Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:51:37 +0100, Deville wrote:

Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.

How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard? You do not . as such need
to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway
unless you plane down the joists).
www.axp.mdx.ac.uk/~john49/tilefaq.htm

will probably be useful.

John Schmitt

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On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 16:23:41 +0100, "John Schmitt"
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:51:37 +0100, Deville wrote:

Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.

How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard?

There's a layer of lino on it and a layer of cork tiles on top of that
so I don't know what the surface looks like yet.

You do not . as such need
to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway
unless you plane down the joists).

I'm not sure I understand this. The rest of the flat has 14mm
hardwood flooring on top of underlay on top of the chipboard (at least
outside the bathroom) so there will be a step at the bathroom door of
some kind anyway.

www.axp.mdx.ac.uk/~john49/tilefaq.htm

will probably be useful.

Thanks, I've bookmarked it.

In article ,
Deville writes:
Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.

Just a heads-up...
Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
used by an elderly or infirm person.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

Just a heads-up...
Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
used by an elderly or infirm person.


We have porcelain tiles, but they have a textured surface, which is both
coarse and has stone-like ripples across it. It is anything but slippery.

--
Grunff

Deville wrote:
Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.


Been there, seen it, done it (albiet with ceramic floor tiles).

Lasted 2 days before I gave up, ripped them up (after spending an age
cutting them around the furniture) and replacing with laminate.

Short story - the floor was not stable enough, and the grout / bonding
agent not flexible enough. I've since seen more flexible adhesives but
unless there's been an order-of-magnitude improvement between these and
what I used some 3-4 years ago then I'd be nervous about tiling onto the
chipboard.

Mike Dodd wrote:

Deville wrote:
Any reason why these can't be laid straight onto the existing
chipboard floor? I'd like to avoid an extra layer of plywood if
possible.


Been there, seen it, done it (albiet with ceramic floor tiles).

Lasted 2 days before I gave up, ripped them up (after spending an age
cutting them around the furniture) and replacing with laminate.

Short story - the floor was not stable enough, and the grout / bonding
agent not flexible enough. I've since seen more flexible adhesives but
unless there's been an order-of-magnitude improvement between these and
what I used some 3-4 years ago then I'd be nervous about tiling onto the
chipboard.

I used 6mm ply over floorboards, so i've not much experience of
chipboard. If there's appreciable give when you walk on it then i'd say
don't put floor tiles down. I used fairly big tiles (600 mm across) and
a good wood floor tile adhesive. 2 years later, one tile is just
starting to give, but as it was heavily grouted, the grout seems to me
stablilising the floor. Not enough movement to have to redo, but i'm
keeping an eye on it ..

Paul.

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:38:18 +0100, Andrew Gabriel
wrote:

Just a heads-up...
Porcelain tiles can be very slippery when you step out of
a bath or shower onto them. I have them in a bathroom and
I like them, but I keep a rubber-backed bath mat in front
of the bath/shower to avoid slipping. I would think twice
about installing them in a bath/shower room which might be
used by an elderly or infirm person.

Seconded. As I commented earlier cork tiles are my choice and while I am
not particularly into tree-hugging, they are from a renewable resource. I
was quite taken aback when I saw my first /Quercus suber/ which had been
harvested. They just ring-bark it, a procedure which would kill most
trees. Four or five years later, the bark has grown back and is harvested
again.

Quite a number of years ago, in my Scout Leader guise, I was involved in a
trip to the now defunct Fantaseas in Chingford.This water park had smooth
tiles in the changing room and I found enough difficulty keeping a
foothold with wet feet. Worse still the boys by their nature were running
around on this treacherous surface. When they were all in the minibuses,
the leaders breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that their
charges were all intact.

John Schmitt

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On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 09:58:44 +0100, "John Schmitt"
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 18:30:37 +0100, Deville wrote:

How sure are you it is flooring grade chipboard?

There's a layer of lino on it and a layer of cork tiles on top of that
so I don't know what the surface looks like yet.

The remaining adhesive under the lino needs to be removed with a vengeance.

I'll bear that in mind.

You do not . as such need
to retain the chipboard as this will cause a step (the tiles will anyway
unless you plane down the joists).

I'm not sure I understand this. The rest of the flat has 14mm
hardwood flooring on top of underlay on top of the chipboard (at least
outside the bathroom) so there will be a step at the bathroom door of
some kind anyway.

My long term plan is to create a dais-type floor in the bathroom with a
couple of steps, so that the bath is sunken relative to the floor. I will
also go for cork flooring, due to its general comfort and non-slip
tendencies. Stiletto heels are death to cork, but I never wear them, at
least in the bathroom. ;-)

The problem we've had with cork floors is that they don't wear very
well.

Thanks, I've bookmarked it.

You will find that I am not the only member of this NG who has written
useful FAQs. The amount of knowledge collectively held continues to
astound me.

John Schmitt