tiling my kitchen floor

blushingbride_3

Hi everyone.

I have a few questions about tiling my kitchen floor.
at the moment we have crappy vinyl which is split & stained.

The floor is hard boarded & there are 3 rooms:

kitchen & utility & downstairs loo

What do i need to consider?

What is the likely cost per meter?

I've seen nice tiles for about £8p/m2 but then do i need more expensive adhesive because of the hardboard floor?

I have seen some nice big porcelin tiles in B&Q are these likely to be ok? or do they need special care etc?

I want something hard waring that wont scratch/chip etc etc

ormus

the only real thing to consider is the adhesive. for a wooden (suspended) floor you will need flexible adhesive.
its not cheap.

ps
my SIL used 5 tubs on his kitchen! the only man ever to spend more on adhesive than the actual floor tiles!

spadoosh

The porcelain tiles your looking at are really good/nice but they do need a special sealer before there laid which costs about £23 and covers about 15sqm. And if you did go with the porcelain you would also need to buy the porcelain tile adhesive which is genereally a bit more expensive. But does look really good!!

julianashcroft

I have chipboard floors and have had the kitchen and both bathrooms tiled. Before the tiles were laid the tiler screwed down 6mm plywood to the existing floor to stop any movement. I have no idea what type of adhesive he used, flexible or not, but in the four years the tiles have been down, I haven't had a single crack appear in any of the joints.

blushingbride_3

ok thanks

how often do they need resealing?

Are they are hard wearing as ceramic ones?

I love the way they are nice & shiny & reflective which will be good in my dark kitchen.

Do you think it would look naf to have porcelin in the kitchen & then cheaper basic tiles in the utility & toilet, would it be better to have the same throughout?

3radical

Make sure your floor is perfectly level first. I'm about to tackle my bathroom floor with something called latex self levelling compound before I lay some tiles. Wickes sell it for 16 quid a sack, and you just mix it at home, then smooth it over your sub floor with a trowel. It sounds a big job but it really isn't.

blushingbride_3

yeh i wont be doing it my self lol

I'll get a tiler, all depends on the cost i need to finalise the measurements etc

I am still deciding as i dont want to spend lots on a house we only staying another 2-3yrs in but i am totally fed up with the vinyl & think tiles are prefered by most anyway as more hardwaring?

Ionkontrol

Expect to pay £25 a metre to lay porcelain tiles.
I wouldn't buy the B&Q ones.
Try googling B&Q black porcelain tiles.

blushingbride_3

ok so the B&Q ones dont seem too popular.

can anyone recomend some good budget tiles?

they're to go with a cream kitchen and i'd like a light colour because the room is quite dark

[Deleted User]

Ionkontrol wrote: »

Expect to pay £25 a metre to lay porcelain tiles.
I wouldn't buy the B&Q ones.
Try googling B&Q black porcelain tiles.

I hope the expected price you've given is for tiling outside of London, otherwise, I would have to completely disagree with the price per metre for laying porcelain tiles. I myself am a Tiler in London and my basic rates for floors start at £45m2 and that is only for labour and for floors over 5m2. Naturally the price will vary on the substrate and any prep work that would need doing.

I have been in business for many years and generally get my work through recommendations and tiling outlets, such as fired earth, european heritage, topps tiles etc.. Materials used are always recognised by British Standards for example adhesives: Mapei, Ardex, Bal. On suspended wooden floors I use Schluter Ditra matting and an admix to allow for extra flexibility on both adhesive and grout. And as said in the thread, the price of adhesive is not, at the best of times, cheap.

You should certainly be looking for someone that can provide you with a great finish and uses appropriate materials otherwise you could end up with something you are not too happy with. Sometimes the cheaper option is not the best option but do keep an eye open for people who are simply taking the mick.

If you would like further advise with anything regarding tiling please do not hesitate to message me.

@Ionkontrol: I hope i didnt come across as too shocked :eek: by the price suggested only I wouldnt even get out of bed for that rate and the people I have met that do dont really know how to tile and certainly dont respect peoples property. Something which is very important to me.

:A

blushingbride_3

yes i am outside london

I am having house measured by my friend who fits vinyl & wood floors today

He said to have tiles i'd have to had a ply wood base & he doesnt recomend them ontop of wooden floors

however i havent put ply in my bathroom upstairs just laid them on the hardboard.

anyone else have opinions on this?

Also said it would raise the floor by 1" meaning it would be a step up from the laminate in my lounge

he lays Kardeen floor which i'd also be interested in so we'll see how expensive it is