Installing 10mm Bathroom Tile - 39mm working height

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Hello, I need some advice on creating the subfloor for tiles in a bathroom.

I want to tile my bathroom floor with 600mm x 600mm x 10mm Porcelain Tiles. The finished floor needs to match up for height with the rest of the flooring.

I have taken up the previous bathroom flooring and one or two of the old floorboards and have measured the height from the top of the joists to the top of the other flooring. This height is a touch over 39mm. Can I squeeze 10mm tiles into this height with a workable subfloor?


The bathroom measures 2.5m x 1.7m including floorspace for the bath, and toilet.

The joists look sturdy at 7.5" x 2.5" on 355mm centres.

I've jumped up and down on the floorboards with my 14st and the floor feels pretty firm given its a suspended wooden floor.

I want to incorporate NoMorePly/Hardiboard because I understand that it provides a useful moisture barrier and is said that in terms of streanth it is equivalent to 15mm of ply even though it is only 6mm.

I have no experience of laying tiles anything like as large as 600mm x 600mm. And only two previous tiling experiences previously, both years apart and years ago.

I understand that I should expect an adhesive layer of about 6mm using an appropriate solid base trowel. Is this about right?

Assuming 6mm of adhesive and 10mm of tile height this leaves me with 23mm (39mm - 16mm) of height for the subflooring. Ply and/or NoMorePly.

Subfloor Options
----------------

The height between the top of the existing floorboards and the rest of the flats flooring is 17mm. Not enough for one layer of NoMoreTiles 6mm, Tiles 10mm, and Adhesive 6mm. Hence the need to remove the floorboards first.

Would either of the following two options work.

Option A:
1 Layer of 6mm ply overlapped and staggered with 1 Layer of 9mm ply screwed to the joists. Then 1 Layer of NoMorePly 6mm to provide the rigidity and the moisture barrier. Total 21 mm leaving a couple of mm for levelling.

Option B:
1 Layer of 9mm Plywood screwed directly to the joists. Then 2 layers of NoMorePly, overlapped providing rigidity
and the moisture barrier. Total 21mm leaving a couple of mm for levelling.

Is their any preference of NoMorePly vs Hardiboard?

Are both brittle? Do they require some form of support beneath them between joists?

Or would a further option be..
Option C: Three layers of NoMorePly on top of the joists.

Thanks.
 
Option D...none of the above, remove floor install 25mm Gifa board to joists, then tile straight on it using a 10mm notch trowel...perfect!!
 
I think the 22mm t&g sounds easiest for me. If its not a bank breaker.

Was not sure if NMP was too brittle on its own. Seems not.

Should I assume the 10mm notch trowel will give a "natural" 6mm depth? 4mm? Any extra available depth will be useful in leveling.

Thanks for all feedback.
 

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Installing 10mm Bathroom Tile - 39mm working height
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