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Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.
Date:Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:51:37 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:51:37 +0100, Deville  wrote:


> Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
> chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
> possible.


How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard? You do not . as such need  
to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway  
unless you plane down the joists).
www.axp.mdx.ac.uk/~john49/tilefaq.htm

will probably be useful.

John Schmitt

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Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/
Date:Tue, 06 Sep 2005 16:23:41 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 16:23:41 +0100, "John Schmitt" 
wrote:


>On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:51:37 +0100, Deville  wrote:
>
>> Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
>> chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
>> possible.
>
>How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard?


There's a layer of lino on it and a layer of cork tiles on top of that
so I don't know what the surface looks like yet.


>You do not . as such need  
>to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway  
>unless you plane down the joists).


I'm not sure I understand this.  The rest of the flat has 14mm
hardwood flooring on top of underlay on top of the chipboard (at least
outside the bathroom) so there will be a step at the bathroom door of
some kind anyway.


>www.axp.mdx.ac.uk/~john49/tilefaq.htm
>
>will probably be useful.


Thanks, I've bookmarked it.
Date:Tue, 06 Sep 2005 18:30:37 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
In article ,
	Deville  writes:

> Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
> chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
> possible.


Just a heads-up...
Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
used by an elderly or infirm person.

-- 
Andrew Gabriel
Date:06 Sep 2005 18:38:18 GMT   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
Andrew Gabriel wrote:


> Just a heads-up...
> Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
> a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
> I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
> of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
> about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
> used by an elderly or infirm person.



We have porcelain tiles, but they have a textured surface, which is both 
coarse and has stone-like ripples across it. It is anything but slippery.

-- 
Grunff
Date:Tue, 06 Sep 2005 20:05:54 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
Deville wrote:

> Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
> chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
> possible.
> 


Been there, seen it, done it (albiet with ceramic floor tiles).

Lasted 2 days before I gave up, ripped them up (after spending an age 
cutting them around the furniture) and replacing with laminate.

Short story - the floor was not stable enough, and the grout / bonding 
agent not flexible enough. I've since seen more flexible adhesives but 
unless there's been an order-of-magnitude improvement between these and 
what I used some 3-4 years ago then I'd be nervous about tiling onto the 
chipboard.
Date:Tue, 06 Sep 2005 22:01:05 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
Mike Dodd wrote:


> Deville wrote:
> > Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
> > chipboard floor?  I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
> > possible.
> >
>
> Been there, seen it, done it (albiet with ceramic floor tiles).
>
> Lasted 2 days before I gave up, ripped them up (after spending an age
> cutting them around the furniture) and replacing with laminate.
>
> Short story - the floor was not stable enough, and the grout / bonding
> agent not flexible enough. I've since seen more flexible adhesives but
> unless there's been an order-of-magnitude improvement between these and
> what I used some 3-4 years ago then I'd be nervous about tiling onto the
> chipboard.


I used 6mm ply over floorboards, so i've not much experience of
chipboard. If there's appreciable give when you walk on it then i'd say
don't put floor tiles down. I used fairly big tiles (600 mm across) and
a good wood floor tile adhesive. 2 years later, one tile is just
starting to give, but as it was heavily grouted, the grout seems to me
stablilising the floor. Not enough movement to have to redo, but i'm
keeping an eye on it ..

Paul.
Date:6 Sep 2005 17:11:00 -0700   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 18:30:37 +0100, Deville  wrote:


>> How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard?

> There's a layer of lino on it and a layer of cork tiles on top of that
> so I don't know what the surface looks like yet.


The remaining adhesive under the lino needs to be removed with a vengeance.


>> You do not . as such need
>> to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway
>> unless you plane down the joists).

> I'm not sure I understand this.  The rest of the flat has 14mm
> hardwood flooring on top of underlay on top of the chipboard (at least
> outside the bathroom) so there will be a step at the bathroom door of
> some kind anyway.


My long term plan is to create a dais-type floor in the bathroom with a  
couple of steps, so that the bath is sunken relative to the floor. I will  
also go for cork flooring, due to its general comfort and non-slip  
tendencies. Stiletto heels are death to cork, but I never wear them, at  
least in the bathroom. ;-)


> Thanks, I've bookmarked it.


You will find that I am not the only member of this NG who has written  
useful FAQs. The amount of knowledge collectively held continues to  
astound me.

John Schmitt
-- 
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/
Date:Wed, 07 Sep 2005 09:58:44 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:38:18 +0100, Andrew Gabriel  
 wrote:


> Just a heads-up...
> Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
> a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
> I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
> of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
> about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
> used by an elderly or infirm person.


Seconded. As I commented earlier cork tiles are my choice and while I am  
not particularly into tree-hugging, they are from a renewable resource. I  
was quite taken aback when I saw my first /Quercus suber/ which had been  
harvested. They just ring-bark it, a procedure which would kill most  
trees. Four or five years later, the bark has grown back and is harvested  
again.

Quite a number of years ago, in my Scout Leader guise, I was involved in a  
trip to the now defunct Fantaseas in Chingford.This water park had smooth  
tiles in the changing room and I found enough difficulty keeping a  
foothold with wet feet. Worse still the boys by their nature were running  
around on this treacherous surface. When they were all in the minibuses,  
the leaders breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that their  
charges were all intact.

John Schmitt

-- 
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/
Date:Wed, 07 Sep 2005 10:42:53 +0100   Author:  

Re: Laying porcelain tiles in bathroom   
On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 09:58:44 +0100, "John Schmitt" 
wrote:


>On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 18:30:37 +0100, Deville  wrote:
>
>>> How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard?
>
>> There's a layer of lino on it and a layer of cork tiles on top of that
>> so I don't know what the surface looks like yet.
>
>The remaining adhesive under the lino needs to be removed with a vengeance.


I'll bear that in mind.


>>> You do not . as such need
>>> to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway
>>> unless you plane down the joists).
>
>> I'm not sure I understand this.  The rest of the flat has 14mm
>> hardwood flooring on top of underlay on top of the chipboard (at least
>> outside the bathroom) so there will be a step at the bathroom door of
>> some kind anyway.
>
>My long term plan is to create a dais-type floor in the bathroom with a  
>couple of steps, so that the bath is sunken relative to the floor. I will  
>also go for cork flooring, due to its general comfort and non-slip  
>tendencies. Stiletto heels are death to cork, but I never wear them, at  
>least in the bathroom. ;-)


The problem we've had with cork floors is that they don't wear very
well.  


>> Thanks, I've bookmarked it.
>
>You will find that I am not the only member of this NG who has written  
>useful FAQs. The amount of knowledge collectively held continues to  
>astound me.
>
>John Schmitt
Date:Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:30:52 +0100   Author: