First time tiling a floor

[SallyMcNally]

Hi, I've been planning on tiling my 16sq m dining room floor for ages, so have been reading these forums for months, planning and waiting til I have the time/info/courage to start. Feel like I've learnt loads from here already, but it would be great if someone could run through my list of tools and materials to check they're the right choice for the job please

So the floor is concrete and covered in black bitumin, it's quite level but not very flat. So I'm planning on smoothing/levelling with arditex NA, according to the data sheet it can be poured straight over bitumin. Bit nervous as it sets fast, but should be OK with planning, prep and 2 people to help? Unless there's an easier/cheaper/less skilled way of tiling over bitumin that I've missed?

The tiles are 60×15 porcelain plank tiles. Checked a few for warpage and they seem pretty flat. I was thinking of using BAL flex one adhesive (long working time and suitable for larger tiles) and a 10mm U notch trowel, along with a levelling clip system (probably raimondi because the pliers seem reliable and extra clips available quite cheaply on ebay). Does that all sound right?

Not sure what grout to use yet, but I really like the look of wider grout lines in a similar colour to the tiles, as the room will be a quite rustic/traditional style. Would 4mm be too wide?

What pattern would you recommend to lay them? Apparently they need to be offset to account for the warp issue so it limits options a little. I like the look of herringbone with a border but probably not a good idea for a first time job 😆

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Perfect Tiling]

Hi Sally...tiling over a not very flat bitumen floor.....not a good first time job. I've never actually used the arditex leveller that you mention....it might be worth mixing up a small amount and seeing how well it sticks to the bitumen before you do the whole floor in case it won't adhere.

Tile adhesive you've chosen is ok....it'll give you plenty of time to work on your first job. A lot of timber plank tiles are laid the same as if they are timber or laminate.....stagger the joints. Basically, the bit you cut off at the end of a row is used to start the next row....although you can move this around to avoid arkward cuts......you'll have very little wastage as well. If tiles are porcelain its adviseable to back butter the tiles as well as using the 10mm combed float......scrape adhesive onto the rear of the tile to fill any pattern....this helps with adhesion.

A 4mm grout line is fine.....3mm is the minimum for floors. Good luck.

 

[bsc ceramics]

Make sure you prime the floor with a good aycrilic prime, ardex will do one
so ask whoever you get your materials from

 

[SallyMcNally]

Thanks, I'm ordering from protilertools, I'll ask them. I did email ardex to check and and they replied with this:

Providing the bitumen residues are hard,sound and well adhered to the substrate you can apply the ARDITEX NA direct.

If you are having some doubts its always a good idea to apply a small test area to establish the degree of adhesion you are going to achieve.

 

[Rae]

Great you doing by yourself,but expensive if you have to re do it ,remember to start from the high point ,good luck,

 

[SallyMcNally]

Thanks for the advice. Not the best conditions for a first time but hoping if I prep well and work slowly and carefully it'll turn out ok. I've ordered tilemaster slc (says it can go over bitumin if primed) and their gritty primer. I'll test a patch before I start. Hopefully it will stick, and end up flat enough not to need too much patching/grinding 😆 I'm currently mapping out low spots on the floor.

Would it be easier if I fill in the lowest spots and smooth them off with a feather edge before the actual full pour to cover the bitumin? Each corner of the room gently slopes down over about 1m distance and ends about 3mm lower than the middle.

Also, I've seen experienced tilers on here talking about using packers/shims to mark out low points, stuck to the floor with Silicon sealant, and then pouring the slc around them. Are these then removed while its still wet? Or just left there? Does it matter if the Silicon gets left on the floor under the slc?

 

[Dave]

Thanks for the advice. Not the best conditions for a first time but hoping if I prep well and work slowly and carefully it'll turn out ok. I've ordered tilemaster slc (says it can go over bitumin if primed) and their gritty primer. I'll test a patch before I start. Hopefully it will stick, and end up flat enough not to need too much patching/grinding 😆 I'm currently mapping out low spots on the floor.

Would it be easier if I fill in the lowest spots and smooth them off with a feather edge before the actual full pour to cover the bitumin? Each corner of the room gently slopes down over about 1m distance and ends about 3mm lower than the middle.

Also, I've seen experienced tilers on here talking about using packers/shims to mark out low points, stuck to the floor with Silicon sealant, and then pouring the slc around them. Are these then removed while its still wet? Or just left there? Does it matter if the Silicon gets left on the floor under the slc?

Just left there. 👍.
Look forward to hearing how your project progresses, keep us informed.