katieerin":67vf9662 said:
I'm looking into using slate tile in my beardie's viv, and I think I'm going to go with the un-grouted method so I can pull them out for easier cleaning. But I have lots of questions...
How tight of a fit do I need so there's not a chance of his toes getting caught? I mean it can't be too tight, or I won't be able to get them back out?
Will lowe's/home depot cut tile if I need it?
If my tank is 36x18, is that what I look for? (So like 6x6 tiles or 12x12)
I think that's all for now. Thanks!
Personally, I like the bigger (in this case, 12x12) option when it comes to tiles. You'll have less cracks with fewer tiles. Obviously you'll have to have some tiles cut. I do believe the hardware stores will do that. What I don't know is if you can take them home, fit them to determine where you want them cut, then bring them back to have them cut... which is what I'd want to do. You can always ask. Wet tile saws are actually pretty cheap, if you think you'll ever have a need- I had got one for $62 a few years back and it did a much better job than Lowes would've with the cutting of my tiles... maybe you even know someone who has one. but at any rate, yea, you'll need to get some cut. To minimize the cutting though, and keep the amount of cracks minimal, and make them easier to remove, consider what I did with my 8x16 porcelain tiles in my 48x24 viv...
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=185611&start=15
The inside floorspace of my viv is something less than 48x24 obviously......... so I first laid out the back row of three 8x16 tiles. Turns out I had to slice off a little less than an inch off the third tile to get it to fit into the width of the floor (you can see the slices of tile that I cut, three total, leaning against the viv stand at the bottom right of the pic below). Then I laid out the front row of three 8x16 tiles, again slicing off a bit of the third to get it to fit. Finally, I laid out the middle row of three, on top of the front and back row, so that there is about an inch of overlap on the front and back of each tile. And again, slicing that bit off the third in the row so that it fit flush to the width. So, no cracks all along the length of the floor, the only cracks are running front to back, the three lines where the tiles meet flush. Only 3 cuts required. Also, you can always get your fingers on an edge of a tile, so they are easy to pick up, no tool required. I don't know if I've explained myself very well, but hopefully you will see what I mean
