unequal profile must be inserted into the seams only on the same side. That is, you should spend your time on such nonsense as flipping crosses, because if you do not spend it in this way, then you will have to deal with enhanced adjustment of the seams.

So how do we determine which crosses we need and which ones are better not to buy? After all, they are all the same! And here it is not. Look carefully at the photo: on the top there are “normal” crosses, and on the bottom there are brittle crosses with an unequal profile. It is easy to distinguish them, since it is clearly visible that they have a slightly different appearance - their corners are smoothed, the profile is also different. It is possible to work with them, but not too desirable if there is another alternative.

Thus, even such an insignificant thing as the size of the tile crosses, and the material from which they are made, directly affects the duration of the tiling work and their final result.

Moreover, this is not all on this issue, so I made additional material "", so as not to overload the already existing far from small article with cumbersome details.

Repair work requires certain skills from the performer, it is applied special equipment and tools. Laying tiles is no exception, because the seams must be perfectly even. When there is no behind years of experience a professional tiler cannot do without the use of plastic crosses for tiles, the dimensions of which determine the width and thickness of the seam.

Varieties of plastic crosses for tiles

AT modern construction ceramic tile applied to cover different surfaces. She is lined with floors, walls, stairs. This is a comfortable practical cover with excellent appearance that is easy to clean.

The use of crosses for tiles in the work allows you to achieve a fixed width of the joints and a uniform laying height. The coating, laid using a simple tool, looks neat.

Due to the crosses, the seam width is uniform

First you need to carefully study what tools and materials you will need. Going to the store, you should know that crosses are of the following types:

Standard;
T-shaped for facing with an offset (laying "bricks");
Wedges that go deep into the seam, make it possible to adjust to the required width;
SVP - multi tool, a system for aligning tiles in width and length, evenly presses the tiles to the surface, and prevents sagging when dried.

Standard tile crosses

T-crosses for tiles

Plastic wedges for tiles

SVP wedges and clips

Crosses are divided into hollow and solid ones, the first masters use them much more often, since they are easily inserted into a seam filled with glue without squeezing it out. It is important to determine the size of the cross that is necessary for the job. Thickness can be from 1 to 8 mm, width up to 12 mm, which directly depends on the selected tile. The minimum thickness is chosen only if it is planned seamless laying Or is it implied by the design intent.

SVP consumption (pcs / sq m) depends on the size of the tile

If the choice of tiles is made, then count the number necessary crosses will be easy. To do this, you need to determine the number of tiles per 1 sq m, and then multiply by 4 or 8, depending on how many crosses are used for each tile, plus a margin of about 15% is made. The package contains 100 pieces, the cost is not more than 50 rubles.

Products domestic production do not have jumpers between the constituent elements, so the distance between the tiles is uneven, the seams are obtained different widths. Crosses are used only as spacers; they do not perform the main function of creating an even seam.

Application area

If a standard crosses are used to create high-quality and even masonry when facing surfaces such as walls and floors, then we will dwell on the use of other types in more detail.

Pay attention to the cladding of the lower part of the facade of the house? In this case, the so-called masonry "bricks" is used. An ordinary cross with 4 equal ends will not work, you must use the T-shaped version, which, unfortunately, is almost impossible to buy in a store.

Wedges are used much less often in work, they are convenient when laying is not carried out in a straight line. Most often they are used for cladding decorative stone, the dimensions of which differ up to 5 mm. Wedges are also used when finishing steps, laying the bottom row of an apron, where work is carried out with “curved” tiles.

Particular attention should be paid to the tile leveling system, consisting of a clamp and a wedge, which is used to work both on the floor and on the walls when laying on the adhesive. With an indent of 5-10 cm from the edges of each tile, clamps are inserted under it. Then a wedge is installed in the clip, which will evenly rest on 2 adjacent tiles, and they will stand on the same level. After the glue has completely dried, the wedges are removed, the leg of the clamp breaks off, the cap remains inside. Wedges for SVP can be used repeatedly, you will have to buy new clips.

How to choose the right seam width?

Laying tiles on the floor or wall is a whole art, the master must choose the right material, calculate its quantity, and perform installation in such a way that the floor or wall is perfectly even. The selection of the joint width depends on what surfaces are planned to be covered and what size of tiles will be used.

When it comes to walls, experts recommend using crosses with a thickness of 1, 1.5 and 2 mm. The minimum joint can be used if the tiles are perfectly sized, which can significantly reduce the amount of grout. When covering the floor, the thickness of the gap is usually 2-3 mm.

The size of the joint affects the choice of grout. Some of them are designed for gaps up to 5 mm, and there are those that are used to work with seams from 4 mm and above.

