Wall Tile Lippage Tolerance

A 2 mm wide grout joint is too narrow to adequately fill the full depth of the grout joint for maximum support of the tile edge which can result in grout later coming loose.

Wall tile lippage tolerance.

For ceramic tiles which includes porcelain tiles they are allowed to have 1 mm of lippage plus the actual warpage in the tile which is normally about 1 mm for grout joint widths between 2 to 7 mm. This condition is inherent in all installation methods and may also be unavoidable due to tile tolerances in accordance with ansi a137 1. Some manufacturers will say the grout joint can be as narrow as 2 mm 1 16 in but this author never recommends less than 4 mm 1 8 in. To address this on a practical basis some manufacturers recommend against any patterns with offsets in excess of 33 if the tile being used has an edge larger than 18 inches.

If you re tiling over an uneven section of wall the corners of the tiles may stick out slightly from the rest of the tiles. For natural stone the standards say that the tile lippage should not be more than 1 mm for grout joints that are between 2 mm to 7 mm wide. Ansi a108 02 2013 section 4 3 7 lippage states that a ceramic tile porcelain is a type of ceramic tile grout joint that is less than 1 4 in width cannot have any more lippage than 1 32 plus the actual warpage in the tile. Today many mass produced tiles have exceedingly little warpage.

When thin bed epoxy mortars are used the variation can be no more than 1 16 in 36 with no abrupt irregularities greater than 1 32 2011 tcna handbook. If there is no warpage the lippage should not exceed the value in the table. When considering large tiles and offsets greater than 33 consumers are encouraged to consult with manufacturers for specific recommendations. The tile council of north america tcna states lippage is a condition where one edge of a tile is higher than an adjacent tile giving the finished surface an uneven appearance.

In the days before isostatic presses warpage was more common. For large format tiles with one edge greater than 15 and for natural stone tiles the maximum allowable substrate variation can be no more the 1 8 in 10 and 1 16 in 24. Tile type glazed wall mosaics quarry paver paver tile size 1 x1 to 6 x6 6 x6 to 8 x8 all all joint width 1 8 or less 1 4 or greater 1 8 to 1 4 1 4 or greater allowable lippage 1 32 1 16 1 32 1 16 other leveling material to ensure proper lippage in the final installation.