Hi. Is it a long tile? If so ….Personally, I agree with you. Maybe it is a bit more work for him to do it your way.

tile from a center point out to create an even floor pattern... no one wants a sliver of tile anywhere.

Starting at the wall sounds like a simple (Lazy) way to start. Have you used this professional before? checked/seen references?

Your way is the right way, put your foot down.

The tile 12x24. Travertine with tan streaks running horizontally. So the streaks are 24 inches across.

This is the tile.

Listen to Beth. She’s the tile guru. 😉

okay but the tile is 12 x 24

@beth
I already purchased all the tile. The kitchen area is really long.

We ran our tile the way you are considering in quite a few rooms. They don’t meet up with other flooring, but do meet with walls and thresholds. It would be worth a conversation with the installer ( with pictures of how you see the tiles lining up with these areas and each other… as well as the walls they are perpendicular to.. how much of the tiles are left for those areas). here’s a pic of ours ( ignore dirt and color choice… if I could go back in time, I’d choose another color🙃… it looks even stranger in pictures!)

Another pic of another area… longer tile though…

Are you planning to straighten the island? This is the best time to do it.

Tara, this is what you want?

it's going to look similar to this once it's down. this is a 1/3 offset layout, common w/this size tile. I think it looks busy. (see below for another alternative)

They used Bone as the grout color. I'd like something like either of these Mapei colors. Bone is a bit too light.

do me a favor. since you have the tile, unpack a few and do a dry layout next to this dark flooring. remove all unnecessary items from the floor before taking a picture.

lets see how it looks.

Now, lay it in the opposing direction. take another pic.

come back and post both

Personally I think the tile is too similar to the wood look flooring. (as far as veining)

Why are you switching out the kitchen tile? what you've purchased looks almost ideantical to what is down there now. I like the square shape better.

since you have the 12x24, have you considered laying them in a stack pattern?

I think this would be a good solution.

this is a 12x24 in a running bond layout, 50/50 offset.

You will have to see if this is allowable w/your tile. most of these require no more than a 1/3 offset. look at the specs recommendation offset for you tile.

It's running the same way as the wood floor, but this wood floor is a diff size, natural wood, and has an obvious transtion border. Personally, I don't like this tile w/the wood, but it's small enough so it isn't overpowering.

based on your pic, I think you're going to see more of the two floorings next to each other.

(need a larger, overall picture)

when you do a dry layout, do a picture w/this layout as well. youre going to need more than a few tiles before snapping a picture

when you have too completely diff colors/materials and movement, you really don't want them to try and blend together. laying them the same as what's there is going to look odd, IMO.

But take out a bunch of tiles and dry lay them. lets see it

🥺 it’s already started. I like it though.

I like the grout color you chose. It also looks like the ground lines are way smaller. I wanted something smaller but I thought it had to be at least 3mm. I don’t want to harp on it now since it’s already done. Right know I need to think about a grout color. The cabinets are white dove as well as the walls.

small grout lines are a 'Good Thing'!

Yes I agree but I had already picked 3mm spacers. I thought with the size tile that I have I couldn’t choose anything smaller.

the manufacturer of the tile will always tell you what grout size spacer you should use. You shouldn't just pick one "because' . lol

I looked up the specs for your tile and the manufacturer is saying 3/16" for the grout size

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Glendale-Ivory-Matte-12-in-x-24-in-Glazed-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-15-6-sq-ft-Case-GD011224HD1P6/313783852

It also says:

Overlap during installation should not exceed 33%, 50% overlap not recommended.

You are doing a 50% with your layout. It is not recommended. why? keep reading.

why did you do a 50/50 offset? with that size tile, you may get cupping or lippage.

you should be able to slide a coin across the surface of this tile without it coming into contact w/any part of the tile that protrudes upward. Maybe it's just the photo, but these tiles don't look perfectly flat of level. do you have a 6' level? you could place it on the tile and check for yourself.

If you take two free tiles and place them face to face, or back to back, are they perfectly level and flat against one another? (can you see light between any gap in the center) If not level, you're going to have lippage issues. That's why the 1/3rd offset is recommended.

As for grout, look at Mapei Warm Gray

who is doing the tiling? (make sure all of the grouting is done on the same day)

what is that substrate beneath that tile?

Curious why you asked for advice, but then went ahead with what you wanted to do anyway? just curious.

Well I asked for advice in the morning but it took a while to get feedback and the guy came eventually and started working. We’ll just have to see how it goes at this point. Yes he had a level and was checking along the way. I’ll be checking some more this evening too because I can’t help myself.

I’ll be sure to check out warm gray for grout color. Initially I did want something light.

Thanks so much for your help. Any suggestions in a curtain and rod color? I don’t want the do those shades that I have there now at the patio.

didn't the tile guy laying it read the specs about NOT doing 50/50 offset?

Doesn’t seem so. I was at work. I wish the spec sheet came with the tiles but I didn’t see it on the box either.

tara, any tile installer worth his salt knows that anything longer than 12" usually requires an offset less than 50%. It's because w/those types of tiles they tend to bow in the middle during the firing phase in the kiln. they do the smaller offsets so that this isn't as visible or noticable in the pattern layout.

That's why I asked you to place your two tiles back to back to see how they straight/flat they are. Perhaps you got lucky and got super flat tiles. I don't know.

The tile guy will usually go over this w/customers and ask them how they want the layout.

Slide a quarter across the floor. does it get hung up on any tile edges?