The cross adjusts the width of the seam

Experts recommend being especially careful when working with domestically produced tiles. There are technological tolerances, the sizes of the tiles are slightly different. When laying on the floor, due to the wider gaps, this may not be so noticeable. When mounted on a wall, each mismatched millimeter has great value. Wide seams do not look aesthetically pleasing, the amount of grout on them increases. When using a “brick-like” tile with a chamfer, it is taken into account that the seam will visually look larger.

Before the final grout, the crosses are pulled out with pliers. It is undesirable to leave broken products, since the grout layer above them will be thin and crumble over time.

Advantages and disadvantages of tile crosses

Tiled works are used in the construction and reconstruction of residential and non-residential premises. Each specialist will confirm with confidence that it is much more convenient to work with the use of plastic crosses, their use makes it possible to:

Significantly speed up the process;
Improve the quality of masonry;
Reduce the amount of grout.

However, this little tool has its drawbacks. If the cross is made of low-quality plastic, then it breaks easily, and after completion of work it can be very difficult to remove it from the seam. When the broken part remains inside, it can deform the masonry, distorting the overall appearance.

If you purchased a material with an uneven profile, you must carefully ensure that you insert them only with the same end between the plates, otherwise you will not speed up the process, but will be forced to additionally align the seams.

Often when installing decorative facade tiles or installation on the floor, laying in a run is used. What kind of crosses are used in this case, if the option with 4 ends is not suitable here? Masters themselves have to "improve" this plastic tool. Usually they manually remove an unnecessary element, and get a product that is easy to use.

Beginners try to do without crosses, replacing them with washers, matches and other improvised material. The seams are uneven, the desire to save money leads to the opposite result. The low cost of crosses will not affect the cost of work in any way. Installation of tiles using crosses is faster and better, so you should not save on their purchase.

With modular laying, crosses are indispensable

Video

Tile crosses will provide perfect and even seams between tiles Despite the fact that plastic crosses are elementary in design, one should approach their choice as it should. This is especially true for those people who have been laying tiles not so long ago.

How to choose the right cross size for tiles

When facing with tiles, the choice of the size of the cross is essential; crosses should be used based on the size of the tile, its thickness, as well as the brand and quality of the tile. Many people believe that the thinner the cross, the thinner the seam, the more beautiful the tile will look. However, this is not entirely true, especially for cheap tiles, and certain rules should be followed.

Crosses are selected based on the largest length of the tile, while the latter must be divided by 10.

Many manufacturers complete boxes with tiles with instructions that indicate how wide the crosses should be used and how thick the joints should be.

So, for example, if the length of the tile is 20x30 cm, this length should be divided by 10 and it turns out that for this tile the thickness of the seam should be 3 mm. Despite such calculations, professional tilers recommend using crosses with a thickness of 2.5 mm to 3 mm, if this wall tiles. Provided that the tiles are laid out on the floor, the thickness of the crosses should be from 3.5 mm to 4 mm.

Crosses are also selected based on:

Evenness of tiles;
The presence of a chamfer;
The presence of chips;
Tile thickness;
The quality of the material.

With any design ideas, you can choose crosses with a thickness of 1-2 mm. But at the same time, it is not possible to correct the seams between the tiles and, in the event of a lining error, all defects will be noticeable.

Plastic crosses for laying tiles

When installing tiles, every master knows how difficult it is to keep the same distance between the tiles, and to maintain it between them, some use matches. But the matches let in by the industry often do not have the same thickness, and instead of them it is better to use special plastic crosses. Such crosses for tiles perform important functions.

Crosses define required thickness between the tiles, allowing you to achieve the same distance between the tiles.

Also, thanks to the crosses, which have jumpers, you can achieve a certain height of the tile. Due to the presence of jumpers, the crosses will be securely held. Only quality crosses should be purchased, they are called Rubi or Rubi Twin Flex, which differ high quality and reliability. And you can even use them several times. Of course, such crosses are more expensive, but their quality is on top.

Plastic crosses have the same thickness, which allows you to lay out tiles with an equal gap from each other

If the tiler tries to save on consumables and buys cheap consumable, this often results in:

uneven seams;
Ugly tiling;
The one that forces many to redo all the work again.

The standard size of the joints is mainly 3 mm, based on this, it is necessary to purchase crosses for tiles right size. Professionals in their field usually install either 8 crosses per tile, 2 on each side, or 4 closer to the center of the intersection of the tiles. Both methods are widely used when laying tiles on the wall.

The choice of crosses for tiles

Before choosing crosses for laying tiles, you need to familiarize yourself with their main characteristics and types. Crosses are also selected based on the size of the tile - the most long side tiles (in mm), you need to divide by 100, and in this way you can get the width of the seam and, accordingly, you can purchase crosses of the desired width.

And further:

The dimensions of these products intended for laying tiles can vary in width from 2–3 mm to 10 mm.
Crosses are made of plastic, and they are sold in packages at any hardware store.
Usually in each package there are from 50 pcs. up to 500 pcs., medium package, provided the dimensions of the tiles are 300x300 mm, enough for 8 m2.

