Hi all,
I am doing a remodel on the 5th floor of a concrete high-rise. Within the 1200 square foot unit, the slab is out-of-level by 1-7/8″ We’re installing a porcelain plank tile, so we need the floor to be floated very flat, and possibly level. We have settled on two different finish floor elevations for the two different wings so we only need between 1″ and 1-1/2″ of floating to get to the target slab level.
My architect and engineer are worried about adding dead load to the floor, so we’re looking for lightweight ways to flatten it. I visited a friend’s job the other day and they were using a 1/2″ cork underlayment below the exact tile we are using. I’ve used this same cork on other jobs with no problems. I’d like to keep the mortar bed below 1/2″ thick and install the cork on top.
My concern is this: If there is ever a flood in the unit, would the entire floor system need to be torn out? Would there ever be a flood situation where a tile floor over a concrete slab would have to be torn out without a cork underlayment? In other words, Should I even be thinking about how flooding could affect the floor? Or would a flood result in having to tear out the whole floor anyway?
If anyone has any experience with flood damage, please let me know.
Thanks,
Pete
Replies
There are a number of light weight floor leveling products that typically use polystyrene beads to reduce weight. Some can be built up to 1 1/2". Normally you need to prime the existing concrete so it won't drink up the water in the mix. There are cork underlayment products that are either treated or are mixed with rubber for greater moisture resistence. Can't comment on how they actually work in a flood situation.