Sub floor required for kitchen tiles
Sub floor required for kitchen tiles
Author
Discussion

PistonReg

Original Poster:

339 posts

215 months

Tuesday 24th November 2009
quotequote all
The kitchen floor's currently 120 year old floorboards which have never been sanded or indeed touched, so an interesting range of shapes!

I'd be happy to lay 18mm ply, but don't want too big a ridge where I meet the next room (which is carpetted) and am considering one of the various "tile onto wood" adhesives that are out there. Has anyone tried these andgot an feedback on whether they're effective or just a gimmick?

Illustrious_Lou

97 posts

200 months

Tuesday 24th November 2009
quotequote all
Used it in my shower room. Most of the tiles are now cracked despite me making sure I put down an even coverage and the grout has all but gone between the tiles. Seems the adhesive is very sponge like and depresses as you stand on it hence the grout coming away and the tiles cracking. Will be riping it up soon and replacing it with Amtico - brilliant stuff unlike the tile adhesive.

Roy E6

1,025 posts

254 months

Tuesday 24th November 2009
quotequote all
If taking up the floorboards and replacing with T+G chip board flooring is not an option, I would Screw down the existing floor boards. Then I would lay 5mm ply and screw that down to give you a flat surface. Now your good to go ahead and tile the floor, using a flexible adhesive suitable for timber floors. Hope this helps. Roy.

ACEparts_com

3,724 posts

263 months

Tuesday 24th November 2009
quotequote all
Illustrious_Lou said:
Used it in my shower room. Most of the tiles are now cracked despite me making sure I put down an even coverage and the grout has all but gone between the tiles. Seems the adhesive is very sponge like and depresses as you stand on it hence the grout coming away and the tiles cracking. Will be riping it up soon and replacing it with Amtico - brilliant stuff unlike the tile adhesive.
This is exactly what my builder said would happen and despite my insistance that we have natural tiles we're having amtico smile

Illustrious_Lou

97 posts

200 months

Wednesday 25th November 2009
quotequote all
ACEparts_com said:
Illustrious_Lou said:
Used it in my shower room. Most of the tiles are now cracked despite me making sure I put down an even coverage and the grout has all but gone between the tiles. Seems the adhesive is very sponge like and depresses as you stand on it hence the grout coming away and the tiles cracking. Will be riping it up soon and replacing it with Amtico - brilliant stuff unlike the tile adhesive.
This is exactly what my builder said would happen and despite my insistance that we have natural tiles we're having amtico smile
I put Amtico down in my Kitchen/Dining room 5 years ago and it still looks like new. I've got the Burnt Oak I think, it's a burnt something or other... Anyway people are convinced it is real wood and it is not until they touch it they realise it is not. It is so versatile and even thought it costs a bomb I think it is well worth it in the long run.

Bugger to cut though unless you gently warm it on the reverse hehe

Sarah_W

288 posts

202 months

Monday 7th December 2009
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What's Amtico?

robinhood21

30,989 posts

254 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
Sarah_W said:
What's Amtico?
A good quality vinyl floor covering. Clicky.

monthefish

20,467 posts

253 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
I've used Unibond tile-on-wood numerous times without any problems, although I've used it on chipboard flooring, rather than old & uneven floorboards, so perhpas that's why 'Lou' has had a problem.

rich0411

234 posts

202 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
I have the Amtico Spacia range of tiles in my kitchen they are still vinyl like normal Amtico but you grout it like normal tiles so it still has the desired look.

They are amazing so much better than tiles, they are warm, stuff doesnt break as easily when dropped and no chance the tiles will break if anything heavy is dropped on them!

I plan on doing my whole house in the stuff as money allows!

TVR1

5,478 posts

247 months

Wednesday 9th December 2009
quotequote all
Hiya all,

Just thought I'd stick in my tuppence. Whilst I'm back in the motor trade for a while whilst my shoulders get better from injuries this year, tile failure was something that I was specialising in. The unfortunate truth is that it doesn't matter how well the tiles are fixed or even if you use the correct adhesives for the job, if the sub floor hasn't been prepared correctly then sooner or later the tiles will fail. The enemies of tiles particularly on wooded floors are deflection, expansion and the lack of support. To give you an example of this problem, here is a job I completed just before accident.

