Bamboo Flooring

[hk blues]

10 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

That's good advice too. I am wondering if there is a possible fix for popped tiles?

On the yacht, I was able to fix adhesion and leakage problems beneath a thick, teak rail by drilling a small hole in the rail and then injecting adhesive down to the bad areas. Then I just used a teak plug to fix the hole. Can something like that be done with popped tiles - to drill a small hole in the grout (assuming there is grout and they aren't zero spaced?) and then inject some liquid adhesive? I would think that capillary action might draw the adhesive into the thin space? Or is the only proper repair to chip out the old and replace it (them)? Just thinking...

My contractor had a great solution for popped tiles - a crowbar!

Seriously though, if one pops, there is a good chance another will as it's likely an issue with a) the tiles or b) the installation  rather than just bad luck. So, it's likely to become an ongoing problem. 

I'm not sure how viable your solution is - I did consider similar when the 1st of ours popped but there were minimal grout lines due to the style of the tiles. I doubt it's a long-term fix. So, removing the culprit and replacing is probably the only viable option - assuming you can live with the colour variation you're likely to have if the tiles have been down for any length of time.   As far as I'm aware, the issue is more prevalent when laying larger tiles i.e. 60x60 as there is more likely to be bevelling issues with the actual tile.

[stevewool]

So for a new boy coming over there what would be better to keep him cool, tiled flooring which is nice and cool to walk on, or the wooden flooring like mentioned here which could be warm , remember many of you have been living there a long time and have experience of what would be better.

[Tommy T.]

48 minutes ago, stevewool said:

So for a new boy coming over there what would be better to keep him cool, tiled flooring which is nice and cool to walk on, or the wooden flooring like mentioned here which could be warm , remember many of you have been living there a long time and have experience of what would be better.

Hmmm.... Good question, Steve...

L finds that the tile floor is a bit too cool for her to walk on - especially on the ground floor. Upstairs it isn't so bad. I have not experienced a wood floor yet. I can tell you that the tile floor in the bedroom gets really cold from running the aircon at night and it stays cool for a long while in the morning when the door is open and the aircon is off. I don't mind the ambient temperature of the tile, but the airconned tile is too cold for my feet. Might be okay for you?

I think it will also depend on your own tolerance. I lived in Seattle for many years and became accustomed to wearing light clothing outside down to maybe 18-19 degrees. At 25 degrees I was too warm and 30+ was almost intolerable. After over 26 years in the tropics - as some people like to say - my blood thinned. My friends laughed at me when back on a visit to sail because they would be in shorts and T-shirts while I wore long underwear, jeans, flannel shirt, warm jacket, hat and sometimes gloves! Now I feel cold at about 24 degrees.

I suggest you try both types -  when visiting friends or maybe in hotels where both types are used and see how you feel? Whatever you do, don't lie down on a tile floor and sleep or you might wake up with a very sore and tight back from the cool tile stealing your body heat...

Edited August 1, 2019 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, stevewool said:

So for a new boy coming over there what would be better to keep him cool, tiled flooring which is nice and cool to walk on, or the wooden flooring like mentioned here which could be warm , remember many of you have been living there a long time and have experience of what would be better.

I have had both in the same house Steve - the tiles are slightly cooler but the difference is minimal.  The plus point is the planks are not so hard on the feet so it's swings and roundabouts

[Mike J]

3 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

On the yacht, I was able to fix adhesion and leakage problems beneath a thick, teak rail by drilling a small hole in the rail and then injecting adhesive down to the bad areas. Then I just used a teak plug to fix the hole. Can something like that be done with popped tiles - to drill a small hole in the grout (assuming there is grout and they aren't zero spaced?) and then inject some liquid adhesive? I would think that capillary action might draw the adhesive into the thin space? Or is the only proper repair to chip out the old and replace it (them)? Just thinking...

I have laid a lot of tile over several years as I did remodel work.  The short answer to your question is no it would not work.  The only workable solution is to get the tile out, usually in pieces.   Then you have chisel out enough of the old mortar to allow room to reset the new tile.  I never had any of the tile I laid pop.  I think the key is to have a solid subfloor that will not flex and to use a mortar that has been modified with acrylic.  In the USA it is called thinset mortar, here they call it tile adhesive.  It contains a small amount of acrylic that add just a slight amount of flex to the mortar.  Tiles usually pop because due to one of three reason.

1 - the subfloor has flexed.  This usually occurs if tile is laid over wooded floors and the floor is less 1 1/2 inches thick.  In addition you should add 1/2 cement board that is attached with thinset and screwed to the subfloor.  Even when properly installed they can pop if subject to load prior to full cure.  Even walking will pop them.

