 | Roland Dalrymple has owned Quality Floor in Pittsburg/Frontenac for 15 years. He received his degree in Building Construction Tech at Pittsburg State and has been in the construction related field all his life. For more information or to reach Roland please call 620-231-2690.
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Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2012-03-23 11:04:03
Ceramic floor and shower
Q: We have decided to take on a home improvement project of tiling our shower and bathroom floor. How long will my ceramic floor last? How about my ceramic shower?
A: One of the most important parts of installing ceramic tile is to be sure you’re installing tile over a suitable/approved subfloor. Surfaces that are not acceptable are particle board, mahogany/luan underlayment interior plywood, hardwood floor, cushioned sheet goods & the old diagonal 1 x 12” subfloor.
I recommend removing any flooring material that is not acceptable to have under a new ceramic floor. Any existing subfloor needs to be checked for proper/adequate nailing or screws, and excessive movement in the subfloor needs to be eliminated. Excessive floor joist defection also needs to be checked, if you feel any deflection when you walk across the floor, or if you stand in the middle of a room, jump and feel floor movement, you need to check spacing, span & joist size.
One more thing you need to remember is that when you are picking a backer board material, you need to have a total floor thickness of 1 1/8” – 1 ¼” before ceramic tile is laid.
Next month we’ll discuss proper backer boards installed to meet TCNA standards.
