Tiling uneven wooden floors

[choco]

My wall tiling isn't bad but I haven't done that much floor tiling.

I've got a bathroom (1.7m x 1.9m) and a small cloakroom to do. It's an old house and the existing floor boards are all over the shop. Very uneven with gaps and corners missing, etc.

I am thinking of screwing down the boards as tight as possible, then putting down a sheet of ply (not sure what thickness, though?) and then using one of those floor leveling cement jobby things.

Am I going far wrong with that?

 

[barronbathrooms]

If floor boards can be screwed down and floor is deflection free just overboard with hardie. Bedded on SPF. Screwed with s/s screws

 

[choco]

Excellent stuff, lads. What a cool forum. I've been on the Tilers forum and received some very useful (and similar) advice but they don't seem to have as many lurkers on there.

As an update, I've cleaned all the **** out of the bathroom this morning and the floor is in a lot better nick than I'd remembered it. The loose and uneven stuff is on the side which will be under the bath. The standing/walking areas are actually very well fastened with tongued and grooved boards.

 

[petercj]

Based on the questions you have needed to ask choco, I suggest you get an on-site opinion, apart from raising the floor, you will be putting a lot of extra weight on the joists.

Cheers for the snide remark btw.

 

[choco]

'Cheers for the snide remark btw'

What snide remark?

 

[Phil]

Excellent stuff, lads. What a cool forum. I've been on the Tilers forum and received some very useful (and similar) advice but they don't seem to have as many lurkers on there.

As an update, I've cleaned all the **** out of the bathroom this morning and the floor is in a lot better nick than I'd remembered it. The loose and uneven stuff is on the side which will be under the bath. The standing/walking areas are actually very well fastened with tongued and grooved boards.

The tilers over there don't really like outsiders epecially plumbers who do their own tiling! It is a great forum though.

 

[gasmanrob]

look up schluter ditra watched a tiler lay that over floor board and tile straight on top. we couldnt lift the floor as was a listed building and attatched to the underside of the floor board was the kitchen ceiling. the floor was all over the place to beging but by the end you couldnt tell he rekons it was better then ply. and used it on most jobs as it was unbelivebly time and cost effective

 

[barronbathrooms]

Ditra is an uncoupling membrane. It will prevent any lateral movement in the floor debonding the tiles. It will not strengthen the floor it will not get rid of deflection. Use it a lot with natural stone and ufh. never used it straight onto floor boards, but never used no more ply neither. doesn't fill me with confidence I like to use 18mm ply onto joists with uncoupling membrane or floor boads overboard with hardie glued and screwed! Just my opinion though.

 

[markfxy]

If theres any deflection in the floor use ditra with mappei flexible adhesive I've used it a few times with no problems.

 

[Dan]

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