If you use Ditra, you don't need cement board. The layers go: radiant heat mats unmodified thinset Ditra unmodified thinset tile If you want to see photos of it going together, see the thread on our kitchen remodel below. There are some photos of the half-done floor that show how it came together. I've never used SLC, so I'll have to defer to our resident tile gods on that, but my opinion would be that if you use Ditra there's a lot of "stuff" between the mat and the tile, so you wouldn't have a need to do any more leveling (other than, say, the "2x4 with a piece of carpet on it" deal) to avoid a "princess and the pea" thing with your wires potentially telegraphing through. When I put down the Ditra, it was a tad "bumpy" (perhaps said tile gods can give me some pointers on that too :p), but after another layer of thinset with the big tiles on top I had flatness. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen remodel

I hear ya loud and clear but I believe you are up the creek on this one. 1st off, dog pee will not hurt it, if it is wiped up quickly. Yours is being allowed to lie there while you are away, etc etc for a length of time. That will be considered abuse. We have a similar case right now...that we are working through..urine on the floor for 10 hours at a clip. In your case, it must be fairly extreme to swell the joints and that will be declared abuse to the floor regardless of statements made as details to those statements become he said she said. Take the accommodating offer here and realize that many stores would be running from the situation. I say this from the bottom of my heart. It's just not a perfect world. Good luck.

Hi Oakrun, Yes, it is a daunting process. In fairness to all the homeowners here, (and respect to the pro deck builders who give so much help), we homeowners have pretty much one shot at the deck. In other words, we are not builders, and we are not Martha Stewart types, so we have to live with our decisions, warts and all. But on the other hand, we can afford to take a chance on something new. It will not wreck our livelyhood. I have nearly finished my 5/4" Ipe deck, 12' X 30'. After much thought, I went with the hidden fasteners - Tiger Claw TC-G http://www.deckfastener.com/products_tcg.asp They look great! Time will tell if they work. One difference between these clips and many of the old ones is that these are solid stainless, not fiberglass. To get these fasteners to bend would take quite a bit of force. I put one in a bench vise and hit it with a hammer. It didn't bend. One definite advantage of this system (assuming the boards don't lift) over face screwing, is the whole deck is "floating" on the pressure treated frame. The ipe boards are free to expand and contract slightly. In the long term, this may minimize end checking. Also, your air circulation under the deck seems optimal. (I have the same situation). I suspect that many installs of hidden fasteners don't have good air circulation. That may contribute to failure. Installation notes: 1) I used a biscuit joiner to slot the boards where the fasterers attach. It takes time, but I think it's a better job that having the boards slotted along the full length. 2) For butt joints, definitely ease the edges with an 1/8" radius. I think that's a John Hyatt trick. Looks great!! 3) I had to ease the backs of the ipe boards with a 1/4" radius router bit where the fastener attached. (the ipe comes with a 1/8" radius edge, not enough for correct installation) 4) most of the SS screws for this are # 8. If you are screwing into another hardwood (Ipe, Garapa, etc) I think the correct drill size is 9/64" . I broke a screw very early using the recommended 8/64" Here is a pic of a few weeks ago (I am doing most of this myself):

Yes that pattern IS adorable! For something like that I think the steam a seam would be great and much easier than turning the edges. If you really want to turn the edges though, go ahead and use your freezer paper, but you iron it to the RIGHT side of the fabric so it is ON TOP of the "picture" -- then you use a glue stick and turn the edges AWAY fromt he freezer paper. I like the Scotch restickable but someone recently posted that the "purple" glue sticks work great too. You can find them in any "school supply" area at walmart, target, office depot, etc. With your cars you'll need to clip the seam allowance area for the curves. Then pull the paper off, Use your glue stick again to position the fabric on the back ground, and stitch them puppies down. I find this method really easy. AND 'cause the freezer paper goes on top, you don't have to reverse the image. I tried the actual needle turn and found it very laborious. It might get easier with practice, but really, why bother.... And with this method there's no trying to get the paper out from behind. The link below takes you to the Simply Quilts page for the episode where I first saw this done. (I had to watch a few times to "get it" but now it's "oh so obvious!") Here is a link that might be useful: Simply Quilts free standing applique