Pic 1
Tiles have blown in various spots and some tiles have a crack running through them.

Pic 2
lifting the tiles and ply, it is clear that the joists weren't battened out to give support over the entire floor area and the perimeter of the room. Even worse the underfloor heating is sub floor hot water piped being totally unsuitable with the floor as it is. Also where the wooden floor meets the concrete slab, there is no expansion joint with tiles layed over the joint.

Pic 3
correct noggins put in with full perimeter support

Pic 4
Tiles fixed again using correct polymer modified adhesive for use on wooden floors and with under floor heating. You can't see the expansion joint between the wooden floor and the slab but it is between what is now the half tile where the previous tile has cracked. it isn't noticeable but guarantees the tiles won't pop again across two different substrates...and finally skirting back on, repainted and job done!

Any decent tiler would have done the same and from my point of view, there is no reason that the tiles shouldn't last a very long time. My tiling adventures are normally kept to a different forum but it really does bug me hearing about shoddy tiling work-it just isn't on and generally a failure of the guy who did it originally

AND.......Just for a balance...this is me in the R8 I was driving!....it is a motoring forum after all!

Ed

Ps...I will be back working in the new year when my shoulders are better smile



Edited by TVR1 on Wednesday 9th December 20:27

TVR1

5,478 posts

247 months

Wednesday 9th December 2009
quotequote all
Hiya Mods....uploaded the pics but they don't appear? what am i doing incorrectly?

cheers!

Ed

robinhood21

30,989 posts

254 months

Wednesday 9th December 2009
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
Hiya all,

Just thought I'd stick in my tuppence. Whilst I'm back in the motor trade for a while whilst my shoulders get better from injuries this year, tile failure was something that I was specialising in. The unfortunate truth is that it doesn't matter how well the tiles are fixed or even if you use the correct adhesives for the job, if the sub floor hasn't been prepared correctly then sooner or later the tiles will fail. The enemies of tiles particularly on wooded floors are deflection, expansion and the lack of support. To give you an example of this problem, here is a job I completed just before accident.

Pic 1
Tiles have blown in various spots and some tiles have a crack running through them.

Pic 2
lifting the tiles and ply, it is clear that the joists weren't battened out to give support over the entire floor area and the perimeter of the room. Even worse the underfloor heating is sub floor hot water piped being totally unsuitable with the floor as it is. Also where the wooden floor meets the concrete slab, there is no expansion joint with tiles layed over the joint.

Pic 3
correct noggins put in with full perimeter support

Pic 4
Tiles fixed again using correct polymer modified adhesive for use on wooden floors and with under floor heating. You can't see the expansion joint between the wooden floor and the slab but it is between what is now the half tile where the previous tile has cracked. it isn't noticeable but guarantees the tiles won't pop again across two different substrates...and finally skirting back on, repainted and job done!

Any decent tiler would have done the same and from my point of view, there is no reason that the tiles shouldn't last a very long time. My tiling adventures are normally kept to a different forum but it really does bug me hearing about shoddy tiling work-it just isn't on and generally a failure of the guy who did it originally

AND.......Just for a balance...this is me in the R8 I was driving!....it is a motoring forum after all!

Ed

Ps...I will be back working in the new year when my shoulders are better smile













Edited by TVR1 on Wednesday 9th December 20:27

sparkythecat

8,058 posts

277 months

Saturday 12th December 2009
quotequote all
Illustrious_Lou said:
I put Amtico down in my Kitchen/Dining room 5 years ago and it still looks like new. I've got the Burnt Oak I think, it's a burnt something or other... Anyway people are convinced it is real wood and it is not until they touch it they realise it is not. It is so versatile and even thought it costs a bomb I think it is well worth it in the long run.
hehe
That stuff looks nice.
When you 'a bomb', how much does it typically cost?