Floating floors

[AliGage]

Ok, so I've been back on here a few days and thought I would raise a somewhat "controversial" topic. Floating floors!

I've not had one in a while now, priced many but it tends, once they're fully informed, to scare my customers away.

I'm in the middle of one at the moment. It's a kitchen floor, circa 24sqm. 18mm chipboard over celotex. Kitchen has been installed by a popular high Street supplier. When it came to fixing the 600x600 porcelains from Porcelanosa the fitter, very admirably held his hands up to not bring confident to get a good finish. Albeit only after he had fixed 4sqm already.

Kitchen is all in so heights can be a problem. I've taken a somewhat controversial approach at prep'ing it. But im interested in how others might tackle it.

Boards are 2400x600, Dec and then celotex at I presume 100mm.
Deflection, bounces my laser +/-10mm in the two main areas (kitchen/diner)

Discuss........

 

[widler]

Last one I did Ali I screwed down the boards with concrete screws, right through the boards and insulation into the concrete (I'm presuming this is the same set up , wood,insulation, bison beams or concrete slab) then I put hardi down, glued/screwed and tiled in 600x600 , solid as a rock

 

[CJ]

I walked away from a big floater job early this year, and that was with a 300x30 tile.
When I was checking the job, the flex was unbelievable. Even the large Labrador walking in caused it to flex all over the place.

600x600 on a floating floor. No thanks. I'd wouldn't consider it myself. Some will, but they usually talk with an Eastern European twang.

 

[AliGage]

Hey guys, not sure if people might be issued interpreting my initial post. I'm not quoting, I've got the job and halfway through prep'ing.
Just wondered what people's thoughts on prep would be baring in mind the factors I raised. At least before I confess to how I've tackled it

 

[lmkitchens]

Ive screwed through as widler mentioned, put 6 screws per 2400 x 600 board and NMP it.

I drill the board and poke a screw driver through to check for pipes and other sneaky things...

I've not had an issue yet........ I'm ready for a torrent of abuse from folk on here though

 

[WetSaw]

I walked away from a big floater job early this year.

I hope you told the next person "I'd give it 5 minutes if I was you"...

 

[Diggy]

Floating floors = what this bloke is holding.

Diggy

 

[widler]

If you fastern a floating floor down ................. Hey presto tis no longer a floating floor
I do tricks and jokes friday to sunday, bookings taken anytime
today is a one off as ive only got halfa day left then its zante for 2 weeks

 

[Andy Allen]

I tend to shy away from them.
I've done the odd small cloakroom. ...but wouldn't want to tackle a large floor.

 

[Spare Tool]

Found this, makes interesting reading..

https://www.loveweber.co.uk/technical/datasheets

2nd one down on tech solutions

 

[AliGage]

Brace yourself boys and girls!'

My floater is done. Grouted today. Back tomorrow to re-fit a door, and run some silicone round.

I'll get some pictures tomorrow to post.

 

[lizzardtong]

Well i have to ask that question. What is the point of floating floors?

 

[Andy Allen]

Well i have to ask that question. What is the point of floating floors?

There fantastic if you get a flood...

 

[Andy Allen]

So ali ....how did you prep the floor ?

 

[Dan]

Oh yeah! We never found out!

 

[AliGage]

'tis true @Dan I never did say.

I started this topic by stating it was "controversial". I used 12mm hardie.

This job was quite a tough one, certainly for such a small and simple floor.

A well known high Street store won the job originally to supply and fit a kitchen and to tile the floor over electric UFH.

The fitter, after laying 4sqm of 600x600 porcelain from porcelanosa confessed to not being up to the job.

I got called round by the home owner to effectively see if I'd take over. I had to remove the tiling that had been done. Tiles came up easy, discovering then that they weren't back buttered and a 6mm notch was used straight over the cable.
When I put my laser out to check the levels of the remaining floor the line bounced all over the place as I was wandering around (+/-10mm)
Drilled a hole through the insulation boards to discover it was a floater!!

At this stage the kitchen had already been fitted too. Oh dear oh Dear.

So, with height being a massive issue, and the kitchen already in place the options of fixing, replacing or over boarding the floor with 18mm ply all went out the window.

Very nervously and tentatively I opted for 12mm hardie, fixed with a 10mm notch laid in brick fashion and perpendicular to the chipboard. This ment that each join of hardie on the narrow side of the boards fell halfway between any joins in the chipboard. Basically cross bonding the floor. (hope this is all Making sense)
I then screwed the boards down using 30mm turbo golds every 4 inches. A total of 77 screws to a board. 2000 screws throughout the whole floor.

It worked. ALL deflection was eliminated!

It's not necessarily the route I would opt for for any floating floors I come across in the future. But, it did/does work.

 

[WetSaw]

Did you take up the UFH before fixing the Hardie?

 

[AliGage]

Did you take up the UFH before fixing the Hardie?

Yes, sorry. I stripped it right back to chipboard. Removing the 10mm insulation boards that were installed too.

Overboarded with HBB, laid out the UFH Cables and SLC'D as I normally would have before tiling.

 

[Andy Allen]

What adhesive and grout did you use Ali..

 

[AliGage]

Have you got one coming up or something @Andy Allen

 

[AliGage]

I used Weber.set SPF

 

[Andy Allen]

No mate.......just interested
Got a lot of floaters round our way....I tend to steer clear of them....but you never know. .

 

[Andy Allen]

Sorry post overlapped. ....what about the grout?

 

[AliGage]

No mate.......just interested
Got a lot of floaters round our way....I tend to steer clear of them....but you never know. .

Lol, it's cool.
All Weber gear on this one. Checked meticulously as I went along for bounce.
100% the method I used took it out completely.

 

[AliGage]

Ooooo except the grout, Mapei Manhatten 2000