Techniques for checking levels for a floor

[monty]

What is the best technique for checking levels for a floor?

Is it to place a block of wood on the floor to represent the thickness of your tile and bed.Place a straight edge on the block (or on the surface of an adjacent floor if that is what you are working from).
Pack up the other end of the straight edge with pieces of wood until, by using your spirit level, you know that it is dead level.
By measuring down from the underside of your straight edge to the top of the concrete you will be able to see what thickness you have for your floor.
Repeat this process all around the room.

Or is there a better or easier way?

Monty

 

[GazTech]

What is the best technique for checking levels for a floor?

Is it to place a block of wood on the floor to represent the thickness of your tile and bed.Place a straight edge on the block (or on the surface of an adjacent floor if that is what you are working from).
Pack up the other end of the straight edge with pieces of wood until, by using your spirit level, you know that it is dead level.
By measuring down from the underside of your straight edge to the top of the concrete you will be able to see what thickness you have for your floor.
Repeat this process all around the room.

Or is there a better or easier way?

Monty

Its a good method Monty, cut a tile into inch peices and go from high spot , spot them in place at random intervals , this will show you the levels and give a good datum point when tiling, check your level across different tile pieces to make sure you are level with each tile you fix down.....Gaz

 

[monty]

Thanks gaz... Or would it just be as easy getting a 1.8m feather edge and swing it 360 from where about to tile?

Monty

 

[GazTech]

Your inch size pieces are dotted by swinging 360 deg from the highest point, use a 6ft level or long straight edge with level sat on top.....Gaz

 

[monty]

And if you do see low points....Do you fill them in with rapid set and wait to dry?
And how do you find the high point to start with, Should you judge by eye or do you use same method?

Monty

 

[tiler burden]

you could always ping a datum line around the room and measure down to the floor at intervals to find the highest and lowest points of the floor, then dot your 1st tile at the highest point..

 

[GazTech]

The high point is always easy to find, try to see it by eye, then walk around the floor and feel it, or failing that crawl around on all fours, sliding long pole around until you find high spot, sometimes if its a little lump, smash it off and then you are not buiding entire floor up to it......lol

 

[GazTech]

you could always ping a datum line around the room and measure down to the floor at intervals to find the highest and lowest points of the floor, then dot your 1st tile at the highest point..

Good point Ed, this will give you high points at the perimeter, you can then determine from there moving in towards the centre.......Gaz. Failing that...flood the room and use measuring stick, take the shallow end as high spot...pmsl

 

[monty]

Thanks for replies guys!!

So what happens if its not level say 10 MM out in places? Do you then use SLC?

Monty

 

[tiler burden]

you can use a slc upto 10mm but just make sure you use the right type, quite expensive tho..or you could lay then in sand and cement like the old jedi tilers lol

 

[GazTech]

Yes Monty without a doubt, if the depth excedes the recommended build up of adhesive ( according to the manufacturer ) then use slc, the same method can be applied.....I have had to used cheap floor tiles sometimes to make the bubble, slc can be a long process.....gaz

 

[tiler burden]

gaz

what is the maximum tolerance you can have in a floor over a 2 meter length?? ie if back buttering the tile, what the most a floor can be out

cheers
ed

 

[tiler burden]

i think i am reading from the same book as monty, ceramic and natural stone tiling??

 

[monty]

That was my next question ed ....lol lol

 

[monty]

Yes thats the one ed...

 

[tiler burden]

its weird learning a new trade...you go back to the basics and the corect british standards way bu then you realise that nearly all goes out the window in the real world!! you learn parrot fashion at the begining, following every word until you develop but that takes time. i am in a strange position. i am a plasterer, can do most joinery and have a hnc in construction with 20 yrs building experience but tiling is new ground so you have to listen , respect and learn as if you were 16 again..thats a good thing tho, keeps you grounded, respectful and flexible!!

good job there are people like gaz, dave, dan, etc etc etc who help for free. i dont htink people realise how lucky we are that we can jump on here, ask a question, get it answered and go out and make money due to their kindness and willingness to help..

