My biggest tiling job yet

[Carl Haynes]

Hi people. I've just joined this forum and need some advice on tiling a 200m square floor. It is a garage floor which is pretty square and was wondering about adhesive, grout and expansion straps. In layman's terms please. I'm not very technically minded. Thanks in advance.

 

[One Day]

Carl, you shouldn't be taking on this job, get a pro in.

I took plenty of jobs on in my first few years which you would have said the same about! I did my research, much like Carl is doing here, asked the right questions and did a proper job.
I'd rather see someone like this tackle the job, who cares enough to ask questions, than a 'professional' know it all!

 

[Italy]

you have read the post presentation of carl?
It is not a beginner

 

[J Sid]

It's been laid since the end of last November so I would assume 50mm drying at 1mm per day it would be more than dry enough. Roughly twice as long as recommended. I will make the suggestion tomorrow when I get to work if you think it should still be checked, but I think they may be expecting me to start it. Again, will it be OK to split it into 4 sections with expansion joints?

so a unheated room?
its not 1mm a day for this type of screed. It's 1mm for the first x mm and .5 mm per day after that at a curtain temp. What's it the the garage over the winter 5• ?

expansion joint is way down the list of questions to be asked

 

[Carl Haynes]

Thank you Impish. I'm beginning to wonder why I even bothered asking questions in the first place.
Julian, the garage has been closed off and industrial heaters left on a low setting for most of the winter.
No I'm not a complete novice and I did ask for advice in layman's terms.
Localtiler was being helpful and now tells me I shouldn't be doing it.
Don't know whether I'm coming or going now.

 

[Just Rizzle]

tiled a kitchen floor with simlar floor make up the guy put a large island with huge granite work surface on it. got a call from the builder 4 mths later as there was several cracks in the tiles running from were the island was sited .i proved that the weight of the island had caused the floor to subside by 8 to 10 mm in the centre of the room.
if you take on this project i would ask for a disclaimer

 

[Flintstone]

sorry Carl, not trying to confuse you, i can just see you cracking on and tiling it without the right information and preperation. what is the screed? That is the first and most important question.

 

[Just Rizzle]

tiling can be pretty straight forward at times it can also bite you if you dont cover your self, ajax-is probably right on his calculations but if the kingspan is on a uneven substraight or is over a void then thats were the pressures are going to create problems when the cars move over it weve all seen brick paved drives with car tramlines in them.

 

[Just Rizzle]

sorry Carl, not trying to confuse you, i can just see you cracking on and tiling it without the right information and preperation. what is the screed? That is the first and most important question.

the screed isnt the problem its the king span and the sub floor were the pressures are going to be

 

[J Sid]

tiled a kitchen floor with simlar floor make up the guy put a large island with huge granite work surface on it. got a call from the builder 4 mths later as there was several cracks in the tiles running from were the island was sited .i proved that the weight of the island had caused the floor to subside by 8 to 10 mm in the centre of the room.
if you take on this project i would ask for a disclaimer

so you were help responsible for the tile failure then Ray? Yes?

 

[Carl Haynes]

Localtiler, I should be able to get that info tomorrow.
Ray, the sub floor is 6" reinforced concrete and laser levelled and the kingspan is tightly packed in over a damp proof membrane with expansion foam all around the edge. Fairly confident there are no voids but I guess you never know. Having said that, if there are voids isn't it a bit late to deal with them?

 

[One Day]

If any tiles were to crack and you had solid bedded them, then it's not your fault! I'd take it on.

 

[J Sid]

as above, take it on but just tick of yours check list at every stage

 

[Ajax123]

I'm not kno

Ajax. I was starting to get disheartened about this job until you came along. I can't really get away from doing this job as the guy is one of my bosses. I feel a bit more comfortable after your comments but what about expansion joints in the tiles. Could I get away with tiling it in four sections and would I need a solid bed of adhesive or maybe use a wall trowel notched to10mm deep. Cheers for your input. In fact thanks to everyone who's commented.

knowlegible on trowel size to comment but I would have thought trowel addys on the floor and back butter the tile. In terms of movement joints you should follow the standards which from memory is max bay length 8m max size 40m2. Are you using uncoupling. When doing car showrooms tilers often do so.