2 - Thermal expansion difference.  As the floor goes through heat/cool cycles the tile and the underlying surface may expand and contract at slightly different rates causing separation.  Using thinset or mixing acrylic with your mortar helps avoid this.

3 - The tile was laid dry or the mortar was to dry to make good adhesion.   Tiles should be soaked in water prior to being laid, otherwise the dry tile will soak water from the mortar and cause weak adhesion. 

Fortunately I am now too old to lay tile.  My last tile job was 1200 square feet at age 60 with no help and it damn near killed me.  

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

I have laid a lot of tile over several years as I did remodel work.  The short answer to your question is no it would not work.  The only workable solution is to get the tile out, usually in pieces.   Then you have chisel out enough of the old mortar to allow room to reset the new tile.  I never had any of the tile I laid pop.  I think the key is to have a solid subfloor that will not flex and to use a mortar that has been modified with acrylic.  In the USA it is called thinset mortar, here they call it tile adhesive.  It contains a small amount of acrylic that add just a slight amount of flex to the mortar.  Tiles usually pop because due to one of three reason.

1 - the subfloor has flexed.  This usually occurs if tile is laid over wooded floors and the floor is less 1 1/2 inches thick.  In addition you should add 1/2 cement board that is attached with thinset and screwed to the subfloor.  Even when properly installed they can pop if subject to load prior to full cure.  Even walking will pop them.

2 - Thermal expansion difference.  As the floor goes through heat/cool cycles the tile and the underlying surface may expand and contract at slightly different rates causing separation.  Using thinset or mixing acrylic with your mortar helps avoid this.

3 - The tile was laid dry or the mortar was to dry to make good adhesion.   Tiles should be soaked in water prior to being laid, otherwise the dry tile will soak water from the mortar and cause weak adhesion. 

Fortunately I am now too old to lay tile.  My last tile job was 1200 square feet at age 60 with no help and it damn near killed me.  

We had several areas pop in our newly built house within the 1st year - they were laid onto a concrete slab.  The engineer said it was due to point 2 you mention above , coupled with cheap tiles which were slightly beveled which allowed air to circulate between the adhesive and tile.  

[Tommy T.]

12 hours ago, Mike J said:

I have laid a lot of tile over several years as I did remodel work.  The short answer to your question is no it would not work.  The only workable solution is to get the tile out, usually in pieces.   Then you have chisel out enough of the old mortar to allow room to reset the new tile.  I never had any of the tile I laid pop.  I think the key is to have a solid subfloor that will not flex and to use a mortar that has been modified with acrylic.  In the USA it is called thinset mortar, here they call it tile adhesive.  It contains a small amount of acrylic that add just a slight amount of flex to the mortar.  Tiles usually pop because due to one of three reason.

Hi Mike. Thanks for taking the time to explain the workings and installation of tiles! I will apply your experience when the contractor lays tiles in our home and be sure they do it right.

With your experience, do you have a preference for granite vs ceramic tiles? L prefers granite, telling me it is stronger and less prone to crack. Do you agree with that?

Also, she is pushing for 60 x 60 rather than smaller tiles and someone here mentioned that they may be more prone to popping than others due to the large area. Any thoughts there?

Thanks again for your help!

[Mike J]

21 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Hi Mike. Thanks for taking the time to explain the workings and installation of tiles! I will apply your experience when the contractor lays tiles in our home and be sure they do it right.

With your experience, do you have a preference for granite vs ceramic tiles? L prefers granite, telling me it is stronger and less prone to crack. Do you agree with that?

Also, she is pushing for 60 x 60 rather than smaller tiles and someone here mentioned that they may be more prone to popping than others due to the large area. Any thoughts there?

Thanks again for your help!

I have worked with granite on my last remodel.  Reface a fireplace and hearth, entry way, and kitchen counters.  It is incredibly dense and to properly cut it you need a good size wet tile saw.  Should you choose to go with granite it will definitely require professional installation.  Ask them how they would make the cuts, if they are going to use a 4 inch grinder like the locals use for tile, walk away!   Granite makes a very durable floor that is less likely to crack than ceramic tile.  Granite also is beautiful in that each piece is unique, a work of art that has been created by nature.  Now for the negatives.  Granite while being durable is also porous and spills can cause it to actually stain.  If you were to put a few drops of water on untreated granite you can actually see the water being slowly drawn into the rock.  So it is vital that you use a sealer to make them resistant to moisture.  The clear sealer is silicon based and needs to be reapplied on a regular basis.  Think six months or even more often in high traffic areas.

There is a third option that you may want to consider and that is porcelain tile.  Porcelain tile is made from a dense clay and then fired at a very high temperature and that makes it incredibly hard.  The color of porcelain tile also goes all the way through a tile, not just on the surface like ceramic tile.  This can give the tile a luminescent beauty and depth of color that you cannot find in ceramic tile.  The strength of porcelain tile actually exceeds that of granite in most cases.  It also requires a wet diamond saw to be properly cut.  The advantage of porcelain tile over granite is that porcelain will not stain with spills.   The color selection of porcelain tile will be more varied than with granite.  

