when to tile radiant heated floors?

Al Corelli_2

I would definitely acclimate the tile and materials to the radiant temps before installation.

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mike parnell

when to tile radiant heated floors?

hi, been away from the wall for almost a year,learned alot here got my radiant system up and running great,
one question i have should i wait to tile my floor ? wondering about thermal exapansion while the system is working. maybe someone has done this before. thanks guys, mike

hot_rod

what are you installing the tile over?

concrete slab, gypcrete, cement backer board?

hot rod

Weezbo

it is winter here, that makes for quick installs of nearly every

building product or system, tile and marble too. the more the temp drops the warmer the emitters supply water temps to meet the load. that basically means, the heat will go into the quick set. because it may not be your road game, where ever you are considering tiling you might do a couple trial runs, in how long a time that zone can be turned OFF ...to gauge the amount of time you will have to DIY on the flooring. Not all tile is created equal as it were and requires more time to clean up, so really its a guessing game as to how long or when to lay tile . You could do all your lay out and do a trial run with all your pieces cut,to get an idea... see if that works for you...

Chris S

My tile supplier offers several grades of Thin set. When we install tile over radiant either on concrete, gypsum or in a staple up install we always use their best most flrxible product. In our case the product is called superflex. We learned this the hard way.

Good Luck

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hot_rod

tile over concrete

really needs a clevage membrane or any cracks will transfer through into the tile. Nobel makes a good product. Some installers use a liquid brush on.

A new product i see is a 1/2 foamboard with a cemetious layer built onto it. Wedi is the brand on this sample.

Mostly used over wood subfloors. Its waterproof, has a little r-value (for the electric mat products), serves as the slip sheet and has the right surface to thinset onto.

I see it replacing Durarock and Hardibacker on many jobs lately.

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Chris S

when to tile

If it is gypsum- make sure moisture is stabilized before installing tile. Tape down a piece of saran wrap, clear plastic. When condensation no longer appears on the underside you can install your tile

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mike parnell

the floor is 1.5 " concrete over plywwod with pex in the concrete,im using a crack isolation membrane , the only bad part of that is,its like puting insulation between the heat and the tiles. done three bathrooms that way seems to be working good so far, been building this house for 14 years waiting a few months to tile is not a problem. thanks ...mike

hot_rod

Two things about concrete

It's going to crack, and nobody will steal it!

Those thin pours a a definite crack monster. It's almost impossible to make a wood framed floor stout enough to prevent any flexing. And a thin slab will be sure to throw some cracks.

The larger tiles being used these days really need stiffness. Some builders are going to a tighter floor joist deflection spec when large tiles are to be used, according to a recent FHB article I read.

The additional r-value is a small trade-off price to pay for a crack free tile installation. A true, pro tilesetter will insist on an anti fracture membrane. the homeowner should too.

Bring some pictures by when it's done.

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Weezbo

My buddy is using some stuff that is Red

you paint it on tape every seam with fiberglass open mesh it makes a water tight membrane.. i only wish i did not have to go work on the trim tomorrow as i have a meter frozen into the ground that i have been hassling with and a winterization to do tomorrow ...i will get the name of the stuff for you..its great around showers...

post script...

well that day was a mind bind,:) the membrane is for shower areas and is called Red Guard.

shot 500K BTU's in the crawl space and many gallons of water disappeared , ...got to get the crawl space dryer today, and find the leaks in the crawl space potable water lines.........meter is not even budging must have to be dug out of the frozen dirt..


winterization.
sent air through every pipe added anti freeze to toilet tank ,sink traps, tub traps, toilet bowl left the water heater drain open disconnected the meter ,stuffed a sheetrock saw in the building check and blew 100 PSI back through th system turned the T stat down to 50 .