Evening, little help please

[AliGage]

Evening Ladies and Gents,

I got a call tonight for my first commercial project. This would be an awesome job to give my profile in the area a huge boost as its for a local chinese take away and restaurant.

It is my first commercial project, not huge, but want to ensure my products are spot on.

Apart from storage cupboards and toilets, I have three main areas to deal with. Kitchen and takeaway, wash area, and restaurant.
I've looked at the substrate and there are no expansion points in it throught the whole area.

Substrate is absolutely sound. But I wanted to apply SLC over it all to give myself as flat a surface as possible. I was contemplating putting expansion joints in this, is this a good idea? Would I find something suitable from schutler? How big should I make the bays?

I was then going to lay ditra through out and tile, placing more expansion joints in the same locations.

Tiles are fully vitrified porcelain. I'm not too used to Weber products, have only recently started using them again after a long patriotism to BAL.
I'm thinking Weber.set Rapid Plus?

Lastly, being its use I'm thinking epoxy grout? Want to use Mapei grout, any suggestions?

If I'm wrong or better ways to tackle it please tell me.

Whole area is 90sqm,

Wash area 12sqm
Kitchen/take away 36sqm
Restaurant 42sqm

Cheers in advance

 

[Spud]

Ali post a diagram of the areas ? That way you can see where the ej can be placed what's on the floor at the moment and if the substrate is really sound why Ditra if no ufh ?If the sub flooris concrete or screed and there is not a expansion joint in it and there are not obvious cracks just use the expansion joints in the tile you should epoxy the food prep areas and have tiled skirtings in my opinion in the food prep area and wash room ,I would also epoxy the wash room not because it is nesscesary just because it will be cleaned more often and with stronger chemicals

 

[AliGage]

I took some pictures Gary, will pop them up this evening.

 

[AliGage]

The wash area, this is off to the left of the kitchen and takeaway bar

This is the kitchen, take away bar you can see, and the floor space is in the next picture. You can see the prevoius was area at the end.
This picture was taking from the door leading into the restaurant.

Take away area.

Restaurant view from the kitchen door, top left of the picture is the toilets, in next picture.

My main concern was the large area of SLC. I'm not aware of restrictions in size for it. Also any suggestions on latex or fibre based. Was thinking latex would be easier to shift around and make sure I leve no bumps.

Skirtings in all areas except restaurant are tiled upstands.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Ali I would sugest fibre slc my choice would be Levelflex from tile master, if the floor is bad you might find my way of setting bays to pour slc Levelflex will go up to 50mm in one pour.

 

[AliGage]

What have you used to set up the bays phil?

Another question. The UFH you're going over there. I went out couple of days ago to a job that had this installed. The whole house has it. Some other tilers have been doing some of the rooms and have gone straight over it.
I've been asked if ill do a polished porcelain hallway and the dining room, which adjoins the large living room (already tiled) and an office in a glazed porcelain. I asked the question about SLC and as told hall has quite a slope, as some areas have been tiled it can't happen.
Never really like the idea of going straight over UFH and I've also never tiled over a wet install. Would it be advisable to use a de-coup? Or would an S2 adhesive be sufficient straight to it be ok?

 

[Peter]

How do you get your skids/runners so spot on Phil? Would you mind taking a few pictures some time of the process of forming them?

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi guys the runners to form the bays are made up of silver sand portland cement, sbr, and rapid set adhesive.

I prime the areas where the runners will go, I then set dots (shims/packers) with my laser having done a grid of levels. once I have found the highest point, I allow 1mm packer then set the rest until I get all the dots spot on, again using the laser.

If I am using a 2m level, I will set the dots/runners at 1.80m spaces. Next step I lay the mix (slightly stiffer than you would use for brick laying) in between the dots ( making sure the mix is higher than the dots) I then wet my 2m stabila, rub it into the mix until I touch both dots, then cut away surplus compo.

Then I slide the level of, leaving a neat 25mm runner perfectly flat. I repeat this in bays of 1.80m, the reaction between the rapid set and sand and cement sends the mix off in 2/3 hours. If I have a big area to cover I will leave overnight to cure.

Then its just a case of priming the rest of the areas, mixing slc and pouring the bays until they are full, draw off with a feather edge and bingo a floor you could play snooker on. Just my method based on my screeding days, everyone has their own ways, but this works for me.

 

[Stef]

Phil, I would love to be able to spend a few days with you when you are doing stuff like this.
It would be a god send for me with some of the floors I get asked to tile over..

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Thanks Steph, I'm sure I could learn loads from you, we never stop learning. I hope my post made sense, it is never easy to explain a method in type, hope the pics made it clearer.

Next time I do one, I will do a step by step post. I would stress that this is just my way of dealing with a problem we all come across now and then.

I would never be so arrogant as to say this is the only way to lay slc accurately. My background being "old school" is being able to screed in sand and cement, and this is the same principle. Any screeders/ plasterers, or older tilers will know what I mean.

 

[Stef]

Thanks Steph, I'm sure I could learn loads from you, we never stop learning. I hope my post made sense, it is never easy to explain a method in type, hope the pics made it clearer.

Next time I do one, I will do a step by step post. I would stress that this is just my way of dealing with a problem we all come across now and then.

I would never be so arrogant as to say this is the only way to lay slc accurately. My background being "old school" is being able to screed in sand and cement, and this is the same principle. Any screeders/ plasterers, or older tilers will know what I mean.

Phil, it's the "Old School Tilers" I would rather learn stuff like this from.
You have probably forgot more than half the tilers nowadays know about tiling.
The way you do it is hard to explain, to try & put it down in words anyway.
Be good to learn this process & pass it on to the house builder I work for & tile to a nice flat surface instead of a Ploughed Field..

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Phil, it's the "Old School Tilers" I would rather learn stuff like this from.
You have probably forgot more than half the tilers nowadays know about tiling.
The way you do it is hard to explain, to try & put it down in words anyway.
Be good to learn this process & pass it on to the house builder I work for & tile to a nice flat surface instead of a Ploughed Field.. 

Amen to that Steph, I wish we could educate builders as to what we need, instead of the old " the tiler will get over that".:mad2:

 

[Peter]

Thanks Phil. My 'method' of troweling out and pulling a 2.4m feather edge over isn't exactly accurate so keen to try this method next time. Would rather spend another hour in the prep than 2 hours fighting with a bumpy floor.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Thanks Phil. My 'method' of troweling out and pulling a 2.4m feather edge over isn't exactly accurate so keen to try this method next time. Would rather spend another hour in the prep than 2 hours fighting with a bumpy floor.

Cheers Peter, as I say it is just my way of doing things. If you decide to try it on your next bad subfloor, if you are unsure about anything give me a ring 07711310960 I will try to talk you through it, or just give me a call to have a chat, we have a lot in common. I'm sure I could pick your brains and learn some of your tips.

 

[Peter]

Cheers, I don't have many tips except about the mighty Sigma which wouldn't interest you :lol:

Will have a bad one in about a fortnight so will give this a go. The floor will probably still look like the hills of Donegal though. :lol: