RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

Anyone had a go at this.
I currently have carpet in the bathroom & the better half has decided she would like a tiled floor.
Anyone done this - handy hints ?

Ro.

Jerome

First piece of advice - get a professional to do it.

Second bit:

Make sure the floor is flat. If it isn't, you can by this cement type stuff (sorry don't know what it's called) that will level off the floor.

Get hold of a proper tile cutter. The handheld things are useless.

As it's a floor, use proper floor tile grout that is dark grey. My gf insisted that I used white on my kitchen floor and it's not only cracked (it was wall tile grout) but shows up every bit of dirt and gets stained easily.

mj

jerome,

latex or epoxy screed.

Jerome

Cheers mj. That'd be the stuff!

chockymonster

Done it in both the kitchen and the bathroom.

Used Unibond concrete floor adhesive and grout.
Make sure the floor is level, small irregularities can be hidden with the adhesive, if it isn't level then use a self leveling compound!

Remember that once the tiles have gone down you cannot walk on them for 24 hours so you may want to do the room in sections, you also need to wait for another couple of days to put the grout down.

greyarea

I'm doing it at the moment, based on this experience I have to agree entirely with Jerome.

Unless you are much more talented than I am at DIY, a professional will do a much quicker and neater job.

You definitely need a proper tile cutter, I started with a cheap handheld one which was utterly useless.

I did use floor levelling compound (this cement type stuff) to give a good surface to tile on. I started with a screed floor so it was worth it.

Good luck

James

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

I am not great at DIY.....took me an hour to put up a bathroom cabinet last night (wrong drill bit)
Guess I might get someone to do it for me.
Anyone know a good floor tiler in the Woking, Surrey area ??

Ro.

P20SPD

iTrader: (1)

Is it an upstairs or downstairs bathroom. If downstairs then agree with above on surface levelling etc. Hire a bandsaw like tile cutter for the weekend, its dead easy.

If its an upstairs bathroom with floordoards then i suggest covering floor boards with a thin sheet of ply, helps get the surface level. Then apply the floor grout and tiles. Again dead easy, weekend and you should have it done with plenty of time left to have a few beers and a bbq.

Mo

Don't bother to hire a bandsaw. Buy a small diamond disc cutter or borrow one from someone, they're only £40. (Best thing I've purchase this year)

If it'sd upstairs,ie on floor boards that are not level use latex something_or_other (sorry can't remember what it's called) but it can be got from most decent bathroom shops, about £25/tub but does give you the flexibility with uneven floorboards. If it's a solid concrete floor then as stated above use the self levelling screed - although this should've been done at time of installation.

Boost II

iTrader: (1)

Out of interest, how much would a professional tiler charge to do a few square meters of bathroom floor?

mj

i rekon a day to tile, and a half day to return and grout.

if you live in london about £300.
elsewhere say 2-250

DavidLewis

I did my bathroom floor about 2 years ago.
Started with ****e floorboards, very uneven, so I covered them with marine ply (12mm I think), screwed down at 20cm intervals to make it level. Ask you local timberyard if they've got damaged sheets or offcuts as its not cheap. Then I covered the floor with a Unibond type of stuff. Got it from Topps Tiles for about £25. Like Jerome said, get a decent tile cutter (diamond ones are great) and use the correct grout. I went over the top (marine ply AND waterproofer) and made sure it was screwed down, but it hasn't cracked nor 'leaked' and our kids turn the bathroom into a swimming pool sometimes.
Give it a go, you'll be proud when you do a good job.

Luke

David(lewis)
You did the best job so far in this thread. (Edited as I had not read the reply correctly>&gt

BUT BEFORE YOU GUYS GET CARRIED AWAY... Remember that the floor will stay down.. So check all the plubing/electrics etc underneath first. THis is the biggest mistake I see in the trade.

[Edited by Luke - 8/18/2002 9:23:04 PM]

DavidLewis

Mmmmmm......I'd need a Kango to get my floor up

RB5#295

Doing mine when the tiles come in. I'd understood that 1/2 inch ply screwed at 8 - 12 inch spacing was the way to go, so 12mm is about right for you metric bods.

I'm going for mosaic tiles (we'll I've been told that we are...) which should nicely get around the cutting problem.

Fen

mattstant

take the David Lewis route
Our proffessional tiler hates it when we have a customer requesting a first floor bathroom to be tiled as he knows it will always be trouble.
the different materials moving at different rates exacerbated by hot humid conditions equals disaster.
The marine ply should help alot plus there are quite a few specialised fixing compounds about ask youre local tile shop.

Moles Dad

Dont forget 'flexible' tile adhesive AND grout, as stated tiles and timber have different expansion and contraction rates.

ps, it is basically a latex adative.

Boost II

iTrader: (1)

Chaps - I live in a newly built house with large chipboard sections instead of wooden plank floor boards upstairs. If I bounce my not unconsiderable weight in the bathroom there is no flexing or creaking of the floor so it seems fairly stable.

Can I tile stright over the top of this or does it still require the layer of plywood (which is what one place has suggested but I can't entirely see the point)

Also do you just butt right up to the skirting boards or do you need any kind of expansion gap like laminate flooring?

Cheers



[Edited by Boost II - 8/19/2002 3:15:33 AM]

mattstant

Its not the physical movement of the floor per se.but more the differential movement of the two materials especially in light of the fact that the chipboard floors you have will swell considerably if they get a soaking.
Marine ply has a very high resistance too moisture and will not expand as much so it creates a much better base for the tiles and allows for the movement of the floor below it.

Matt

starship impreza

iTrader: (1)

Right thought id give my 2 peneth worth
You can lay tiles straight onto floor boards or chip board flooring
provided it s securly fixed you then prime it and use an adhesive such as vitriflex or bal fast-flex,you then add an improver to the grout to make it flexible, layed more tiles on wooden floors than i care to remember
Gary

jeffjim

Sorry i didn't ...My bathroom is made up of white Ceramic Tiles....and the combination with black tiles....my bathroom is like a heaven...

Will

Nice plug there

BOB.T