Mixing Tiles and Oak on an outdoor table

[Brian Kent]

I am building an outdoor dining table out of white oak. There will be an 8" by 4" strip of ceramic tiles down the center, for both decoration and placing hot dishes. The white oak will probably have an oil finish that can be renewed each year.

Although the table will have protection from direct rain, I am looking for a way to mount the tiles that will not cause water to pool where it meets the oak. The tiles will be grouted all the way to the adjacent pieces of oak (3" wide by 4' long, one on each side of the tiles) but I know cracks can form over the years.

There might be solutions through use of some water-proof or draining base for the tiles. I have never done this before. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Brian Kent

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Brian, I have an outdoor table made of metal with tiles as the surface.

They solve the water collection issue by not having anything under the tiles.

Each tile sits loose in a perimeter frame.

You could do the same thing with the tiles a few mm proud of the wood frame, that way they would drain and the hot dishes wouldn't be on the wood.

I thinks with expansion and contraction due to humidity and temperature changes, anything with wood, tiles and grout will be a problem.

Regards, Rod.

[Jerome Hanby]

Never really thought of them as tiles, but we have some tables built just like that. About 5 inch square flat rock panels that are held in a metal frame. maybe you could work out some "gasket" arrangement to buffer between the tiles and wood to give room for movement without leaving a big groove around the tile...

[Brian Kent]

The loose-sitting tiles would work. I could form a lattice or crossbars for them to sit on, with each in a framed area. This could especially work since it is mainly condensation and spills and not rain that needs clearing.

[Joe Angrisani]

Brian.... Regarding the grout/expansion issue: You could "grout" the tiles with caulk. DAP "Dynaflex 230" comes in a variety of colors including 3 or 4 browns. It doesn't cure rock hard, so it will flex a bit as the wood swells and shrinks through the seasons. Just thinking out loud.

[Morey St. Denis]

I'd recommend using a fiber cement backer board material with epoxy based thinset and grout for your tiles. Fiber cement is weather-tight and moisture-proof, makes for a very stable underlayment. One of the readily obtainable brands is called "Hardie Backer" from James Hardie company, available in nominal thicknesses of 1/4" and 1/2". Cuts and trims well using a fiber cement carbide or polycrystal diamond toothed saw blade or solid carbide grout bit with a drywall spiral saw. Work it outdoors or use a respirator mask to avoid breathing any fine silica dust. For your thinset, I'd suggest the Laticrete brand LatiPoxy adhesive. Their epoxy grout is called SpectraLOCK. Both these products are often available from the better stocked Lowe's, as is the HardieBacker board (in 3' x 5' panels).

I've enjoyed working with these products and they give great results and performance life. The SpectraLOCK grout is crack-proof. water-tight and highly stain resistant. In case you're wondering, these epoxy based products take water clean-up until they become fully cured. Nicely speadable, epoxy grout especially can be smoothly worked, sponge wiped and washed using only warm water with a little citric acid. For final wash-down add several drops of detergent to clean water. Avoid warmer temperatures in the worksop and with the materials the day you're planning to mix epoxy products, I aim to stay under 70 degrees. You'll get a more stress-free working life when the components are all pre-chilled in the refrigerator or even from the freezer prior to mixing. LatiPOXY is a 3 part system, and SpectraLOCK can be 4 parts, highly effective bonding with all substrates (including wood) and tile materials, including vitrous ceramic, colored glass or painted glass tiles. Following manufacturer's instructions, I'd advise that useful working life (once mixed) tends to be about 60% of what is indicated (in my own experience).

In case the idea captures your interest, I could likely share my most recent results with some metallic Copper SpectraLOCK "Dazzle" grout and melon colored glass tiles around a kitchen range backsplash and wall alcove shelving. Could demand a different thread, as there wasn't a lot of woodworking or power tools involved. Although I have experimented with packing pre-mixed epoxy grout into caulking tubes and dispensing it directly into the grout joints with a CO2 powered pneumatic chaulk gun....

Morey

[Joe Angrisani]

I'd recommend using.....epoxy based.....grout.....

Just curious Morey, since I always like getting a heads up on a new-to-me product: How does something rigid like epoxy grout address the issue of wood expansion and contraction? If the table top shrinks, a gap will open up. If the table top expands, something has to give (either a tile or the grout).

[David Kumm]

Brian, regarding expansion with wood, couldn't you put a brass or SS strip that the ceramic people sell for that application in a house where the tile meets the wood floor. Dave

[Brian Kent]

David, that would still allow water to get under the strip.

I had a thought about a tray for the tiles. If the oak strips on the sides of the tiles were glued to a plywood base, the inside edge of the oak strip would not move. All expansion would be outward. The only wood movement would be in the plywood itself. If I could epoxy the inside edges of the oak to cement hardiboard, that would be even better. I'll try to draw this but my scanner isn't working right now.
\

[Howard Acheson]

Whatever you do, keep in mind that white oak is an unstable wood and will want to expand and contract quite a bit with changes in it moisture content. Any rigid material you try to affix in the center of a solid wood panel in attempt to inhibit this expansion and contraction. It will create stresses that will likely lead to splitting or or other damage.

FYI, there are flexible marine caulks that can be used for grouting. Affixing the tiles can be done with marine silicone/sealant which is gap filling and flexible. I have made a couple of outdoor items with tiles affixed with silicone sealant/adhesive with marine caulk as the grout. They were made with an exterior grade plywood substrate.