| Author |
Message |
Randy Schlotthauer (Up8009) (64.12.102.51)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 04, 2001 - 10:29 pm: | |
We plan on installing 12" tile in our kitchen and bathroom area. I have read that there are special adhesives and grout that we should use to avoid cracking, etc. due to vibration. Does anyone have experience with this and recommendations?
Randy Schlotthauer
MC9 |
Clarke Echols (216.17.134.84)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 11, 2001 - 9:02 pm: | |
First of all, you want a VERY STIFF substrate; i.e., floor deck. 3/4-inch plywood (not OSB) with solid framing underneath on 16" or closer centers is good. Next, get a Georgia Pacific product called Dens-Shield. It is an impregnated gypsum panel that comes in 3/8, 1/2, and 5/8-inch thicknesses and in various panel sizes. It is available from any drywall supplier that handles Georgia Pacific gypsum products.
The panel material is silicone-impregnated so it is water and vapor resistant (unlike 1/2-inch cement board), and has fiberglass mesh in both faces. It is covered with a baked acrylic/epoxy finish on both sides -- one side is preferred for the tile side -- and commonly used in commercial installations, such as the Pepsi Center sports arena in Denver. Attach it to the floor deck with thin-set adhesive, then screw it to the floor with standard drywall screws on 4-inch centers (6 inch maximum). Standard utility knife is adequate for cutting, just like normal sheetrock. This provides a good surface for attaching the tile, after sealing the joints. (More info on Georgia Pacific web site. Search Yahoo for "Dens-Shield" for details.)
Attach tile to Dens-Shield with standard thin-set adhesive and grout with an epoxy grout.
Same Dens-Shield can be used on countertops. Cover plywood with tile backer using, again, thinset adhesive, screw, and install tile above with thinset adhesive and epoxy grout.
This product has been in use in commercial applications since 1988 with good results. I found out about it from a local drywall products distributor. It is far superior to standard "water-resistant" green board because of the epoxy and acrylic coatings and the fiberglass mesh combined with a silicone-impregnated gypsum core that is fully waterproof.
Clarke Echols
Building the bus -- no conversion job here |
Chuck Harris PD4104 (207.172.52.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 8:36 am: | |
Clarke,
Sounds great, except I question the use of
standard thinset adhesive, which is a mortar,
with the smooth epoxy finish. It won't adhere
very well. You probably want to use one of the
black gooey adhesives, such as you would use for
linoleum tile.
Further, I can't see any good reason to worry so
much about water on the bathroom or kitchen
floors. You don't generally flood them, do you?
Perhaps in the shower stall, but not outside!
-Chuck |
Steve Fessenden (63.25.151.42)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 7:49 pm: | |
Really there are new thinsets that will outdo the black gooey adhesive. Mastic does not hold up forever. My coach has mastic set tile in the shower and I had to redo the floor. It dries gradually and can come loose.
Go with a super flexible thinset. Insist on ordering it in if they don't have it in stock. Your Home Depot or lumber yard may not have it. Get it from a real tile supply wholesaler.
Steve Fessenden |
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