 

[Perry]

Just make sure the kitchen isn't to expensive before you put your datum line round the units and make sure the step in the doorway is not higher than 200 mm pmsl 😛ete

 

[tiler burden]

got an answer for your expensive kitchen units....get a psl180 laser!!!!!

 

[GazTech]

This trade is a law unto itself, it is a finishing trade but has to be sound, flat, practicle, pleasing to the eye, for the right money, be the same as when fitted in 20yrs time, spaced right, primed right, colour co-ordinated, easy to wash, polish, cut, mark, get hold of, and inbetween all that there is family, football, boxing...etc..need I go on...lol

 

[GazTech]

oh and beer

 

[grumpygrouter]

Monty don't confuse "level" with "flat. Trying to get your floor "level" may not be neccessary!

 

[Gazzer]

Get a laser level and put it on a surface like the kitchen unit or Cill. Take a reference mark on a staff near the laser and then try all around the room. Easy stuff

 

[Perry]

Monty don't confuse "level" with "flat. Trying to get your floor "level" may not be neccessary!

Monty this is what i was getting at if i leveled my floors i would be in a lot of trouble 😛ete
PS Grumpy you are far to polite for us lot lol

 

[monty]

Thanks for all your replies guys...much appreciated..

So what you are saying Pete is chisel away as much as you can with the high points and with the low points build up with adhesive?

Monty

 

[grumpygrouter]

Monty this is what i was getting at if i leveled my floors i would be in a lot of trouble 😛ete
PS Grumpy you are far to polite for us lot lol

One of my major failings in life Pete. I never want to offend anybody - can lead to all sorts of problems sometimes:yes:

 

[tiler burden]

monti

i am not a tiler yet (give it another 3-6 months!!) but i am a plasterer and i have preped more walls and floors than i care to remeber since 1985!!

get a straight edge or feather edge, and put in on the floor in a few different directions across the entire floor starting from the door way onwards. where you see a gap under the straight edge then have a piece of chalk handy and mark an x as you go along to see where needs filling in. if you hit a really high spot and you can chip it away with your hammer and bolster or hammer drill then do so, if not, then it may require more action. either a self levelling compound to cover the entire floor upto about 45mm, after that it would need a sand and cement screed laying (feel free to ask me how to do this) there are some slc out there that go higher than 45mm but they become very expensive in comparison to sand and cement.

if the dips in the floor are only a couple of mm , say 2-5mm then you could use slc and pull your straight edge across till flat...tilers may use a rapid set instead of slc. maybe gaz or dave could put us straight there. either way after a couple of hours you would be ready to tile your flat floor.

grumpy made an excellent point about flat not level. many plasterers can flatten a wall but there are many so called spreads who can't set up screeds and get a 100% bang on level wall/floor. i expect the same applies to some of the so called time served expert tilers on here who sit back and lol on a regular basis but dont actually come up with a solution to the question.

experience comes into play with your judgment but if your buy a 2.5m feather edge and get used to eyeing up walls and floors then id say you'll have it cracked on your first day...


as for our question about whats the maximum tolerance that a floor can have a deviance in over 2 meters, then i would guess and say 5mm..2-3mm could be taken up with the notched trowel and maybe 2mm for back buttering as you go along but this is an educated guess so again, tilers please feel free to correct me.

 

[monty]

Thank you very much tiler burden... Excellent bit of info for me pal..

Monty

 

[Perry]

Monty if you have someone to hold the other end of a chalk line or ball or string you can use it as a straight edge over larger areas will give you some idea just keep it of the floor slightly 😛ete

 

[monty]

Cheers pete mate...

 

[guy1976]

you can place a laser level in the corner of the room and project a datum line around the room,then use a staff and work out the highest and lowest points of floor and mark on staff , then place the staff along the walls with the highest point mark on the datum. then mark the skirting with a pencil at how high you should go with the leveler to make the floor level

 

[Perry]

One of my major failings in life Pete. I never want to offend anybody - can lead to all sorts of problems sometimes:yes:

Grumps thats why you make a good moderator and someone like me would make a complete arse of it but i would be the one of the first to help anybody if i could :yes: