Tile Levelling Systems: A Guide

Most systems use clips and wedges, or clips and caps. A clip sits under the edges of neighbouring tiles as they're laid; a wedge or cap is then pushed or turned against the clip, pulling the tile edges level with each other. Once the adhesive has set, the top of each clip is snapped off and the base stays hidden beneath the grout line.

Large tiles are rarely perfectly flat, and many have a slight bow from manufacturing. On a big tile, even a small bow shows as lipping, where one tile edge sits higher than the next. Lips catch the light, collect dirt and can be a trip edge on floors. A levelling system holds the edges flush while the adhesive cures.

We use tile levelling systems to keep edges flush across large slabs, giving that seamless, high-end look with minimal lip between tiles.

A levelling system aligns tile edges with each other; it doesn't make the floor or wall flat. If the surface dips or bows, the tiles follow it, and the clips can pull edges level while leaving hollow spots underneath. Big tiles need flat surfaces, so walls and floors are checked with a straight edge and corrected first, and every tile is fully bedded.

Levelling systems are used on both walls and floors. On walls they also help hold tiles in position while the adhesive grabs. The large-format walls photo in our gallery shows a levelling system in use.

They're most useful with large tiles and long rectangular tiles, especially in offset layouts where a bow is most visible. With small tiles and mosaics, lipping is rarely an issue and a levelling system usually isn't needed. Long plank-style tiles are often laid with a smaller offset as well as clips, to reduce lipping further.

Once the adhesive has set, following the manufacturer's instructions, the clip tops are knocked off along the line of the joint, usually with a rubber mallet or a firm kick in the direction of the grout line. The joints are then cleaned out and grouted as normal.

Large tiles in a small bathroom make accurate levelling even more important, because there's nowhere to hide a lip in a small space. The guide on large tiles in small bathrooms covers sizes and setting out.