Trying to Match Tile to Hardwood Floor Thickness
gerrha
| Posted in General Discussion on
Happy 4th!
I am planning a new house with a slab-on-grade subfloor. I would very much like to have the thickness of the tiled portion of the flooring match the thickness of the hardwood flooring. The tile is thinner, and I was thinking to add a layer of Hardiebacker, which would have just been about perfect except for one problem. Hardiebacker is not to be used over concrete, so now what am I going to do?
As of now, the tile goes like this, bottom up: concrete-thinset (3/16″)-Ditra (5/16″)-thinset (3/16″)-porcelain tile (13/32″)=1-3/32″
Hardwood, bottom up: concrete-vapor retarder-plywood subfloor (3/4″)-hardwood (3/4″)=1-1/2″
The thickness difference is 13/32″, which I would like to improve upon. Are there ways to do this?
Replies
Why dont you use self leveling to bring it up that small amount
Wouldn’t floor leveling kid be ideal for this? Prior to ditra type membranes, didn’t they use a thick set as well?
I am not sure, but what I read for thickset is that it should be used at 1-1/2" or greater thickness, which is too much for this situation.
something like this, rated for use between 1/8 and 1 inch.
https://www.grainger.com/product/39UV59?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=CjwKCAjwqZSlBhBwEiwAfoZUICa4a7XjF80A0xhbidzpMWEKs-yMltYSKM8eQZ07s-8n8DgGl-wYuhoCOycQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Hi gerrha. Just an observation... The amount of thinset mortar between your concrete and Ditra would/should not amount to 3/16". It's best installed with a slightly wetter than normal mix to prevent creating any high spots as it's rolled or pressed into place. I would estimate the thickness to be 1/16" to 3/32" if pressed into such a mix. If the thinset is mixed thick enough to maintain 3/16", there will likely be unwanted humps in the floor at he edges or in the middle of the field amounting to 3/16" or worse. That said, the easiest approach would be to use a self leveling product as mentioned above. One of the more affordable and accessible in my area (upper Midwest) is Sika self leveling mix. It can be found at Home Depot near me and is less money than Custom brand and others. Applied as directed, it will accommodate any out of plane condition common to concrete without the fussiness of screeding a bed by hand. This should be applied to the concrete first, then Ditra, then tile. A few well placed tapcons near the meeting edge of the hardwood and in the field set to desired height with the help of a laser level will help you place the material accurately. Set the heights to the desired level minus the tile, Ditra, and thinset layers and trowel or rake it to the top of the screws but not covering them. It's best to leave it a little lower than to try to hit it exactly. It's easier to build up a little than to grind away. Then install the Ditra and tile. In case you're wondering, I've been a tile setter since '92. This is the approach I would take. That said, I used to install thin leveling beds by setting screeds and custom field mixes almost every day as an apprentice learning tile prep. That's another approach but more labor intensive. I hope this helps. I'll try to attach a pic of my last tile to hardwood coplanar job for kicks. Happy setting.
This hasn't been built?
A step or recess on the slab on grade is what I would do.
Pretty common to put a recess on slabs at restrooms with tile in commerical construction for ADA reasons.
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Thanks or your replies. It looks like a couple of ways to do this.
Use thinner plywood. No reason to use 3/4 under your hard wood.