Tiling a large floor

[SportsCoupeRich]

Hi gang.

I am considering replacing the stained cream carpet I inherited on purchase of mt flat with some nice lightinsh grey slate tiles. My living area is fairly large, about 625 sq ft, or 65ish sq m, so it is a good sized job.

Am I mad to be considering a DIY route as opposed to getting someone in.

What sort of cost should I be expecting per sq m from a craftsman?

Anyone deal in cheap tiles!!!

 

[Alfie]

Hi gang.

I am considering replacing the stained cream carpet I inherited on purchase of mt flat with some nice lightinsh grey slate tiles. My living area is fairly large, about 625 sq ft, or 65ish sq m, so it is a good sized job.

Am I mad to be considering a DIY route as opposed to getting someone in.

What sort of cost should I be expecting per sq m from a craftsman?

Anyone deal in cheap tiles!!!

Tiling, is in my opinion easy I've done loads around the house in bathrooms (mosaic ) and kitchens etc. I would urge a word of caution in that if you have tiles in your living area (eg lounge) then its good bye to sitting on the floor again! Its also very cold to the feet in the winter and if you drop ANYTHING onto it, that thing breaks.

That said, there are a few rules to follow when laying tiles. Make sure the surface you are laying them on is FLAT and grease free. If you are laying onto a wood floor then make sure you screw down plywood over the top of any existing floor boards. If its a wood chip floor then you can get away with adding numerous counter sunk screws to secure the boards down. Seal the floor with a Unibond/water mix first. Leave to dry.

Laying the tiles, start in the middle of the room and work out. This will ensure you get it straight and only have to cut tiles at the edges. Dont be tempted to start in a corner and work out! by the time you get to the other side of the room, it will be way off straight. Use tile spacers and make sure every tile is placed evenly against its neighbours. Use an additive in the cement such as Addflex if laying onto wood. It allows a bit of give in the cement and helps prevent cracking. Ditto in the grouting mix. Cutting floor tiles is hard work. Get a good tile cutter.

Get some quotes from a few tile shops for fitting. It may work out less than you think.

Good luck.

 

[Satch]

We toyed with slate floor tiles in our kitchen.

Advised that to do it properly with pukka slate tiles required setting into about 40mm of mortar bedding laid over the prepared base. This is because slate is not a particularly strong material and needed to be fully supported

Cutting them requires a "wet" diamond wheel.

Oh yes, and it was damned expensive!

 

[R2e]

Tiling, is in my opinion easy I've done loads around the house in bathrooms (mosaic ) and kitchens etc.quote]

Alfie, this is like saying auto electrics is easy, you only have to connect up a few wires. Like everything it depends on your DIY ability, but bear in mind a professional will almost always recognise a DIY job and ask yourself why..............

The substrate has to be right, slate tiles are not easy to either cut or lay, and you do need a proper tile cutter. Watch out for unevenness in the thickness of slate tiles, this has to be compensated for. Any flexibility in the floor will mean cracked tiles in very short order. Layout is anything but starting in the middle and working outwards, that could for example leave you with slivers at the walls. Use a couple of lasers to ensure straight lines and keeping square. If you want to lay them yourself, particularly floor tiles, it's worth signing up for a DIY tiling course. What you learn in tricks of the trade will pay back many times. Cost of getting a craftsman in will depend on the going rate in your area, it does vary considerably. I suggest as a start you try http://www.tilersinyourarea.com/ and get some quotes. Most tilers will be able to get you some discount on tiles. Might be worth considering underfloor heating at the same time for not a great deal extra.

 

[fredfloggle]

Don't add one screw anywhere unless you are 100% sure that there is nothing underneath .

I personally don't like tiling on a suspended floor ......

Set out centre lines , measure off these lines with tiles , and see how the cuts works out , there is nothing worse than slips around the outside of an area .
Small tiles are able to take up slight differences in floor level - take the trouble to find the high and low spots , and set the floor out accordingly

Consider popping the skirtings , tiling and refitting afterwards . if you are not sure of your ability to make very accurate even cuts .

Hire , or better buy a RUBY tile cutter , about £120 , worth every last penny .

Be careful when you grout , if you use a black grout , use gloves , and seal the tiles first if permeable .

I personally like a well tired floor in a living area , particularly having saucepans .

About £80 m^2 for tiling , though maybe quite a bit more if loads of cuts / difficult tiles - Topps will give good discount if you have a trade account , but don't expect a trader to let you have this discount if you don't use his services .

 

[Metman]

Hi gang.

I am considering replacing the stained cream carpet I inherited on purchase of mt flat with some nice lightinsh grey slate tiles. My living area is fairly large, about 625 sq ft, or 65ish sq m, so it is a good sized job.

Am I mad to be considering a DIY route as opposed to getting someone in.

What sort of cost should I be expecting per sq m from a craftsman?

Anyone deal in cheap tiles!!!

Go to Topps Tiles and charm a how to do it CD from them. Go to Wickes, they have all sorts of special offers on tiles, much cheaper than Topps.

