Estimating the length of tile finishing strip required
Tile Finishing Strip is required along the edges where the tiling finishes on the wall and where horizontaltiles meet vertical tiles (as around the window recess).
The strip is only necessary where Plain or Spacer Field tiles are used.
Tile Finishing Strip is available in various lengths, typically from 1.8 to 3 metres, generally a given style is only found in one particular length.
To decide how many lengths are required is not just a case of adding up the lengths of all the tile edges and dividing this by the available length; joining strips along a run should be avoided as it is hard to get a complete match at the joint so some off-cuts will not be usable.
By working out what sections to cut from each length will avoid having to use more strips than necessary and avoid wastage
Having measured the length of the individual strip runs required, it is necessary to work out how these can be cut from 3 metre lengths.
In this example, the lengths of individual runs are 53, 25, 90, 25, 35, 168, and 81 cm.- giving a total of 4.77 metres - (to be honest, as the margin if using two 3 metre lengths is over 1 metre, there's probable not much benefit in progressing as there are a number of short runs which could be easily worked in.)
When the trim required for all walls have been determined, start with the longest run, (1.68m) and keep adding the next longest run until you exceed 3 metres, at which point you put that piece aside and try the next longest run. When the first 3 metre length is "full", go back and start the next 3 metre length using the longest 'unallocated' run.
Example:
| runs allocated (m) | Total length (m) | remaining runs not allocated |
|---|---|---|
| 1.68 | 1.68 | 0.90, 0.81, 0.53, 0.35, 0.25, 025 |
| 1.68, 0.90 | 2.58 | 0.81, 0.53, 0.35, 0.25, 025 |
| 1.68, 0.90, 0.81 | 3.39 | This exceeds 3 metre, so try the 0.53 run instead |
| 1.68, 0.90, 0.53 | 3.09 | Again this exceeds 3 metre, so try the 0.35 run instead |
| 1.68, 0.90, 0.35 | 2.93 | This is the first 3 metre strip 'allocated' leaving: 0.81, 0.53, 0.25, 025 |
| 0.81 | 0.81 | 0.53, 0.25, 025 |
| 0.81, 0.53 | 1.34 | 0.25, 025 |
| 0.81, 0.53, 0.25 | 1.59 | 025 |
| 0.81, 0.53, 0.25, 025 | 1.84 | This then makes up the lengths required from a second strip. |
As suggested above, two 3 metre lengths of Finishing Strip are required, however it is always wise to carry out this exercise and to use the resulting allocation as a cutting chart when cutting the strips for the tiling. This will ensure efficient use of material and reduce wastage.
As an illustration, if 4 lengths of trim 1.5m, 1.6 m, 1.7m and 1.8 metres were required, the total length would be 6.6m which suggests that 3 lengths of 3m would be more than enough. However no two of these lengths could be cut from a 3 metre length so in fact 4 lengths of 3 metre would be required to avoid joints.