On May 28, 12:47 pm, Greg Esres wrote:
I want to lay brick-shaped (4x8) tile in a herringbone pattern. None
of my tiling or brick books show how to lay this out. I'm thinking
drawing diagonal layout lines spaced at what I calculate to be 6.2
inches along the wall, if my trig is correct.

Any suggestions on how to make this easier?

Thanks.

Tile work should be mathematically perfect. Tile work isn't. You
need some room to adjust the tile to compensate for irregularities -
whether in the tile, the room or your skills. There's no need to have
a layout line for every row of tile. That's just a waste of time.
Using plastic spacers or a couple of strips of wood the thickness of
the desired grout line will take care of the gross layout once you
have snapped your chalk lines (laser?). Space the layout grid lines
to reflect the amount of tile you'll be placing in one shot. If
you're comfortable laying a couple or three feet square at a time,
space the snapped lines to reflect that.

Assuming the herringbone is at 45 degrees to the room, layout the
first line by measuring out from a corner along both walls an equal
distance (verify that the corner is square first!), then snap that
line. The intersecting line is 90 degrees to the first, place that on
your next major axis and there's your grid. The herringbone pattern
repeats, and it's not necessary to have every edge hit the line.

You should definitely check out (as in library) Michael Bryne's book,
Setting Tile. Excellent book, good section on layout. The John
Bridge tile forums online are another excellent resource.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php?

R