Help - please! Floating floor and porcelain tiles in kitchen/diner

cuffie

Tiler came round to quote and said all ok to tile our floor with porcelain tiles. Bought tiles, tiler came round to start job and where we have taken the skirting off, he noticed that the floor had more movement so he lifted the floor up (crappy chipboard stuff) and said that he had never seen a floor like this! Apparantly timber joists, insulation inbetween, but the timber joists aren't attached to anything. He was going to screw the 9mm ply to the crappy chipboard stuff and into the timbers to keep it stable, but the joists aren't attached to anything! They are sitting on concrete beams with insulation inbetween. So, his concern now is too much movement. He will use flexible adhesive etc. He is happy to go ahead, and said it should be fine, but he just wants to cover himself I suppose.....
We are due to have underfloor heating too.
Anyone else had these issues before?
Thanks
Help!!

olly300

If the floor has any form of movement then I've been told by a builder neighbour not to bother putting tiles down as in a few years you will have to remove them all.

cuffie

I have asked a few people and I get told "yes, will be absolutely fine as long as flexible adhesive used". But others are a bit more hesitant. I am so !!!!ed off. Has anyone got a floating floor and laid tiles down?

ormus

yes, done it loads of times.
just use the correct adhesive. the unibond flexible type. more expensive but its good stuff.
my present kitchen floor is ceramic tiles, onto bare wooden floorboards, on joists.

Alan_M_2

There are no circumstances under which you should tile a floating floor. (which is very different to a traditional floor with joists and fixed boards).

If you do, it will fail, it's not a matter of if, but when it will fail.

None of the main adhesive manufacturers produce an adhesive that can cope with this type of movement.

Also don't let anyone try and talk you into Ditra matting or anything similar, it's not designed for that.

My advice, go for a vinyl tile replica, or remove the chipboard and the joists, fit insulation then screed the floor and tile.

Trust me, don't tile it as it is, you will be pulling it up again in 3 months time.

cuffie

Oh no........
Thank you for your advice. x

victorias_dad

OH dear i know of a huge development of apartments that have this type of flooring and all have tiled bathroom floors mind you they were built in the 80s do you think they will be alright?

cuffie

Alan
Is re-laying the floor to accept the ceramic tiles a big job? Half the area has our kitchen on it! I am a bit cross that the tiler didn't notice this in the first place (after all, that's why we got him round - to quote and to check that we could lay the tiles on this type of floor). So we have boxes of floor tiles, and underfloor heating....all useless now. I'm so upset. There's always something!!
Thanks for your replies.

eco-friendly_2

OH dear i know of a huge development of apartments that have this type of flooring and all have tiled bathroom floors mind you they were built in the 80s do you think they will be alright?

I doubt it!


Looks like victorias dad is the uncle's brother in law to ormus :cool:

eco-friendly_2

cuffie

Is your property a house or a flat?

cuffie

Its a detatched house.
I didn't really understand the "flats" comment?!! (or am I being thick? I kind of thought he was being sarcastic about something, but couldn't work out what!!).
I think it is doomed. I doubt the tile shop will take the tiles back. They ordered them in. Nor the underfloor heating cabling. And we'll no doubt have to pay the tiler for the ply he got in....
I am so disappointed..... Maybe if there was a way we could fix the floor? It is quite a big area. We had to order 30 square m of tiles (that includes a small utility room which is fine- there doesn't seem to be any movement there).
We had our kitchen wall knocked down to make a kitchen diner last year,and this was the last job that needed doing. Would you believe even that didn't go smoothly. Knocked down the wall, and part of another wall fell down with it!!
Never buy a builders house....isn't that what they say??! Wish I'd listened!!!