DIY Tips

[chris]

Hi, could do with some DIY tips please Got the bathroom project coming up, A lick of paint, a new wooden toilet seat and some new tiles on the walls. I'm also going to tile the floor which is currently cushion floor.

I'm going to rip the cushion floor up and lay the tiles onto the floorboards but here's the problem i want to put underfloor heating down am i OK laying something like this down directly on to the floorboards then tile over the top ? I'm just worried the floorboards are going to heat up and burst in to flames )(-red

Thanks from a DIY novice

 

[2cvbloke]

Well, I'm rubbish at DIY (think Tim Allen in Home Improvement ), so I'd be the last person to ask...

Either way, the advice I give is be careful...

 

[Topper]

Look whilst being an avid DIYer for most of my life perhaps I may be a bit out of touch now and I don't wish to be a pessiment nor negative but I do no think you can use that system with a joist/floorboard combination. Also you do not say what kind of tiles you are laying, carpet, bitumin cork or ceramic. If as I suspect it is ceramic then I am not aware that you can lay ceramic tiles on a wooden floor sucessfully without very special preparation. Wood is a natural substance which needs to breath and is continually moving, shrinking and absorbing different levels of moisture.

 

[chris]

Thanks for the tips :-thumb1

They are ceramic tiles and i'm sure its ok to lay them on wooden floors using modern tile adhesives. Or maybe the underfloor heating bursting into flames was not my only problem !

 

[2cvbloke]

Actually, thinking about it, make sure you use a flexible grout, as in the shower at the house I used to live in the grout in the floot kept cracking and hence leaking into the room below...

Not my build of course...

 

[satscaner]

Visit the DIY Doctor he should be able to help you.

 

[chris]

Thanks mate, just the info i needed :-thumb1

 

[Topper]

I was totally out of date but glad to see such a good result, I will consider that for my gaff

 

[mhku]

_http://www.diynot.com/ is worth a look for DIY.

If you tile the floor is must be stable (and waterproof) and flat. Beware of tile edges in a bathroom- the glaze on a tile is glass and the edge of a cut tile is very sharp. If you do tile the floor go for a butted finish to minimize the visible area of the grout so you won't see cracks. Good luck if you try a resin grout

Do you have access to the plumbing from underneath the bathroom? If not consider access.

If you use underfloor heating it must be compatible with a wood substrate (never done it so can't comment further). Good idea as floor tiles will be cold.

 

[Sir Bronking]

put a thin sheet of marine ply down first (this will help to hold contour of floor together when slight movement occurs, so tiles wont crack) i seen underfloor heating b4 with wooden floors, it works and the adhesvive will cover the wires + it would have to be glowing to have any chance of burning and theres no oxygen, (get a £10 note wrap it tightly round your wrist and have someone hold a light fag against it, you'll pull away its that hot, and still not burn note)

on second thoughs don't try it, ive just noticed ive still got the scar from ten years ago

 

[pgh13]

_http://www.diynot.com/ is worth a look for DIY.

If you use underfloor heating it must be compatible with a wood substrate (never done it so can't comment further). Good idea as floor tiles will be cold.

Seconded....diynot is good. Be careful what tiles you choose; we put some cheapo tiles in the porch and they are cold and also very slippery when wet. When we tiles the kitchen we wanted the stone slag look and got some tiles which I think are porcelain. They don't get so slippy, when the floor is washed they dry quickly and they aren't cold either so we put them in the bathroom as well

 

[BarMoo]

I totally agree with placing some kind of water-resistant boarding (16mm chipboard) on top of the current floor-boarding before commencing works. Infact it would do no harm to put some heavy placky under that too (leaving enough to go above a skirting line). Only use bathroom/no slip tiles. Absolutely check what is going on where under your current bathroom before commencing - there is no going back! Most of these points already covered.

My only immediate Q's would be. You are raising the floor level - so its likely that you will have to plane-down the bathroom door. Where are you sourcing the lecky from? Ideally you should consider a new isolated circuit [read: it wouldn't suprise me if that is code anyway - on the lines of seperate circuit for water heater].

If you want to be posh - consider introducing a dandy looking (forgotten the english word'O'-red ) plug hole that is set into the tiles.

Lay the tiles diagonally across the floor for special effect. Yep, more cutting to do, but worth it if you have a very angular bathroom.

Hire a decent electrical tile cutter.

.

 

[chris]

Thanks everyone, We are probably going for a natural stone tile, I did intend to put a sheet of ply down first to tile onto just was'nt sure if i needed anything between the wood and the underfloor heating.

The current floor is chipboard sheets so not much chance of lifting the floor anyway as they are a nightmare to lift, plus the house is only 3 years old so all should be sweet under the floor! Would have thought i could have tiled directly on the the chipboard without risk of movment in the future ??? but no hardship to put a ply sheet down first.

Thanks again for the help, i will post some before and after pics

Chris.

 

[RedDevil_UK]

sorry chris, just seen the post... been away

i am a builder, and i have tiles the floor in my bathroom with thick slate tiles.

the problem with ceramic tiles is when wet they are VERY slippy so a porous tile like a quarry tile or slate like mine are perfect

use some ply and board out the floor on top of the floor boards, and nail down using ring shank nails (normal smooth sided nails will work there way out with slight movement over time)

use a flexible waterproof grout/adhesive... can get from B&Q ready mixed (brown lid)

just take your time and work from the centre out.... measure to the middle of the room and place the centre of the tile on the exact centre of the room..... if done right, then when you cut the tile for one side of the bathroom, the other half should fit on the other side of room no waste, and you dont end up with a stupid slither of a cut at one end of the bathroom making it difficult....

be warned that the adhesive, because its water proof takes alot longer to go off... and can take 2 or 3 days to go off!!!

you can walk on it OK after about 12 hours... if you have any ply board left over then walk on that for a few days

 

[BarMoo]

i am i builder

Nothing against builders red - but why does the very mention of a diagonal pattern put the fear of god into a builder? This is for my own interest.

I have twice recommended that for friends (being of the buck-the-trend type I am [read: this type of placing is obvious, usually]) - and they agreed [I even laid coloured paper on the floor to simulate the look?] Anyway.......

Each time, ze BUILDER has somehow managed to talk them round to the straight and narrow.

What's the trick? Up in quote, or what?

Welcome back, BTW ;-)

.

 

[RedDevil_UK]

why does the very mention of a diagonal pattern put the fear of god into a builder?

no idea Barmoo, it doesnt bother me? its as easy to cut a tile diagnally or straight across with a cutter?

maybe your asking the wrong builders lol

also i think diagnal with a border 18" (45cm) from wall and then straight round the edges looks good