She left me her house: Adventures in DIY and WTF'ery.

socketwrencher · # ¿ Nov 3, 2016 17:47

MikeyTsi posted:

so we're going to install vapor barrier and the base wood for the tile on the 19th.

Don't forget to take into account the height of the concrete board (1/4" or 1/2") that'll be on top of the plywood base and the mortar base (1/4" or so) under the tile . Plus another 1/8" or so for the mortar between the concrete board and plywood base.

MikeyTsi posted:

My main concern is getting the floor properly flat before laying the tile.

I've actually considered going with the "wood look" tile, I think that might blend well with the rest of the flooring. Does anyone have any experience with that and whether or not that looks like poo poo?

The flatter the floor the better of course but as you set the tiles in the mortar you'll have some wiggle room to level them.

Tile work, even small jobs, are more arduous than you might expect, at least for me. It can be surprisingly difficult to keep the tiles level and level with each other on all edges as you're, for example, scooping out mortar that's oozing out between the tiles and wiping the excess off the top of the tiles. If the tiles are even slightly off with each other, it'll really be noticeable when you start grouting and you'll end up with the crap you see in the bathrooms at Home Depot

I've seen tile with the wood look, and it looked fine, though it kind of strikes me as a trendy thing that might get old sooner rather than later. I think it looks better in kitchens than bathrooms, but maybe that's just because I'm used to seeing wood flooring in kitchens and not in bathrooms and I can't think outside the box.

A good tiling resource: http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/

socketwrencher fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Nov 3, 2016

Adbot · # ¿ May 4, 2024 05:34

socketwrencher · # ¿ Nov 5, 2016 21:46

MikeyTsi posted:

Is it standard to be able to mate tiling to oak flooring without a step? Cause that's what I'm trying to do here, and it looks like I might have 7/8" to work with?

Assuming your subfloor is solid, seems like you're spot-on as 1/4" concrete board + 1/8" mortar under concrete board + 1/4" mortar under tile + 1/4" tile = 7/8". If you're slightly off, there are transition pieces that'll bridge the uneveness.

socketwrencher · # ¿ Nov 13, 2016 10:37

MikeyTsi posted:

5/8" seems really thick for tile.

I guess at this point I just need to know what I need to put on top of what's presently there, and how thick it needs to be. It would also be helpful to be something I can walk on until I can get to the point of putting the rest of the work in to it.

I think it's vapor barrier, 3/8" or 1/2" plywood, unmodified thinset mortar, 1/4" concrete board, Flexbond mortar (Custom Products at HD), tile. The plywood is generally screwed into the existing boards (subfloor), not the joists. When you screw the concrete board into the plywood, use the appropriate screws (Hardibacker, Rock On, etc) and try to stay off it for 24 hours to let the mortar dry.

socketwrencher fucked around with this message at 10:44 on Nov 13, 2016

socketwrencher · # ¿ Nov 14, 2016 01:42

MikeyTsi posted:

I guess my concern there is even if I go with 3/8" plywood, that only gives me 1/4" for two layers of mortar and tile. That doesn't seem like enough space for everything?

Small height differences can be bridged with something like this:

http://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Profiles/For-Floors/Sloped-Transitions/Schluter%C2%AE-RENO-U/p/RENO_U

After a very short time you won't even notice it anymore.

socketwrencher · # ¿ Nov 20, 2016 20:13

MikeyTsi posted:

gently caress this subfloor, let's put something on top of it.

Got everything cleaned up (including removing the last of the vapor barrier):

And started laying the new vapor barrier:

Looking good. If you haven't already, mark the location of the joists on the wall or cabinet toekicks (using blue tape or whatever) before the vapor barrier has the floor completely covered, it might come in handy.