How best to Tile a room?

[mp3wizard]

I read everyones constructive advice, I have purchased every tool & material suggested, I have tried my best to follow it to the letter, no shortcuts, at this stage I have a fully functioned underfloor heating system with the coverage I desire, it is very well insulated and I should have good thermal transfer, I have purchased additional slc which should resolve the current issue, when tiling ontop I will be using a levelling system which should aid me further, I fail to see how it is a failure.

if you notice I am not attacking any of the helpful members of the forum, just reacting to 2 people who have not given me 1 piece of helpful advice, you warned me at the start, I decided to make my own judgement, my decision, you both stay quiet where things were going relatively well, and the first sign of trouble you decide to pop up with I told you so attitude.

with out a doubt your skills are far superior to mine when it comes to tiling, it is your profession, but this is a forum for people to share stories and get the advice they need, not to sit in an ivory tower and belittle those who need support because they are courageous enough to try and learn rather than hire a tiler.

I am of course very grateful for all of the members who have helped me, they know who they are.

I can understand a backlash if I was proceeding doing exactly what I want and not listening, but if you read this thread threw fully you will see I have taken all advice on board apart from one fundamental aspect of completing the work myself which you disagree with, it's my property, let me get on with it, if it's not constructive don't bother to write.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

You have no respect for our trade if think you can come on a forum and take only the positive nice comments and disregard with contempt those that you feel negative!
The whole premis of this medium is to discuss the issues that will or could occur, and yet the first reply you gave to the suggestion of the project being above DIY was an attack on the integrity of those providing advice.
Your last comment sums up your attitude towards those replies you deem negative, but perhaps you should try ignoring them and allowing the members to express their opinions as well.

 

[mp3wizard]

I have a great deal of respect for your trade, the more I do, the more I see the concerns but It's obvious that I made the decision to proceed, if it were things to watch out for then fair enough but it's not it's just you can't do it posts, seems like I have touched a nerve with some, all I can say is be secure with your trade and yourself, no need to chip in with negativity to prove a point.

 

[mp3wizard]

Even if you said, that is not a good job this and that is wrong and this needs to be done, I'd fully accept the criticism but there is nothing helpful with I told you so posts, I just want to do the best job I can that's all, I'm not getting into any more disagreements, I felt I needed to speak up for myself, I've done that now so hopefully this thread will continue to give me the guidance I need.

 

[Tile Shop]

Seeing it from a couple of angles, theres been a bit of disrespect in both directions. It would be a much nicer world if the definitive rule was "if you don't have anything helpful or constructive to say, then don't say anything". So maybe we can all stop with the negativity and draw a line under it.

Ok, so the SLC ain't great at the moment. But you have encapsulated the cables so you not going to have any issues with over heating cables so thats one box you can tick off. The only thing now is that because its a little bit up and down, you've made it a little bit more difficult to tile.

If this was my floor, as it is at the moment, i'd be getting a spirit level over every last bit of the floor. Find the highest point and using a 2 or 3m straight edge, skim/feather extra slc over the whole thing to make flat. Doesn't matter if the floor slopes very slightly, flatness is going to be more important than anything.

Its difficult to get perfect, but the flatter you get it, the more confident you will be that you will be able to get 100% coverage of adhesive without any slumps or dips. At the end of the day, no-one is going to see the slc so don't worry about what it looks like. But the flatness of it will be reflected in your tiling if you don't get it good enough. from a DIY perspective, it has to be right, not perfect.

When it comes to the tiling, spread the floor, skim the back of the tiles, bed the tile, twist it, press it, sit on it if you have to, but get the adhesive ribs collapsed, and the tile level with the last one (no lippage). periodically, lift the tiles as you're laying to make sure you're getting the correct coverage and that no voids are present just in case there are still dips in the slc. The trophy you want at the end will be a tiled floor, nice to look at, but ultimately is practical and won't fail.

 

[mp3wizard]

Thanks for the tips, I have ordered another 10 bags of slc to go over the top, so hopefully that should sort it out

 

[average]

Subbed in so I know where to find this. Interesting thread!

I know the OP hasnt done all exactly to plan but I think he'll pull it off. Maybe not to a professional finish but hey, he's doing it himself and i think he'll be happy with his own finish. I've seen some horrendous diy tiling and no-one in their house or visitors even notice the difference. As long as the OP is happy, and it's safe to walk on, then that's fine with me. OP, I don't really have advice on how to go about it but all I can say is good luck and I hope you finish it to a finish you and your family are happy with.

As for the critics on here OP, you have to understand they are times served tilers, are excellent at what they do and take pride in their trade. It's to be expected the criticism because of your issues. Hopefully they stick around and help you out of the sticky situation your in at the moment.

 

[mp3wizard]

Yep I'm over the spat now, seeing it from both perspectives.

Well I finished the 2nd batch of slc, it's certainly not seamless but I have the slc coming next week to go all over the top.

It was frustrating to see one or 2 cables pop up even after pressing them down but hopefully it should be sorted on the next batch.

 

[Andy Allen]

I'm speechless !!......for once....

 

[hmtiling]

What brand of slc are you using?
If you can get hold of it try Rocatex xl500. Very good flow and user friendly.
Good luck

 

[mp3wizard]

I had 5 bags of one brand then realised I needed more so bought another 3 bags then same story again so bought another 5, all different brands, the 10 additional bags are all the same brand of the first stuff I used, which was pretty smooth.

Why are you speechless Andy?

 

[Andy Allen]

At how bad it's turned out !
Sorry just being honest.
However get good flow on your second coat and hopefully it's salvageable.

 

[Spare Tool]

Not a criticism..a question, what's your plan for getting it right this time?

 

[gamma38]

I thought you had height issues?? More self level is only going to make the situation worse. Especially if it's like the stuff you have already poured. Not to put too fine a point on it but some 4 x 4's would struggle over that surface.

 

[mp3wizard]

Well I believe the main problems were;

Not enough bags, so did 2 attempts of 3 different brands, even though correct mix was followed the really rough patches were the slc that was really crap make and out of date.

Going over the matting with the roller was bringing up the mats, even though they were stuck down with additional tape, the mats were also freying and losing threads, so I had to really stop rolling as aggressively as I would of liked.

Solution -

adequate bags all of same make to be done in 1 go.

No cables to worry about apart from 1 or 2 that are slightly proud which I will go careful around.

Use the trowel less to spread into corners, more pouring in correct places and using the spiked roller easier.

Experience of the first 2 attempts and what to look out for quicker.