Flooring Tile - Laying 16 x 16x Porcelain Tiles in Kitchen

Hey all,

I plan on laying 16"x16" porcelain tiles in the kitchen. I have a budget of between 2$ and 3$ a sq/ft, and I found a nice tile at home Depot, (glazed porcelain)

My plan was to rip up the old ceramic floor and install 1/4" hardibacker board and then using Fullflex to lay the tile.

Are those plans ok? I was concerned if it was Ok to use fullflex, b/c when I did my upstairs bathroom I used Natural stone and I used Fullflex.

I never laid porcelain tiles, so are there any gotchas with porcelain that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance
-jg

Be aware with tile that generally, you get what you pay for.

What is under the current tile now and what will be left after you rip out the current tile? Plywood etc, how thick?

You can use that thinset if you like. I generally would use a medium bed mortar for tile that size.

You'll want to make sure that the subfloor is flat before you get started. With tile that size, if the floor is not flat, lippage will be noticeable. Consider how you will address any dips or humps in the floor. If using cement board, any leveling must be done over the cement board, not under it.

Make sure that you set the cement board in a fresh bed of thinset and screw it to the subfloor according to the manufacturers instructions. You can install instructions off the website of whatever cement board you use.

You'll want to backbutter the tile, and use a larger notch trowel as well for tile this size. Start with 1/4"x3/8"x1/4" notch trowel and see if you are getting good coverage. You check the coverage by setting a tile and then pulling it up to observe the thinset pattern on the back of the tile. You may need to go to a 1/2" trowel.

Thanks for the quick reply..

Underneath the tile is most likely 1/4 - 1/2 ply and then 3/4" subfloor. When I gutted upstairs bathroom that is what I saw from the builder.

What size hardiboard should I lay down.

Also, any tips on leveling the 3x5' hardiboards?

Underneath the tile is most likely 1/4 - 1/2 ply and then 3/4" subfloor. When I gutted upstairs bathroom that is what I saw from the builder.

1/2" plywood underlayment is ok. If it's 1/4" plywood underlayment, then it has to go. 1/4" is not an acceptable underlayment as it tends to delaminate more easily.

What size hardiboard should I lay down.

Generally, 1/4" is for floors and is all thats needed. 1/2" is also acceptable on a floor however it'll do nothing to add strength to the floor.

Also, any tips on leveling the 3x5' hardiboards?

The floor doesnt necessarily need to be level, it just needs to be flat. That being said, any "leveling" should be done on top of the hardi, not under. This can be done with slc or cement based patching compound.

Johnny,


The floor doesnt necessarily need to be level, it just needs to be flat. That being said, any "leveling" should be done on top of the hardi, not under. This can be done with slc or cement based patching compound.


So, on top of the hardi is where I need to make the floor level? So, it doesn't matter if I lay the hardibacker board and if that isn't level...

Can I use Thinset to level the tiles by putting more underneath to level the floor or is that a bad idea?

I am not quite sure if the floor is totally uneven and I am hoping its almost level.

I am concerned b/c I need to make sure I lay the porcelain on a level surface.

Take a long straight edge and place it in various places and directions accross the floor. Is it pretty flat or not? Are there dips and high spots, how high, how low?

Can I use Thinset to level the tiles by putting more underneath to level the floor or is that a bad idea?

Maybe, depends on your answer to my question. Your best bet is to get the floor as flat as possible before you set tile.

Hardi gets set in a fresh bed of thinset, and then screwed with many screws to the subfloor. It will follow the contour of the subfloor, as to high and low spots. Any work needed to correct the flatness of the floor gets done on top of the hardi, if required.

Don't forget, if you have any 1/4" underlayment it has to go.

J-

I will be starting to rip up the floor this weekend and I am pretty sure there is 1/4" plywood that they originally layed the tile on and that will come up with the tile.

So, after I lay the hardi is when I need to level the floor.. Hopefully if I am lucky the floor will be close to level.

If not, I can lay the self leveler as suggested above correct?

Any tips on that?

Let us know the status of the floor, and we can tell you if any corrections are required and how to go about doing that.

Johhny,

Good news, I finally ripped up the tile floor, and 1/4" plywood and just got done putting down the 1/4" hardi with like 700 screws.. My hands are killing me..

The Good news is the floor is almost perfectly level. I don't think I will need any floor leveler, but I will just have to use the full-flex to ensure a perfect level floor..

Does that sound ok?