Low quality floor slab

[NigelB]

Hi, looking for help with options here. Stripped out old kitchen and lamintate floor to reveal several cracks - rubbish slab really - some small vertical movement as well as horizontal so clearly can't tile direct even with an isolation membrane. New kitchen coming in 6 weeks, can't be delayed, wife insists on tiled floor. No time to rip out and replace slab - and it would take too long to dry anyway. Looking for a less than ideal way that i might get away with. oh and limited headroom too!

Thought of levelling out and fix cracks as best I can, layer of DPM then 22mm chipboard glued as a floating floor, then tile on top using flexi adhesive? maybe with a decoupling membrane on top of chipboard? Any chance that might work? Many thanks
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[Qwerty]

Your second thoughts are a less viable option than the decoupling membrane to be fair. How much movement are we talking? Any pics?

 

[Ian]

A picture would be really handy please.

 

[nybor62]

forget about the chipboard idea

 

[NigelB]

Love to upload a pic but can't seem to, upload maanger says i only have 9.8kb allowance (no photos uploaded at all, new user) so even my smallest pic is way over, and won't let me post a link to photobucket either!

 

[Qwerty]

Love to upload a pic but can't seem to, upload maanger says i only have 9.8kb allowance (no photos uploaded at all, new user) so even my smallest pic is way over, and won't let me post a link to photobucket either!

Send them through to my business email address and I will upload them

 

[NigelB]

Send them through to my business email address and I will upload them

Many thanks, mail sent

Nigel

 

[Qwerty]

 

[Ajax123]

Wow... You could always run kicking and screaming...

 

[White Room]

Jeeez that looks like a patchwork quilt...

 

[Dave]

A new screed required me thinks 🙂

 

[Chalker]

Best to rip it up.
chance the to get some insulation in too.
If you start this weekend, with 6 weeks, you should have just enough time.

 

[Qwerty]

Deffo new screed required.

 

[NigelB]

Thanks for all replies! Well I certainly felt like running away screaming when I saw it, already had to take the walls back to bare brick, insulate, board and skim which I finished last weekend!

I don't think I have time to replace - from what I've removed in the worst bit in the middle there is around 1.5 -2 inches of concrete on a combination of the old brick floor and earth / sand. So I would have to rip up slab, dig down at least 6 inches, pour a slab with re-bar and wait for it to dry enough for insulation and screed. I can't see it would ever by dry enough to tile ahead of kitchen fitting.

Driving force is daughters wedding, she and new family coming over from States early December hence drop dead date for fitting....divorce being the probable alternative! So starting to think best repair I can followed by engineered wood on a proper damp proof underlay may have to be the compromise.....

 

[Mr Tiler]

i wouldnt bother fixing that or trying to lay tiles, plenty of other options out there mate

 

[Ajax123]

Thanks for all replies! Well I certainly felt like running away screaming when I saw it, already had to take the walls back to bare brick, insulate, board and skim which I finished last weekend!

I don't think I have time to replace - from what I've removed in the worst bit in the middle there is around 1.5 -2 inches of concrete on a combination of the old brick floor and earth / sand. So I would have to rip up slab, dig down at least 6 inches, pour a slab with re-bar and wait for it to dry enough for insulation and screed. I can't see it would ever by dry enough to tile ahead of kitchen fitting.

Driving force is daughters wedding, she and new family coming over from States early December hence drop dead date for fitting....divorce being the probable alternative! So starting to think best repair I can followed by engineered wood on a proper damp proof underlay may have to be the compromise.....

You can cover concrete as soon as it is hard. Why do you need rebar?? Pour one day cover the next using 1200gauge polythene. Insulate and overlay it with 500gauge polythene then screed using a rapid drying screed. The whole thing could be done in a week...two at the most...

 

[AliGage]

You can ditra over the final screed too once its dry enough to walk on.