Big Tile Job!

[trekkor]

It's for a fellow Pelican that may choose to remain unnamed...

I first looked at the project about 2.5 years ago.
Nearly 1200 square feet of limestone tile with cracks everywhere.
Set over a mortar bed.

I started the job about 4 weeks ago.
The first three weeks were tearout, disposal and fastening a 3/4 inch layer of plywood over the existing subfloor.

Before:






KT

[trekkor]

The tearout was HIDEOUS!!

It took three of us about two weeks to remove 16 cubic yards or 16-17,000 pounds of debris

Jackhammers, pry bars, buckets wheelbarrow and vacuum.











The house cat, 'Emily', was not amused.


KT

[MattKellett]

KT - Damn that's a lot of tile to rip up! I think I would be going nuts after an hour of that, you must have a lot of patience.

Was the initial install done badly and did this lead to the cracked tile? What are you replacing it with? Please post an after photo, I love these before and after home projects.

[trekkor]

The old subfloor was flexble 5/8 inch plywood.
Not glued to the joists and poorly nailed.

After placing a screw next to *every* nail,
I fastened 3/4 inch plywood over the top with 7,500 staples, 20#'s of screws and 30 gallons of glue





Very solid floor. No squeaks anywhere. Ready to handle the load.



KT

[trekkor]

The old tile was limestone.
The installation method led to the cracking.

There were room long cracks running throughout the entire project.

We are installing a very attractive 18x18 honed finished travertine tile.



KT

[porsche4life]

Looking good trek.... Just glad I'm not the Pelican catching the bill for that...

[trekkor]

Next the Hardiebacker is installed.

Embedded in modified thinset, nailed, joints fiber taped and skimmed with thinset prior to leveling.
















KT

[trekkor]

I use 'Level Quik', by Custom Building Products.

A latex primer is rolled over the low surface depressions prior to application.
The leveling material is mixed to the consistency of pancake batter and poured into place. I use long metal straight edges to screed it off.











We used 850#'s of Level Quik, so far.
I need to apply one more 50# batch on Monday afternoon in three areas.


KT

[TheMentat]

good grief!

If you thought YOUR tearout job was difficult, think about the poor sucker that's gonna tear THAT out!

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by TheMentat

good grief!

If you thought YOUR tearout job was difficult, think about the poor sucker that's gonna tear THAT out!

We actually had this conversation.

I suspect whoever does will commit suicide after the first hour!!

Seriously, this floor will outlast every other surface in this home.
It will never need replacement unless they get tired of it.


KT

[drew1]

Trek, finished tiling a couple of rooms a few months ago. One was enclosing a concrete porch, just mortared then tile. The other was an addition. Screwed down hardie board with no grout under it. Did I mess up?

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by drew1

Screwed down hardie board with no grout under it. Did I mess up?

I'm afraid so.
Without the mortar under the board, no 20 year manufacturer warranty.
The mortar underneath fills all of the voids and improves the mechanical bond.
What typically happens, is that cracks will eventually form on the tile surface at the backer joints.

If you used a porcelain tile with an acrylic modified thinset, you'll have a better chance.

Sorry,


KT

[trekkor]

After carefully analyzing the room I was able to obtain the 'Perfect Layout' ™.

Full tile starts off the carpeted room with a balanced look throughout the rest of the house.








This is where I am as of yesterday afternoon.
I'm figuring on about two weeks of tile setting and then a week to grout and seal and do a couple of little extras.

I'll update often.


KT

[MadameButterfly]

This is such a lovely home. I'm really looking forward to seeing the "after" pictures.

[Scuba Steve]

What are you using between tiles? Are you using anything to prevent lippage? Just curious because I'm going to embark on a similar project soon...

[look 171]

Was floating not an option, due to the thickness, and doors need to be trim?

[DonDavis]

Fantastic work! Well done! My floor looks just like what you took out. Well, not all busted up,

[Erakad]

Impressive! Always amazing to see a true pro at work, the quality of the work, and how much can be saved if done right the first time. Very, very nice.

[trekkor]

Sanded grout to go between the tiles with 1/8" joints.

After the tear out, I think part of the failure was related to floating over a 5/8" subfloor.
Unfortunately, the original builder cut some corners and made some bad decisions during the construction of the house. Even with floating this floor would not ever be 'level'.
We're shooting for the appearance of flat in all directions.

To truly accommodate a home for a floated floor a few things need to be present:

A dropped subfloor ( 3" drop )
Proper subfloor ( minimum of 3/4").
Floor joists reasonably level in relationship to one another throughout.


KT

[campbellcj]

It's always inspirational to see the work of a true master craftsman -- nice stuff so far!