Flat, Level, Plumb, Square—-some of the most important terms in all of tile.
Flat: There are no deviations in the wall. No valleys or hills. We put a straight edge against the wall…no rocking, no space between the wall and the straight edge. This means we can take a gauged trowel, spread thin set and the back of the tile will have complete thin set coverage.
Complete thin set coverage is a NECESSITY because when you lack thin set coverage…this is a place where MOLD and BACTERIA thrive in your shower. Lack of coverage is a place for NASTINESS to live!
A perfect plane for tile to be applied.
Having a FLAT wall or floor is the MOST important part of tile work.
Level: Curbs, pony walls, niches. Take a level and put it down, the bubble is perfectly between the lines. Set your tile on the wall, rest a level on the tile…the bubble is right in the middle of the lines. That means it’s PERFECTLY LEVEL.
Square: Perpendicular surfaces are a perfect 90 degrees.
Plumb: This means a wall is straight up and down. Perfectly vertical.
These are the factors that help us achieve PERFECT tile work. When all of these criteria are met, setting tile is FUN.
If you’re tile wall isn’t FLAT, you’ll see it when you set the tile. Excessive lips, the tile will look wavy and unsightly.
If your ceilings or shower pan isn’t level—your top tile near the ceiling will look slanted and if your shower pan isn’t level, your shower won’t drain properly.
When your walls aren’t plumb, the tiles in the corner of your shower will get bigger (or smaller) and your tile walls will look funky.
If walls aren’t square, your tile will look out of whack!
Perfect tile work starts with the prep. Proper framing is a vital part of great tile when installers are using modern methods. I want you to be informed that tile work is much more than showing up and setting tile. At some point in the process, SOMEONE, has to care about these details.
It’s important to mention that CARPENTER level is not TILER level.
Carpenter FLAT is not TILER flat.
Carpenter SQUARE is not TILER square.
Carpenter PLUMB is not TILER plumb.
Carpenters do not understand a tilers’ expectations and requirements.
My experience has shown that even THE BEST carpenter has no idea what the tiler needs for perfect tile work.
It’s best to have a skilled tiler prep ANY space that a tile will be set!
Flat, Level, Square, Plumb- Needs to be on the edge of your installers LIPS. If not, your beautiful tile work is in peril. The conscious tiler cares about flat, level, square, plumb——in that order, before any tile is set.
Before any tile is set— flat, level, square, plumb is mapped out.
If you learn anything from this article…
FLAT, LEVEL, SQUARE, PLUMB —will determine the overall finish of your next tile project.
🙏👍Keep this in mind! 🙏👍