G
GarryMartin
I've been having an offline conversation with Sir Ramic (who has been excellent) and he suggested I bring my problem to the wider TilersForums group.
We're about to start a kitchen refit in a 13 year-old house. We'd like to tile the entire downstairs excluding the main living room - so the hall, kitchen, dining (play) room, utility and cloakroom; about 52 square metres.
However, there is a floating floor - 18mm chipboard on top, then 25mm polystyrene, vapour barrier and a concrete floor. I've read most all the floating floor posts on the board so know that I shouldn't expect miracles and that if my heart is set on tiles, then the floating floor has to go.
Question is, what should I replace it with?
It seems to make sense that I should keep the thermal insulation properties of the polystyrene if at all possible, especially as I'll be losing the insulative properties of underlay and carpet in some of the areas and I'm not planning on underfloor heating, but how do I do that?
I've seen mention of ripping the floating floor out, battening out, insulating between the battens and then laying 18mm+ plywood on top, but presumably that requires the battens to be fixed to the concrete, thereby breaching the vapour barrier?
I've also seen mention of using 40mm Marmox or Ekoboard fixed directly to the concrete. It seems the former can be used as a vapour barrier, and although I'm not sure whether that is the same for the latter, I'm also not sure if a vapour barrier is needed if I'm tiling?
I'm personally drawn to the Marmox/Ekoboard option as although it seems superficially more expensive than battening out, insulating, and putting down plywood, it appears simpler and less labour intensive.
Bottom line; I'm looking for the option that professional tilers like you guys would be happiest tiling on that maintains or improves on the limited thermal insulation I already have - something I can convince Sir Ramic to tile onto as he's not at all keen on floating floors... :smilewinkgrin:
We're about to start a kitchen refit in a 13 year-old house. We'd like to tile the entire downstairs excluding the main living room - so the hall, kitchen, dining (play) room, utility and cloakroom; about 52 square metres.
However, there is a floating floor - 18mm chipboard on top, then 25mm polystyrene, vapour barrier and a concrete floor. I've read most all the floating floor posts on the board so know that I shouldn't expect miracles and that if my heart is set on tiles, then the floating floor has to go.
Question is, what should I replace it with?
It seems to make sense that I should keep the thermal insulation properties of the polystyrene if at all possible, especially as I'll be losing the insulative properties of underlay and carpet in some of the areas and I'm not planning on underfloor heating, but how do I do that?
I've seen mention of ripping the floating floor out, battening out, insulating between the battens and then laying 18mm+ plywood on top, but presumably that requires the battens to be fixed to the concrete, thereby breaching the vapour barrier?
I've also seen mention of using 40mm Marmox or Ekoboard fixed directly to the concrete. It seems the former can be used as a vapour barrier, and although I'm not sure whether that is the same for the latter, I'm also not sure if a vapour barrier is needed if I'm tiling?
I'm personally drawn to the Marmox/Ekoboard option as although it seems superficially more expensive than battening out, insulating, and putting down plywood, it appears simpler and less labour intensive.
Bottom line; I'm looking for the option that professional tilers like you guys would be happiest tiling on that maintains or improves on the limited thermal insulation I already have - something I can convince Sir Ramic to tile onto as he's not at all keen on floating floors... :smilewinkgrin: