Flooring Tile - Want to make sure I get this right...
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cmgiii
10-05-06, 02:07 PM
Greetings! I've read a bunch of posts on here and while it has been helpful it has raised a couple of questions and could use feedback from other than HD! My previous tile experience (with input from this site) is a basement bathroom floor using the terra cotta type tiles (I forget the specific name) on a cement floor...three years later it still looks good and everything is holding. :)
The plan is to tile the bathroom floor with sheets of hex mosaic and do a wainscot with 3x6 tiles on the walls. The room is approximately 10x8. There is a claw foot tub, so no built in shower to deal with, etc. Recently I also decided that using the Warmtiles product on the floor would be a nice addition...Minnesota. Electrical is already roughed in, etc.
At this point the subfloor is 5/8" tongue and groove plywood, but based on this forum I plan to add 1/2" plywood before using thinset and screws to add 1/4" of cement/denshield/etc. The difference between the current subfloor and the hallway flooring is about 7/8", so this combination should get me close to a level transition.
After attaching the heating cable and sensor, the Warmtiles instructions call for applying a "scratch coat of cement-based mortar uniformly over the entire area...self-leveling cement-based mortar compounds may be most apppropriate for this procedure..." Once the scratch coat is down and dry you're supposed to "set tile in the usual manner."
Questions
1. Should I tile the floor or walls first? I thought the walls should be done first, but another thread suggested the floor should be done first. The process I planned to use is do the walls first leaving out the bottom row, then tile the floors and install the bottom row of wall tile, then caulk that joint with a matching color caulk to the grout. Recommendations? Does the Warmtiles installation change the process?
2. Any brand recommendations for the scratch coat? These threads seem to suggest that self-leveling compounds are a mess to work with unless you really need them? When I looked at "cement based mortar" in the tile section of the local big box home improvement store the prices ranged from about $10-$35 for the same size bag (different weights, additives, etc.)
3. Tape the cement board when I apply the scratch coat?
4. Should I use the same cement based mortar to set the tile, or use a thinset on top of the scratch coat?
5. The walls are plaster, repaired in a couple of places with a coat of the cement-like setting compound (Durabond) and skim coated with Easy Sand. What would you suggest using to tile the walls...thinset (my plan), cement based mortar, adhesive, something else?
6. Anything else I should be thinking about before I dig in?
Thanks in advance for any help/input you can provide!
The plan is to tile the bathroom floor with sheets of hex mosaic and do a wainscot with 3x6 tiles on the walls. The room is approximately 10x8. There is a claw foot tub, so no built in shower to deal with, etc. Recently I also decided that using the Warmtiles product on the floor would be a nice addition...Minnesota. Electrical is already roughed in, etc.
At this point the subfloor is 5/8" tongue and groove plywood, but based on this forum I plan to add 1/2" plywood before using thinset and screws to add 1/4" of cement/denshield/etc. The difference between the current subfloor and the hallway flooring is about 7/8", so this combination should get me close to a level transition.
After attaching the heating cable and sensor, the Warmtiles instructions call for applying a "scratch coat of cement-based mortar uniformly over the entire area...self-leveling cement-based mortar compounds may be most apppropriate for this procedure..." Once the scratch coat is down and dry you're supposed to "set tile in the usual manner."
Questions
1. Should I tile the floor or walls first? I thought the walls should be done first, but another thread suggested the floor should be done first. The process I planned to use is do the walls first leaving out the bottom row, then tile the floors and install the bottom row of wall tile, then caulk that joint with a matching color caulk to the grout. Recommendations? Does the Warmtiles installation change the process?
2. Any brand recommendations for the scratch coat? These threads seem to suggest that self-leveling compounds are a mess to work with unless you really need them? When I looked at "cement based mortar" in the tile section of the local big box home improvement store the prices ranged from about $10-$35 for the same size bag (different weights, additives, etc.)
3. Tape the cement board when I apply the scratch coat?
4. Should I use the same cement based mortar to set the tile, or use a thinset on top of the scratch coat?
5. The walls are plaster, repaired in a couple of places with a coat of the cement-like setting compound (Durabond) and skim coated with Easy Sand. What would you suggest using to tile the walls...thinset (my plan), cement based mortar, adhesive, something else?
6. Anything else I should be thinking about before I dig in?
Thanks in advance for any help/input you can provide!