Keep the ideas coming, fellas! This is great!!!
Okay, been doing some thinking about this job today and have come up with a few questions.
1. How clean does the HardieBacker need to be when I'm applying the thinset and tiles? Will a sweep & vacuum just prior to laying the thinset be good enough?
Obviously I'm not going to finish this job in a day, so, once I have the HardieBack down, we'll be forced to walk on it some just through our day to day living. We've got a lot of rugs and mats that I can lay out for the heavy traffic areas, and such, but are there any other considerations I need to be concerned with.
2. How will the HardieBacker stand up to the traffic until I get it covered with the slate?
It's just my wife and I, and our two Shih Tzus, so it's not like we'll be tracking in mud from the playground or anything like that. (Although, I imagine I'll be doing some yard work as time goes by...but I've promised my wife to take off my shoes before coming into the house...
)
3. Speaking of our Shih Tzus, how "traqic" will it be if one of them has an accident on the HardieBoard? Simple clean-up with bleach, maybe some vinegar?
(This question applies to the slate floor as well.)
They're home alone all day, kept in an area where the floor is the existing linoleum, and are usually pretty good. We leave training pads out for them during the day, just in case, because the days can occasionally get a little long.
Randy