Hollow plastic crosses for tiles perfectly fix the same width of the seams

Crosses are solid and hollow, most craftsmen prefer to use hollow crosses, as they fit into the seams as evenly as possible, and at the same time the solution is not squeezed out, unlike solid ones. Crosses can also be traditional cruciform, or they can be T-shape, they are usually used for laying the top, bottom and side rows of tiles. With a stretch, systems for leveling tiles can be attributed to crosses, but such a system is not used so often, and is intended mainly for laying floor tiles. large sizes. Sometimes such a system is used by beginners for laying wall tiles.

Before using the crosses, you should check a few pieces for a break, if the crosses break easily, then it is better not to use them, since then it will be difficult to remove them from the tile joints.

It is better to use more reliable types of crosses, albeit more expensive ones. If domestically produced tiles are being laid, the joint width should be made a little larger, since domestically produced tiles, even from one batch, may have different sizes.

What crosses are needed for laying tiles on the floor

Before choosing crosses for tiles, you must first level the floor, for this it is possible to use self-leveling mixtures (self-leveling). When the surface is prepared, you can proceed with the installation of tiles or porcelain tiles on the floor.

Mounting:

An adhesive or cement composition is applied to the prepared surface;
Tiles are laid on it;
Lightly tapped with a wooden or rubber mallet;
After laying the second tile, a cross is installed so that the seam between the tiles is even.

3D crosses do their job perfectly, as they align the tiles not only in length and width, but also evenly press them, do not allow them to sag during the drying of the glue

If porcelain stoneware is mounted on the floor, then it is best to install crosses between the plates, 2 on each side. At the same time, their consumption is 8 crosses per slab, in order to save costs, some craftsmen reuse crosses. But still, it is better to put new ones for more quality styling tiles. Each master tiler tries to choose those crosses that are most convenient to use in work and at the same time, which have good quality and relatively low price.

When using them, the seams are smooth, and the plastic does not damage the tiles during the work.

The crosses serve not only to lay the tiles evenly, but also to create seams that are subsequently rubbed. If there are no seams, then in this case moisture can penetrate between the tightly laid tiles and, as a result, after a while, its destruction, swelling and swelling will begin. So, it would seem that the quality of the entire installation depends on such an insignificant detail as a tile cross. The crosses are usually removed 2-3 days after laying, if the cross cannot be removed in any way, it is necessary to cut it and take it out in parts.

How to choose crosses for tiles (video)

What crosses are needed, and how to pick them up, each person can find out by reading the material written above. And how to put them correctly, will also tell given material, which will be of interest primarily to beginners.

Advantages of using crosses:

coatings are formed that are beautiful, even and have an aesthetic appearance;

there will be no unevenness and coating problems when correct location each element;

in the obtained seams, a special grout is used, which ensures high resistance of the coating to moisture and pollution;

if the seams are perfectly even, then under different influences on the tile there will be no deformation of the coating.

If you do not use crosses during operation, then the tile may swell during operation, and the ceramic products themselves will not have long term service, since the tile saturated with moisture will easily move away from the surface. It is almost impossible to achieve a perfectly even laying of tiles on any surface without the use of crosses, so there will certainly be an uneven coating that has numerous disadvantages. It is impossible to make a floor heating system under a coating in which there are no seams.

The right choice of crosses

During the selection of these elements, certain recommendations should be used to guarantee a high-quality work result. These include:

you should not focus on the cheapest items, as they can easily break or deform during the tiling process, and at the same time it will be difficult to pull them out of the already created coating, which will create some discomfort and problems;

during the selection, you should pay attention to the width of the elements, since it should ideally fit the tile chosen for laying;

it is not recommended to use too large crosses during work, since the resulting significant seams will be difficult to grout, and the consumption of this material will also increase, and at the same time, dirt will quickly clog into large seams;

if it is impossible to find crosses of the optimal and suitable size for the selected tile in the store, then they can be replaced with properly made pieces of drywall.

Also, there are completely different types of devices for leveling the tile seam, which differ from traditional crosses, one of them is shown in the photo below:

It is important not only to choose the right given element but also to use it correctly. There are several methods for applying crosses that are used by various specialists. The fact is that some professionals use them on all cross sections of coverage, while others use them very rarely.

When using tiles, the following recommendations should be considered:

if a non-professional does the work, then it is best to place crosses in each corner between the tiles;

It is considered optimal to use crosses in in large numbers on the floor in the event that not too expensive tiles are purchased, since they usually do not have perfect evenness;

the use of crosses does not provide one hundred percent perfect result and flawless evenness, since there may still be transitions, but they will not exceed 1 mm.

It is important to know not only how to use the crosses, but also how to remove them from the formed coating. Usually they are eliminated on the second day after the work performed. They should be removed carefully, for which another cross or knife is used. When wall covering removal of crosses occurs immediately on the day of the work.

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