How to tile over tile - should I use a membrane between tiles?
Corinne
5 years ago
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Corinne
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Help Bill Vincent et al. Should I Remove Tile and Start Over?
Comments (9)Hello Karen, Sorry it took me so long to find this thread. Bill left a trail of breadcrumbs though and that's helped me along. :) So, from what I see in the photos it's a textbook Bay Area "single-coat mortar installation". He's got a moisture barrier of Aqua-Bar asphalt-impregnated Kraft paper and he's used 1" galvanized chicken-wire for lathe. His float looks to be a nominal 5/8" thick at the exposed edges and he's been pretty dang clean judging from the surrounding walls, so I don't think he's a hack. Now for the not-so-nice news. I can also tell from the photos that he's got quite a bit of lippage on those walls. It may be that those large porcelain tiles are not "rectified" (re-milled at the factory for flatness and squareness)and so he's made the best out of warped materials? Ann Sacks, and many other boutique showrooms, sell beautiful tile but it isn't always a guarantee that it's also flat or square. The best test will be to lay a straightedge across the tile (front and back each)from corner to corner and from side to side. Can you see daylight between the straightedge and the tile? Does the straightedge teeter and rock? If either of these is the case, then your installer did his job. If the tiles are flat however, he's ruined some very fine material. Without a better picture of the return-walls, I can't tell you why he chose the cuts he did. It may be that he allowed the niche's dimensions to dictate his layout, rather than the other way-round? All-in-all, it's not a terrible job and grouting may shine it right up or it may make things worse? A good grout job is like **magic** though so I think in this case I'd share your concerns with the installer and emphasize how much you HOPE he can make things better with a spectacular grout job. He should take the hint and screw his wizards cap on tight for the task. Best of luck, Shaughnn...See MoreTile over crack - isolation membrane?
Comments (5)I agree. It's one of the best for keeping the height of the floor pretty much the same. Let me ask you, though-- rub your finger across that crack. is the concrete on both sides the same height, or is one side higher than the other? Here is a link that might be useful: Noble CIS (6th product down the page)...See MoreFor tiling a bathroom, do you need cement board and tile membrane?
Comments (5)twigs, If using cement board, you want a waterproof membrane of some sort in the wall system. Easiest, and often the better performing, is to use cement board and a surface applied membrane on the face of the cement board. The SAM can be a sheet barrier (Hydroban sheet, Kerdi, Nobel, etc) that gets thinsetted to the cement board. You then tile directly on the membrane. An alternative is to use a liquid membrane over the cement board. Hydroban liquid and RedGard are common, though there are others. Another alternative is to use a foam board that already has the membrane applied to the face of the foam. USG has a nice system. Regardless of the path you choose, read the instructions for each product you select. They are available online. Watch Youtube videos. Often times the manufacturers have a series. Pro tile installers have them too. I recommend you avoid the jack of all trade video bloggers that do everything only because they are filming themselves, and they usually only do it once. I recommend you treat the ceiling as you treat the walls....See MoreTile over a lumpy schluter kerdi membrane
Comments (9)If the mortar was mixed to thick or allowed to skin over the bond to Kerdi membrane will be compromised. I'm willing to bet you could peel the membrane off fairly easily. The membrane / cement board assembly has a good shear strength but not a very high pull strength. At the very least pull away a section to check mortar transfer as noted in the installation instructions. If it's not 100% and you see orange membrane rip it all down. No saving it. Use a rubbing stone to smooth bumps and apply new membrane according to manufacturers instructions. Mortar should be mixed so it's just thick enough to hold the ridges from the gauging trowel. Keep in mind 95% coverage is required for setting tile in a wet area. Be sure to check as you go. "He put too much thinset behind the membrane" How is that possible when using the correct size gauging trowel. There are a lot of unlicensed trowel operators out there nowadays:) Good luck....See MoreCorinne
5 years agoCreative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoCorinne thanked Creative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill VincentCorinne
5 years agoCreative Ceramic & Marble/ Bill Vincent
5 years ago
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