Laying Large Format Porcelain Tiles
There are specific instructions for laying large format tiles to avoid lippage.
Lippage refers to an uneven surface of a floor that occurs when stone or tiles are not laid to a uniform level. In other words, the tiles do not form a flat surface. Tile warpage can be a cause of lippage.
Tile warpage is common in large format tiles, it results from the manufacturing process, and this should be expected with kiln fired products.
It is important that lippage does not become excessive.
For tiles with a length more than 600mm, the manufacturer recommends laying the tiles with a maximum offset of 33%.
Manufacturers try to produce perfectly flat tiles, but when that’s not possible, due to sizing, they opt to produce tiles that are slightly “domed.” While such curvature is usually minimal, any time the centre of one tile is beside the edge of another, there could be lippage.
Tiles are produced within and tested to a set of standards. Therefore, to avoid lippage, follow the laying diagram below.
