Ceramic floor tiles direct on floorboards...

[Dave Busby]

Hi all,

It appears that our builders have laid ceramic tiles directly on floorboards in our hallway and downstairs toilet without any backing etc.

It was fine for the first couple of months, but it seems to have caused 1 tile to crack and the grouting around another to perish. When you stand on that tile the whole tile depresses by a few millimetres. When you walk over the whole area it doesn't feel particularly 'solid'?

Does the whole lot need to come up and be re-laid with some sort of backing between the tiles and floorboards do you think? Or is there any other way around this issue?

Also, the same ceramic tiles have been laid in the kitchen directly on to the screed they put on top of the underfloor heating. No problems at the moment, but is that the way it's meant to be done or should there still be some sort of underlay on this?

We also have concerns that they haven't used adhesive that is 'flexible' and suitable for ceramic tiles. Is that a huge problem?

Thanks for reading and any advice you have would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Dave.

 

[23vc]

I'm not a pro tiler but in my experience the floor should have some decent ply on it with noggins supporting the edges. Did my hallway like that a few years ago and it's solid as a rock.
However I think some of the flex adhesive says suitable for going straight onto existing floorboards but I wouldn't for the reasons you describe.

 

[B17NNS]

No tiler worth his salt with tile directly onto floorboards. The floor should have been overboarded with 'no more ply' cement boards glued and screwed. The tiles then need to be laid using a quality cement based flexible adhesive. Tiles should also be back buttered. Regarding the underfloor heating/screed it should be okay assuming the screed was dry enough, primed with either SBR or acrylic and a flexible adhesive was used. The floor should then be very gently brought up to temperature after the adhesive has completely cured.

 

[jctilingservices]

No tiler worth his salt with tile directly onto floorboards. The floor should have been overboarded with 'no more ply' cement boards glued and screwed. The tiles then need to be laid using a quality cement based flexible adhesive. Tiles should also be back buttered. Regarding the underfloor heating/screed it should be okay assuming the screed was dry enough, primed with either SBR or acrylic and a flexible adhesive was used. The floor should then be very gently brought up to temperature after the adhesive has completely cured.

No need for the tiles be back buttered ? they are ceramic, so its not as thought the colour of the adhesive will bleed through.

Regarding overboarding with either no more ply, wbp ply or simply cement backer boards, the floorboards should be fixed firmly so there is no movement in them BEFORE overboarding.

this is for the OP to reply to


Was the kitchen tiles laid onto a screed or is it possible whoever done this applied the adhesive directly over the underfloor heating and tiled the area ?