On Monday, April 17, 2017 at 1:56:19 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Monday, April 17, 2017 at 12:33:26 AM UTC-5, Michael wrote:

First, I am in the camp of using a tailed tool. BUT, I use mine on a job site and I cut and scrape a lot of stuff with it. When I go the Bosch mentioned in my mini review, I immediately used it to cut the bottoms off old, hard, 2x6s, hard pieces of yellow pine trim, baseboards, etc. I also used it for all manner of cutting for work inside a kitchen rehab. I get ****ed off if I pick up a tool and it doesn't work at 100% capacity all the time.. And since none of my crew guys own an oscillator, if it needs to charge that could mean down time. I have battery powered tools I use in the job (circular saw, recip saw, drills, hammer drills, etc.), but an oscillator isn't one of them.

These are not saws. While they will saw, it is only one aspect of what they do. You should always use the right tool to do the job no matter what, and these are not made for continually sawing boards, plywood, etc. They are dandy trimmers, will plunge cut where your circular saw will not, can be used as "jamb saws", cabinet installation saws, etc. But these are not made for heavy duty sawing, sawing in straight lines, or any kind of large project work requiring a lot wood cutting.

I do like my corded drills and haven't carried a tailed drill in years and years. Today's battery powered tools certainly have their place, and for light work like a small repair I have a battery powered set I take with me and don't break out anything corded.


I've asked the tile store people and others about using OSB and a backer board. They all insisted that I take out the OSB and put in 3/4 plywood. I would prefer to put cement board over the OSB, of course, but if it will prevent failure, then I'll replace the OSB.

You need to replace the OSB. No doubt about it, your tile source is steering your right. 1) OSB has open ended strands that will attract moisture, and in a horizontal installation, this can cause delamination of the strand structure. Tile is usually mopped clean at least once in a while and the water will go into the tiny little micro cracks that you won't notice in your grout lines. The cracks are created from flexing of the substrate, failure of the grout to adhere PERFECTLY to the tile, movement of the foundation, and if on wood screeds, weather changes. 2) OSB will flex over time in heavy traffic. I have pulled up old carpet laid over OSB subfloor and you can see the grain is raised under the pathways to bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.from tiny bits of flexing every time someone walks on it. So it does delaminate some, regardless of any manufacturer's claims. Delamination causes the adhesive bonds to break, then the tiles move, the grout joint fails, etc.. as above.

The front room is the living room. It's currently has carpet over OSB. I had plan to take out the OSB and replace it with plywood and backer board, then tile. Again, that's because I'm told that's how to do it.

Make sure that you are installing the correct backer board. The backer that you have at your local big box may be for vertical use only, NOT to be used for foot traffic. Make sure you are getting the correct stuff, don't rely on the HD or Lowe's guys; go to a real tile outlet and if possible, talk to an installer.

I found this on the net, and when we put in tile flooring, this is procedure we follow:

(( 5 steps to a sound ceramic floor ))

1)Prepare a solid, squeak-free subfloor. One of the keys to a long-lasting tile installation is the underlying subfloor. ...

2) Get rid of the high ridges and sink the fasteners. ...

3) Embed the cement board in latex-modified thin-set mortar. ...

4) Tape the seams. ...

5) Lay the tile in thin-set.

We have one more thing that I insist on personally, and that is before adhering the cement board (foot traffic, horizontal grade) to the plywood, I spray the plywood with a coating of PVC primer to close up the pores a bit on the plywood to make sure the adhesive gets a good bite. Plywood will draw out the moisture in the adhesive too quickly in some cases and will give a less than satisfactory bond. Besides... the latex primer is cheap, cheap insurance.

I advise my clients that when laying tile over this configuration that their grout joints should not be more than 1/2". regardless of prep. Remember, grout is not a structural component, and the only function of the grout is to keep stuff from getting in between and under the tiles. Wide grout joints on a wood floor will definitely let go and separate from the tiles.

Good luck on your project. Once you get it going, it won't be too bad if you follow the right steps. And if you follow them closely, your work will last as long as the tile does. With that in mind, don't buy cheap tile! Make sure you buy something that has a PEI rating or 3 or above so it will stand the wear and tear of furniture, kids, coffee tables, cleaning, etc.

Hope you come back here and start a new thread and let all know you are doing with this! We all love work in progress threads.

Robert

Thanks, Robert! What are your thoughts on removing the vanity in the bathroom to tile underneath? I'm inclined not to do it, but I'm really on the fence.

Thanks,

Mike