My wife and I had never put a tile down before but are well pleased with our work. Worked out at a quarter of tile layer quote.

 

[Alfie]

Don't add one screw anywhere unless you are 100% sure that there is nothing underneath .

I personally don't like tiling on a suspended floor ......

The screws are placed between the nails which go into the joists. It helps stop the chipboard from moving and generally makes the floor more solid to tile onto.

I agree with tiling onto suspended floors but in upstairs bathrooms, with kids and carpet...........

We have three full sized bathrooms and one of the very first things I did was to lay mosaic's in them all. Cant stand carpet, lino or amtico in a bathroom myself.

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

It will be in basement living area where I currently have my entertainment setup and pool table etc. Its about 25ft by 25ft and, crucially, a square room...i would have to think very carefully about attempting a curve myself!!!

25 by 25 is obviously 625sq ft which is quite a size.

I dont often sit on the floor (!) but intend to lay two large fluffy rugs over the tops of the tiles to ensure warmth and a bit of softness.

£80^m seems very pricey!!!???

 

[Howard]

Are you wanting proper slate ? or slate effect ?

You can get some wicked slate effect laminate now, you would never tell until you walked on it , wouldn't be cold either ....

I have some slate effect tiles in my bathroom , dead cheap ( Wickes ) and easy to lay ...

 

[Flatflr]

If it's an entertainment area and you have a home cinema or big sound system watch out for the possibility of sound reflection off the floor causing an echo, slate effect laminate or vinyl may cut this down.

Nick

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

If it's an entertainment area and you have a home cinema or big sound system watch out for the possibility of sound reflection off the floor causing an echo, slate effect laminate or vinyl may cut this down.

Nick

I had considered this, which is why rugs were planned. Interesting though...possibly wood is a better alternative then?

 

[Flatflr]

Rugs should be ok, just a need for a decent amount of sounds deadening material (in older cinemas they used to bad the backs of the seats almost as much as the fronts to prevent sound reflection). Another consideration for a entertainment area would be the use and possible dropping of drinks glasses (if it's that sort of entertainment area), something like this may be suitable http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101880&ts=33651&id=66566.

Nick

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

Thanks Nick - how 'nice' is this stuff? I want it to look pretty upmarket...

 

[Flatflr]

Not used it myself but might be worth giving screwfix a call and see if they could send you a sample or they should have similar in a lot of tile/flooring shops or a local Wickes. Have used laminate flooring from screwfix and it's the same but a lot cheaper then a lot of places.

Screwfix also do a range of granite effect tiles which might be another option.

Nick

 

[Satch]

This is the stuff we had put down after having decided that real slate/stone was not that good an idea. Worked out very well.

http://www.karndean.com/newhome.asp

 

[fredfloggle]

The screws are placed between the nails which go into the joists. It helps stop the chipboard from moving and generally makes the floor more solid to tile onto.

I agree with tiling onto suspended floors but in upstairs bathrooms, with kids and carpet...........

We have three full sized bathrooms and one of the very first things I did was to lay mosaic's in them all. Cant stand carpet, lino or amtico in a bathroom myself.

The guy that said it wasn't so simple was right - pipes and in some terrible cases cables also cross the joists - NEVER drive a nail or screw unless you either lifting the board or being sure that nothing is underneath -

I will see if I can find the bit of 1" copper I removed for a client after somebody many years ago added some nails to "stop the floor squeaking" , without first looking - nail goes in the top , out the bottom , but there is nothing in the center -
Ignore this advice at your risk - not only will have have bathrooms upstairs , you will have a shower room downstairs .

Thankfully I don't run the gauntlet of "the public" now - but I have rewired and replumbed more houses than I care to remember - sure , the nails are generally toshed about 1/2" from the outside of each board , and any pipes are chopped into the middle of the board , right where you propose to drive a screw .

 

[glojo]

If you enjoy doing DIY and feel confident in your abilities then go for it. If on the other hand you cost the time it might take to do the job, then work out the costs of getting it done professionally, how does it compare to money you could earn by working some overtime; is it cheaper to pay the expert?

Don't forget you want it to look 'upmarket'. Does that mean it will have to impress folks that have an eye for quality?

Good luck with the decision,
John

 

[fredfloggle]

Whilst I have a different take (we used to do this for money) , now , I only do my own - there is no rush , the tiles won't slide anywhere , just stay where you put them , and provided you are prepared to take the time in setting out , there is no reason why you can't achieve the same result as the "pro" , that , and you can look with pride at your own work - I am just tiling my kitchen with marble at the moment , maybe I will post a picture after it is sealed tomorrow - it looks quite nice .

 

[Dieselman]

If tiling a solid floor you will need to insulate the substrate and preferrably add underfloor heating otherwise the tiles will be very cold and absorb a lot of heat from the room.
Before laying any tiles check the floor for level and start at a high point as you can't pad that out like you can at a lower point. Start fairly centraly and screw a baton to the floor as a guide for the first row to butt up to.