Level

[mbcmultitrade]

Another silly question.......

Do you guys use a (spirit) level when laying floor tiles, i.e, using a level on top of the floor tiles, to get an perfectly level floor, or do you just marry-up all four corners of every tile, and let the tiles follows the contour of the floor?

Your opions please?!

Matt.

 

[kilty55]

yes matt use a level and also check your floor before you start

 

[White Room]

I use a spirit level for ovaral leveling but use my finger tips from tile to tile on large format tiles....getting the floor level does help.

 

[mbcmultitrade]

whitebeam: assuming the floor is not level, im assuming you would use a Self Levelling compound? How easy is it to get a perfectly flat with SLC?

 

[mbcmultitrade]

***Perfectly flat FLOOR with SLC?*****

 

[Muse2k8]

A flat surface is more important than level surface IMO.

 

[charlie1]

Yes , use a level.

 

[Perry]

What happens lay it with a level and you have a step at the door ?

 

[Mike Mike]

whitebeam: assuming the floor is not level, im assuming you would use a Self Levelling compound? How easy is it to get a perfectly flat with SLC?

It is possible but only if you use significant quantities of SLC, poured at around 10mm. Read the data sheets carefully. Usually it is around 1.6kg per mm per m2. Also, look for an SLC that takes between 6 and 6.5 litres of water (for a 20kg bag) if you want good flow properties. SLC's that take 3.5 litres are utterly worthless. You need to locate the lowest point on the floor and measure it relative to the highest to work out how many mm's you need to build up. The make sure you have more SLC than you strictly need, and hold back pouring it all if you get a level floor first. There is nothing worse than having too little because your floor will never be level, or even flat!

 

[charlie1]

What happens lay it with a level and you have a step at the door ?

Hi pjc,

This is what I do, you should recognise the method because it was your good self how described it to me about 4 years ago!

Lay 1st tile flat with a large level across it, then make fine adjustments using mallet. Project the level as far out as you can so you can assess where the true plane of the tiles will be in all directions.

What do you mean step at the door?

 

[charlie1]

A flat surface is more important than level surface IMO.

Agree, customer will never notice if floor is not level, they will allways notice if not flat!

 

[Perry]

Hi pjc,

This is what I do, you should recognise the method because it was your good self how described it to me about 4 years ago!

Lay 1st tile flat with a large level across it, then make fine adjustments using mallet. Project the level as far out as you can so you can assess where the true plane of the tiles will be in all directions.

What do you mean step at the door?

Let's say the floor was 50mm higher in the centre of the bathroom than at the door you would have 50mm step plus the thickness of the tiles and board so could end up with up to say an 80mm step if you laid the tiles level on some large floors you could have a nice 180 step into a shop
Now a straightedge yes so it's flat

 

[Dan]

I used to make sure the floor was flat with a straight edge but not particularly level unless the floor was only a few mm out over a couple of meters.

Waaaaay too many floors and houses in general are not level themselves. You'd end up causing issues where the floor meets other floors, or even skirting issues, or radiator pipes would look out of level and that sort of jazz.

Should always be flat though.

My kitchen floor drops off where an extension was built. The floor is flat up to that point and it must have sunk a bit over the years as it has settled. I trip up on it and it's only a few mm out. You do notice floors that drop off or are not flat. But I couldn't tell you if the floor is level overall. I guess I wouldn't notice if it wasn't providing it was flat.

 

[widler]

all floors you should be able to get flat,but most floors you can't get level,it is nigh on impossible ,and as dans says,you can and will cause issues

 

[charlie1]

I know, we can't to magic, something has to give somwhere, the quest for perfection continues!