As to tile size.  I would agree with L that 60 x 60 is a better choice in terms of ascetics.   Properly installed it should be no more susceptible than smaller tiles to popping.  In terms of cost ceramic is at the lower end, porcelain middle to high, and granite high.  Should you choose porcelain or granite, look for installers who also do granite countertops.  They are more likely to have the proper tools and skill sets required to do a good installation.  Also, if possible, go to look at some of their recent installs to check for quality of work.  Is there any lippage where tiles meet?  Are cuts smooth and polished or a little rough.  Are grout lines consistent through the entire floor?  

If expense were not an object, and I did not have to do the work, and the installers were skilled artisans (and not just laborers) . . . I would go for porcelain tile because it is beautiful, durable, and does not require the maintenance of granite.

I just remembered that I am in the Philippines and labor is quite inexpensive, so sealing the granite on a 3 to 6 month schedule would not be such a burden.  So maybe I would look at both granite and porcelain and let my eyes make the decision.   Ceramic tile also makes a fine floor and will last a lifetime if properly installed but you will have a unique, one of a kind, floor if you go with granite or porcelain.  

Not sure if it still exists, but there used to be a guy who (I think) called himself the "The tile guy" and had a blog or website that discussed all kinds of tile related questions.   This was about 10 years ago, but try a google search and you might find him, or another site that can gives some good advice. 

Final word, and Jack actually mentioned it in an earlier post.  No floor will ever be any better than the subfloor it is installed on!  It has to be rock solid, stable, flat and smooth.

 

 

[Tommy T.]

55 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Ceramic tile also makes a fine floor and will last a lifetime if properly installed but you will have a unique, one of a kind, floor if you go with granite or porcelain.  

Excellent advice and information, Mike. I definitely owe you a lot of beer!!!

Yeah... I read about granite porosity being an issue and that sealing it would be necessary. This would be especially so since we want semi-gloss or even flat finish for the tiles. As I age, I am more prone to slip and 6' is still a long way to fall on a hard surface! The apartment here has glossy granite tiles and the reflected sunlight is brutal at times and it is like ice when wet. Would the sealer affect the finish of flat finish stone?

I appreciate your telling me pros and cons of all three so we can better evaluate what we will choose. It's very subjective. I am already convinced that I don't want ceramic, - except maybe in the CRs for floors and half-walls? I am thinking that CR's are wet and relatively low-traffic so strength isn't as important as waterproof-ness. It will also save a bit of money!

Way back in 1983, my ex and I had a house built. They installed "quarry" tiles with a bit of texture and semi-gloss finish. They were beautiful and none of them popped in 10 years. A few cracked, but that was along a crack in the cement. Even the ones under the wood stove didn't pop either.

55 minutes ago, Mike J said:

If expense were not an object, and I did not have to do the work, and the installers were skilled artisans (and not just laborers) . . . I would go for porcelain tile because it is beautiful, durable, and does not require the maintenance of granite.

That makes a very convincing argument for the porcelain. We did not consider that yet... So we will go back to a couple of suppliers and check design patterns, finishes and price. Fortunately, the house will be rather small with only maybe 60 sq m total tiling inside. The remaining interior will be in the CRs and then the three bedroom areas will be floored with the wood.

Yet another question (sorry for the interrogation!)? There will be a small roof terrace - maybe 30 sq m? We were thinking of ceramic possibly for that, but we are also thinking about sun and rain - heat and cool... Any suggestions?

Edited August 2, 2019 by Tommy T.

[Mike J]

Here are some pictures of the last remodel I did in the USA.  This was a complete makeover of the entire house.  The basement was raw concrete floor and walls, completely unfinished.  Had to do all the framing, drywall, new electric, plumbing, etc.  We lived in the house and it took me six years to finish all the work.  The lower level floor was all done in ceramic tile.  The pictures show the fireplace and matching entry in granite.  I had to cut back the oak flooring in front of door to law the tile, but first put down a layer of cement board.  The kitchen floor was ceramic tile with granite counter tops.  All new cabinets and appliances.  The lower bath shows the floor done in 4 separate size of tile to make a nice patchwork type pattern.  The shower was tiled top to bottom.  The upper bath does not show the floor but it was done in porcelain tile.  The tiles were soft colors of cream, soft gray, and pale pink that tied in perfectly with the shower curtain.  The vanity top is marble.

Seeing these pictures make me miss the house.  It was a real labor of love and without a doubt my best remodel. 

Edited August 2, 2019 by Mike J
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