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View Full Version : Ceramic Tile over pier and beam floor?



Larry Browning
07-03-2006, 9:48 AM
We are about to take on a house "flip" (Buy a house needing some remodeling and resell it for profit). I have located a source of ceramic tile flooring that will allow me to install it in the kitchen and bathroom for much less than anything else. However, I have always worried about installing tile over a pier and beam floor due to the flex in the floor. The subfloor seems to be in very good condition. Is there a special type of mastic and grout made for this type of installation? Do I need to add some extra support underneath? Or will this work fine without any special preparation?

Curt Fuller
07-03-2006, 9:56 AM
One word, "Hardibacker". Slickest stuff I've ever used under tile.

http://www.jameshardie.com/backerboard/

tod evans
07-03-2006, 10:12 AM
larry, check out this stuff, it works..02 tod
http://www.tileprotection.com/home.php?cat=4

[edit] use this membrane in tandom with hardibacker for problem floors. i`ve successfully tiled the floor and shower walls on a tour bus using this stuff. think of the flex encountered in a bus rolling down the road full of drunken rock-n-rollers...

Ken Fitzgerald
07-03-2006, 10:42 AM
Come on tod..........Drunken rock-n-rollers?.......That's like the lies going around about drunken sailors!:D

tod evans
07-03-2006, 11:06 AM
Come on tod..........Drunken rock-n-rollers?.......That's like the lies going around about drunken sailors!:D

been there-done that too:D

Bob Childress
07-03-2006, 11:37 AM
Larry,

You are right to be concerned about floor flex. Also, what type of sub floor is it? OSB or particle board is a no-no. Tile wants flat and stable. The larger the tile, the more stable it must be to prevent cracks in both grout and tile. If sub floor is 3/4 ply, you will want to add another 3/4 B/C exterior grade ply on top, glued and screwed together, then Ditra or CBU (Cementitious Backer Unit), then the tile.

Also, do not use mastic to put down floor tile, use thinset mortar. Mastic does not have the shear strength for floor applications. :eek: The type of thinset you use wil depend on what underlayment you use. Ditra wants unmodified thinset, but CBU wants modified thinset.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but if you don't want headaches down the road it is the way to go.:)

Larry Browning
07-03-2006, 4:07 PM
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but if you don't want headaches down the road it is the way to go.:)

Bob,
I was given a good piece of advice by another "flipper". He said to always remember that the goal is to make money, not live in it for 20 years. I want to do things right, but I also want to make money.
It sounds to me that the backer boards may be the way to go.

Bob Childress
07-03-2006, 5:20 PM
Actually Larry I was thinking more along the lines of home warranty issues, since I knew you were flipping it. I am a licensed real estate agent who has flipped a few myself, and I certainly know we need to make money. But some states are really cracking down on workmanship issues after sale and you can't make any money if you have to do it twice.:eek:

That said, and though I hate to send you elsewhere, check out this link

http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

and click on the "deflecto" program at the top. It will calculate for you whether your tile job will work based on your joists and sub floor makeup. And either way, I wish you well. I really wasn't trying to rain on your parade.:D

Larry Browning
07-03-2006, 5:54 PM
Actually Larry I was thinking more along the lines of home warranty issues, since I knew you were flipping it. I am a licensed real estate agent who has flipped a few myself, and I certainly know we need to make money. But some states are really cracking down on workmanship issues after sale and you can't make any money if you have to do it twice.:eek:

That said, and though I hate to send you elsewhere, check out this link

http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

and click on the "deflecto" program at the top. It will calculate for you whether your tile job will work based on your joists and sub floor makeup. And either way, I wish you well. I really wasn't trying to rain on your parade.:D

Thanks for the link Bob!!!!

Tim Burke
07-03-2006, 7:06 PM
http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

and click on the "deflecto" program at the top. It will calculate for you whether your tile job will work based on your joists and sub floor makeup.

Bob,

I have an interest in this too. I did not see where the calculator took into account subfloor thickness - only joist specs. Did I miss something?

Tim

Bob Childress
07-04-2006, 7:27 AM
No Tim, you didn't. I should have stated that the deflecto will calculate your joist strength and if you flunk, you will have to do something about your sub floor. As the folks at that forum for guidance, they are quite helpful.