Ceramic and Stone Tiling by Ripley John

Author:Ripley, John
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847979681
Publisher: Crowood

A hollow in the base can result in a floor tile being unsupported at a critical point.

In older houses timber floorboards are one of the most common flooring materials. On newer properties it is ‘particle’ board (chipboard or similar).

Timber in any form is not as stable as concrete. This is because it constantly moves with atmospheric moisture and is more liable to ‘deflect under load’, that is, bend when subjected to weight. It is perfectly possible to produce a good, sound floor on a timber base. It just needs careful preparation.

A point that needs mentioning here is that there is a ‘trade-off’ between the strength of the subfloor and the strength of the tile. If you are laying onto a concrete subfloor the tiles only have to provide a wearing surface. The concrete provides the structural strength. However, with timber subfloors the strength of the tile can play a bigger part.

For example, if you were laying 225mm × 225mm × 30mm (9in × 9in × 1¼in) industrial quarry tile onto a timber subfloor in your bathroom, the strength of this tile is such that, providing the subfloor holds the tile up and the adhesive holds the tile down, there is not a lot that is going to happen to the tiles. They will be strong enough to stand any stress put onto them by movement in the subfloor and, at the worst, you would probably just get some loose tiles, as the bed would probably give way long before the tile did.

However, there are not many tiles as strong as a 225mm × 225mm quarry tile and you are not likely to be using those in your bathroom. If you are using a thinner and weaker tile and the subfloor moves, then the tile might crack long before the adhesive gives way.

From this, you will be able to see that, within limits, a stronger tile does give you a better chance of avoiding problems with the subfloor, or at least makes such problems more manageable. Unfortunately, there is no formula that I can give you for this. The stronger a tile is, the less likely it is to be damaged by movement of the subfloor. It is purely a matter of judgment. If the tile is not a particularly strong one then take every precaution that you can and do your preparation properly.

Existing floors can sometimes be overlaid with hard floor tiles providing they are of a suitable type. Existing ceramic or marble tiles, terrazzo, granolithic and similar materials are all suitable for overlaying. However, the same rules apply to them as for any other base. They must be solid, sound, free from defects and, as existing floors may have been polished or sealed, thoroughly clean. You want the tiles to stick to the floor, not to anything that happens to be on top of it.

PREPARATION

The proper preparation of the subfloor is important for two reasons. The first is that it is important to have a sound and solid base to which to stick, as your tiles are going to depend upon it.

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