Need some help re tiling kitchen floor

blushingbride_3

Hi everyone

I want to get my kitchen floor tiled, it is currently vinyl.

Underneath the is hardboard but how do I find out what the structure of the floor is. The floor is firm apart from one area where the main kitchen goes into a 1.7x1.7 alcove. Between the main kitchen and the alcove there is a flex in the floor and a slight level change. Not sure if a ply overlay will be enough to cancel this out?

I've also been priced as 16sqm to include ply and adhesives etc £645 is that a good price? I will be supplying the tiles.

Thanks

K

Hintza

blushingbride wrote: »

I've also been priced as 16sqm to include ply and adhesives etc £645 is that a good price? I will be supplying the tiles.

Thanks

K

Get a couple of other quotes.

http://www.whatprice.co.uk/prices/building/tiling-floor.html

Haven't a clue how good these prices are but might give you a pointer.

Remember lifting old tiles, taking off skirting etc will add a lot to the job and is something you might want to do.

Leif

blushingbride wrote: »

I've also been priced as 16sqm to include ply and adhesives etc £645 is that a good price? I will be supplying the tiles.

I paid about the same to have large porcelain tiles laid on a flat solid floor, including adhesives, so about the same as you. He was a professional used by a local kitchen shop, and did a good job. No plywood was needed.

Hintza

One thing I do know is that the plywood part is about £50 for 5m2. So that will be about £150 will be nailed at 2 inch intervals so quite time consuming.

keystone

blushingbride wrote: »

I want to get my kitchen floor tiled, it is currently vinyl. Underneath the is hardboard but how do I find out what the structure of the floor is.

The hardboard must come up and yes you need to know what the substrate is. Remove some of the hardboard.

The floor is firm apart from one area where the main kitchen goes into a 1.7x1.7 alcove. Between the main kitchen and the alcove there is a flex in the floor and a slight level change. Not sure if a ply overlay will be enough to cancel this out?

Level isn't the problem. Flatness is. Is the flex in the floor a function of the hardboard lifting? If the underfllor is flexing then it needs strengthening.

I've also been priced as 16sqm to include ply and adhesives etc £645 is that a good price? I will be supplying the tiles.

If it includes plying the floor properly then its probably not far off particularly if there are unknowns. Note that 6mm or 9mm or even 12mm isn't enough. It needs to be 15mm minimum.

Cheers

keystone

Hintza wrote: »

will be nailed

:eek::eek::eek:. I hope you mean screwed and 150mm centres is fine but it must be into joists or noggins and not into floorboards.

Cheers

Hintza

keystone wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:. I hope you mean screwed and 150mm centres is fine but it must be into joists or noggins and not into floorboards.

Cheers

Depends on the underfloor, but our very thin ply was put in with ring nails, having said that it was for a karndean floor and not a tiled floor.

blushingbride_3

Ok thanks for all the replies, makes me sound more clued up when I get quotes.

I had someone round today I liked him & he was very professional from a kitchen and bathroom install company.

He's said the room is 25sqm which I think is correct as I was surprised when other guy said 16!
He's quoted me £605 to fit if I supply tiles. Altough he can get discounts on tiles.
Now when I asked about the floor and bounce he said not a problem as he speicalises in tiling floating floors and has a special screed to firm the floor?! Does this sound right? He uses this rather than ply.

keystone

Hintza wrote: »

Depends on the underfloor, but our very thin ply was put in with ring nails, having said that it was for a karndean floor and not a tiled floor.

Actually it depends on what is going on top. What is suitable for Karndean vinyl planks ain't suitable for ceramic tiles.

Cheers

keystone

blushingbride wrote: »

He's said the room is 25sqm which I think is correct as I was surprised when other guy said 16!

He's probably correct from a room size perspective but as you don't tile all the way under kitchen units then it probably is 16m^2 of tiling - it just sounds cheaper per m^2 they way he's expressed it.

He's quoted me £605 to fit if I supply tiles.

Probably on a par then for the tiling element.

Altough he can get discounts on tiles.

Which wil then get swallowed up to a large extent when he's put his margin on top. If he doesn't then he's not running his business properly.

Now when I asked about the floor and bounce he said not a problem as he speicalises in tiling floating floors and has a special screed to firm the floor?!

Does he mean a screed or does he mean a decoupling membrane or does he just mean flexible adhesive? None of these will deal with floor deflection tbh and in due time there will be problems. As you never stop learning I would be very interested to hear what this magic stuff is called and what its performance specification is. Sorry but I'm sceptical of this but if he is happy to guarantee the work then its his problem not yours provided he stands by his guarantee.

Cheers

andygb

keystone wrote: »

Actually it depends on what is going on top. What is suitable for Karndean vinyl planks ain't suitable for ceramic tiles.

Cheers

We put in marble tiles in the kitchen five years ago. We have floorboards, and the whole lot was covered with sealed (unibonded) 12mm ply, fixed at 3" points (screwed through the boards). We then used Mapei flexible adhesive on the ply, and also buttered the tiles lightly.
Touch wood, nothing has moved - yet:)
By fixing the ply to the boards you create a more rigid structure, in essence no board can move indepently.