There are two basic ways to determine which size of trowel to use.
Wall tile sizes in inches.
A finished installation requires a minimum of 3 32 beneath the finished installation aiming for a 1 8 minimum makes it easier to calculate the proper tile trowel size.
30 90 is a rectangular size that constitutes an alternative to the traditional square sizes of ceramic tiles.
The smallest size found is usually 4 inches wide by 24 inches long though widths can go as high as 12 inches.
This size can be laid in lines or staggered combined in a modular way with the 90 90 size or used for walls.
Square sizes same width and length are the most popular accessible and easiest to install.
This long narrow tile is meant to mimic natural wood plank flooring.
Size tile size can range anywhere from smaller mosaics that are 3 8 to 24 48 slab tiles and everything in between.
This may also be a good trowel size for thicker 5 16 mosaics.
Finished grout lines will vary from 1 16 to 3 16.
1 4 x 3 8 square notch.
While plank tile flooring is intended only for floors it is sometimes creatively used for accent walls wainscot and backsplashes.
This gives you a variety of possibilities when laying tile for your bathroom flooring walls and shower and bathtub surrounds.
If you want a standard look tile installers recommend grout lines of 1 16 inch for walls and 1 8 inch for floors.
Small tiles such as the 4 inch by 4 inch style commonly used on bathroom and kitchen walls often are self spacing.
If smaller spacers like 1 8 are used it will accentuate the size difference of handmade tile.
Even with some patterned tile such as marble you can still accomplish this feeling if the pattern runs horizontally.
Use this for 8 8 s and some of the 5 16 thick 12 12 builder grade tile.
A great trowel for installing small ceramic tile such as 4 25 x 4 25 6 6 and 3 6 subway tile is this 1 4 inch square notch trowel.
Large format tiles greater than 12 inches placed horizontally on walls tend to make a space feel bigger because there are fewer lines to break up the surface visually.
Calculating the warpage cupping of the tile and substrate or visual inspection.
But this does not mean that you can use all tile sizes for all applications.
For regular format tiles between 12 by 12 and 16 by 16 inches you can stay with those measurements or go up to 3 16 depending on the tile and the look you want.
Note that using the smallest grout possible will increase installation time.
They have small protrusions called lugs that fit against adjoining tiles and create an automatic space for grout normally 1 32 to 1 16 inch wide.