From what I’ve read, Ditra is the best product to use on top of a plywood subfloor to install a ceramic tile finish floor. I recommended it to my customer who is well educated and built most of his own home. Out here in the country, I will be helping him install his floor.
In the city, he “asked around” various tile contractors who said they don’t like it and don’t use it anymore due to cracks in the grout and that it is too flexible.
Please chime in on these comments. Thanks.
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Replies
I've been tempted to use it but haven't. I like the fact that it uncouples the tile from the floor (isolation). I'm also very anal about using backer with thinset and screw the he!! out of it. I will likely use the kerdi system on the next shower I do.
Mike
The customer has purchased 1/4" concrete backer board to thinset/screw to the plywood subfloor.
The layout is very convoluted, and ditra would have been a time/$$ saver.
http://grungefm.com
I believe that Schluter recommends that you do NOT use modified thinset on the Ditra to set the tile because of the length of time it was taking for this thinset to cure (weeks). If I remember right, this was causing some grout problems a few years back when people walked on tile jobs before the thinset set up all the way. Maybe this is what the tile guys were talking about? The install manual show the procedure for all kinds of subfloors.
I love the stuff.
From what I remember I read, the mfgr. website said that you could begin tiling immediately upon completion of setting the ditra in thinset. No waiting, no cure time.
I pulled my old issue of Fine Homebuilding that featured a cover story on tile setting on ditra; I believe it said on the Mag cover "a floor that won't crack" or something like that.
Wassup?
I plan on loaning the mag issue to the customer.
Also, on the John Bridge website, I recall reading that ditra is THE WAY to do floor tile.
http://grungefm.com
Edited 7/21/2006 5:25 pm ET by RRooster
Been using schluter since before 2001 and started to use the unmodified in 2001. No problems with the products. I should also mention that I install tile outdoors in this area. (Maine)
Schluter is the only way to go.Jim
Right, you can tile right away. I was just mentioning the length of time that latex modified thinset can take to cure between the tile and the Ditra especially when using large format porcelain tile. I believe that's why Schluter recommends unmodified now to set the tile.
The folks on John Bridge would doubtless have lots to say about this. What I have heard is that sometimes there are unexplained bubbles under Ditra. I'd be tempted to try it but the last few floors I've done have been CBU over plywood and it's 100% effective as far as I'm concerned. I'm definitely somewhat resistant to new materials.
I used it about half a dozen times. I LOVE IT!! The bathrooms were on the second floor. walked up with two bathrooms worth... rolled up in one trip. Goes down easy as cake and I haven't had any issues with it at all other than it being a bit expensive and hard to get a hold of quickly.
Be well
a...
If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
After our fine magazine putting it on the cover, and John Bridge website endorsement, I was shocked by my customer's comments.
Could someone from the magazine comment here?
http://grungefm.com
<<<Could someone from the magazine comment here?>>>
Why...you think they know more'n we do? : )If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
<<<Could someone from the magazine comment here?>>>Why...you think they know more'n we do? : )
They are responsible for the content of the magazine.....amoung many other legal type things beyond my knowledge.
No disrespect to you/we intended.
If it in fact cracks the floor like my customer says, then why did Fine Homebuilding put text on the cover of the magazine stating otherwise. I tend to trust my magazine over second hand hearsay, but I would like to see if they might comment on this.
Maybe the modified thinset was the whole entire problem as you/we have stated in this thread.
http://grungefm.com
To be honest with you with no disrespect to any rag including FHB. They don't work with these products and they're not Consumer Reports who by the way I don't always agree with anyway. They give John Deere LAwn tractors super high marks yet all the lawn sites I go into that are subscribed by professional landscapers...they all hate JD so.....
Its in "this" forum where you'll read about the "practical" use for Ditra or any building product written by the real world not whats tested in the office or on a job or two.
If you don't get enough responses here just have Rez keep "bumping" your post or have him teach you how to bump your own post....lol.
Be well
andyIf Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
It just so happens that I own a John Deere lawn tractor.
http://grungefm.com
You and a whole lot of other people like my next door neighbor who's had it fixed numerous times and its only three years old and they don't particularly have a strange lawn to mow.
I donno....its just what I hear a real lot.
I DID hear though that the JD mowers that the box stores sell may be different than what the dealers sell just like a lot of things in the box stores. I donno....I don't own one.
I also know Boss Hog who comes froma farm family HATES them and thats good enough for me to have bought something else.If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
Mine is 10 years old, bought it from the dealer before they were available at the big box stores.
I wouldn't doubt that the big box mowers are different; I would expect it.
Cheaper model, more markup and more profit.
http://grungefm.com
The big box ones are different than the dealer JD's. They both have Kohler engines but after that, the big box ones are much cheaper made. Everything from the thinner frames to lack of air cleaners and I guarantee the transmission and all the other guts are lower quality. I think the big box ones would probably be fine for just cutting the grass but if people use them as a garden tractor, that is when they will fail. The big box models are specifically for them, and they cannot sell the other models.
I wouldn't be surprised if JD doesn't even make them, they might be made in China or Mexico by another company and just painted green and yellow.
bump didee bumpIf Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
We have been using it since it came to this country. In fact, our tilesetter stopped setting tile and now works for Schluter. He was a mud bed advocate and if he was convinced, I really don't need to know anything else.
Does this mean that your job will turn out perfectly? Of course not. Tile is a brittle material. There are a million different ways that you can have a problem with it. Anybody who has worked with tile for any length of time knows this. Each tilesetter has to find the methods that give him the best chance. These methods will vary between tilers. A tiler's experience and his confidence in his methods are what will improve the odds.
As far as tiling goes, we are just hacks but though we have had problems on some of our tile jobs, I cannot atribute a single one of these problems with ditra or kerdi. It gives us our best chance.
Thanks for the feedback. You are correct, we (me) are hacks. I am always refining my work methods and learning daily, whatever it is I am doing.
The job I posted about is in progress now. It took a full day to install the cement backer board, a process that would have been greatly reduced if we had used ditra. I am being paid by the hour on this project, so I shouldn't care, but I do because I have a huge backlog of work.
I do plan on using ditra first available chance. I am always open to new methods/materials/ways of doing things.
http://grungefm.com