 

[Just Rizzle]

so you were help responsible for the tile failure then Ray? Yes?

they tried to put it on me. we took a tile up and running throught the screed was a great big crack and the floor had dropped 10 mmto the side of the island .
we solved the issue by marking out were the legs of the units stood taking out the island and core drilling 70mm holes were the legs stood, so releasing the pressures that the island had created then putting the island back on to the areas drilled were we replaced the king span with 120mm concrete blocks. core drilled out we then replaced the cracked tiles and have had no call backs since that was about 12 yrs ago

 

[Ajax123]

Aston's are front end heavy so it'd be more like .65 on the front and .35 on the rear maybe lol

I wouldn't know...they're above my pay grade

 

[Dan]

I wouldn't know...they're above my pay grade

Mine too.

And my qualification level. I've lost my driving qualification again. lol

 

[Flintstone]

How would you advise Carl to solid bed 900x900 tiles @impish

 

[Just Rizzle]

take the job on m8 and good luck the best way to get a solid bed is to use a pin leveler.
set the pins at required depth then spread

 

[John Benton]

Aston's are front end heavy so it'd be more like .65 on the front and .35 on the rear maybe lol

This may help you Dan

Determining the Static Weight Distribution of a Car - CarScience - http://carscience.net/determining-the-static-weight-distribution-of-a-car/

 

[Old Mod]

I think what needs to happen here is everyone just take a deep breath!
There's every chance Carl may have to at least look like he's starting tomorrow and he's being bombarded from all side, not only with different opinions but other spurious conversations that have nothing to do with this thread.
Give the guy a break and lets put together a check list, starting at A and finishing at Z

 

[Carl Haynes]

I think what needs to happen here is everyone just take a deep breath!
There's every chance Carl may have to at least look like he's starting tomorrow and he's being bombarded from all side, not only with different opinions but other spurious conversations that have nothing to do with this thread.
Give the guy a break and lets put together a check list, starting at A and finishing at Z

Thanks 3 fall

 

[Carl Haynes]

take the job on m8 and good luck the best way to get a solid bed is to use a pin leveler.
set the pins at required depth then spread

Thanks Ray

 

[Carl Haynes]

I'm not kno

knowlegible on trowel size to comment but I would have thought trowel addys on the floor and back butter the tile. In terms of movement joints you should follow the standards which from memory is max bay length 8m max size 40m2. Are you using uncoupling. When doing car showrooms tilers often do so.

As I said Ajax this is my first job of this size so I don't know what you mean by uncoupling, please explain. Thanks

 

[Old Mod]

I've just had to read the whole thread, not been keeping up.
Carl, it's not heated, correct?

 

[Flintstone]

Uncoupling is a thin layer around 1 or 2mm thick that you stick down with adhesive prior laying the tiles. Usually made up of multiple layers, they allow expansion and contraction of the floor witout affecting the tile it's self. Or if a small crack appeared in the floor, the uncoupling would give you A much better chance of that not cracking a tile

 

[Old Mod]

The first thing you must do is find out the exact make up of the screed, in other words, sand and cement or gypsum based anhydride.
Two completely different animals.

 

[One Day]

How would you advise Carl to solid bed 900x900 tiles @impish

Me? 12mm notch and back skim with a loose mix. Plenty of to-and-fro.

 

[Carl Haynes]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'll definitely find out what the flow screed is made up of and also see about getting it moisture tested. Uncoupling sounds like a very good plan too. Probably will make the bays 5m square.

 

[Old Mod]

If it's heated, 40m2 bays max, if not, I THINK not positive, it's 100m2

 

[Carl Haynes]

If it's heated, 40m2 bays max, if not, I THINK not positive, it's 100m2

There's about a metres width or just over which is heated running round the edge of the garage. Pointless I thought!!!!!