Miriam it was concrete and very very unlevel in places and not square. The man I found on CList has been awesome. He started in the middle of the far door and laid out the tile and discovered how much out of line it was. Almost a triangle with a sharpe point. He put leveling stuff down then after a day of so he put down the adhesive and the tile doing little sections at a time. I am so happy with it. I have waited about 9 years to get it done. He also redid the paver sidewalk in the
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front and then created the one to the sunroom. Thank you for the compliment I will pass it on to him!
Well, welcome to HT and thanks to Barbara!!! Hey, William, everybody needs their own cheering section, right? I'm sure as you feature more of your work your fan club will increase immensely!!
Tile over concrete is one of my favorites as well. When it comes to leveling the "level quick" from custom building products is a miracle worker....it like magic in a bag.
@Mitzi, I love tile too & did my kitchen & baths in tile & really thought about the whole house but since you live in CO & I live in Nebraska, how do you stay warm in winter with a cold floor all around?
@Judy, you could opt for subfloor radiant heating if you're serious enough. The upfront costs are a bit hard to swallow, but it's an efficient method of heating your whole house, it's nearly silent, and it reduces the airborne pathogens and static in your house. Plus, it feels AMAZING on your feet! I haven't run into much of it stateside, but it's HUGE in South Korea.
@Judy B - get in touch w/KMS. He made a post above so you could probably post a separate question and he'll let you know what and how to do it. This guy is a TOTAL PHENOM in sooo many areas!! If anybody can tell you about radiant floor heating it's him and he lives in CO. too!!
@Judy B you will be sorry if you tile throughout. It is a very hard surface and walking on it does a job on your knees and back(even for our little ones) I work like a dog to keep it clean. Think twice.
did anyone watch Holmes on Homes? He had a guy come in and 're-tile' and bad tile job withouth lifting the original tile and that thing came out gorgeoussss!! I fell in love with the process.
@Avery, Susan & Cathy....thank you all for your comments. Radiant heating sounds heavenly but I'm sure very costly. As for tile being hard on your knees & back, that does make sense....so would that apply to hard wood floors as well? I just want to get rid of my carpet.
Judy, just from what I have experienced. We had real hardwood floors installed in the whole downstairs and the master BR, and 2 other small rooms upstairs. They are not shiny for long, so if I had it to go over and know what I know now, I would install prefinished real hardwood that will stay shiny longer. Perhaps someone that has this will comment and tell us what they have experienced and you can make a better choice. Good luck whichever way you go.
Judy B the most economical way to use a radiant floor system is to have a hydronic system installed when the slab is poured. This system could then be powered by solar (very economical) as slab temps are low and best suited to a solar temp array. Next would be to use a boiler for the hot water.
for small areas like a basic kitchen or bath the use of an electric radiant underlayment mat can get the job done.
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I have installed both the Suntouch brand and the Warmly yours brand.
I think the suntouch has a better price on a basic kit.
Tile and hardwood are about the same as far as underfoot comfort goes....(The modulus of elasticity is so small that feet will not pick up the .0002 " deflection) it you want to save your feet / back from fatigue the best thing is to wear a decent pair of shoes...next get a "anti-fatigue" mat for a common work area...like in front of the sink or in front of the cook stove.
@Judy...the laminate and wood is softer, easier on the legs and back. Also try bamboo,cheaper but really beautiful. If you are tiling over concrete it will be harder than if you put wood. A good vacuum is the answer to carpet. I got an American made Riccar and used it for ten years.I replaced the carpet and there was not even a thin layer of dust underneath. If you put tile use very large tile 16x16 or 18x18...less grout. Good luck...keep us posted.
@Judy - Radiant subfloor heating is an alternative to forced air (traditional central) heating. It won't boil your feet, but it will produce enough heat to warm your house. This is true for most places, anyway. I've been in hotels in Korea when it was aroud -10F outside and the rooms were a comfortable 70-75F using just subfloor heating. Consult a local installer, they might have a demonstration available.
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The upfront installation costs are a bit high, but when you factor in that it replaces your forced air heating system with a much more efficient style, the benefits start to stack up.
nice info KMS. I have installed a basement to first floor sys .. solar and loved it. worked great no matter the time of year.... and i would use a pre finished if i had kids or dogs. the aluminumoxid finish is harder than polly and will tend to last linger but is is much harder to recoat in a few years as well. with polly you refinish or buff and coat depending. with pre finished you sand to virgin wood or reinstall.. it depends on youre use of the floors
i didn't know you were waiting for that long. Im glad ur happy lil lady
thank you again and agian and a... lol...
@Barbara - Congratulations!! Your floor turned out great!! I know you must be thrilled w/the results!!
talk about shocked. but i tell ya if all my home owners were like this lil sweetheart. ????????????????????????????????????????????//
for small areas like a basic kitchen or bath the use of an electric radiant underlayment mat can get the job done. ...»
I have installed both the Suntouch brand and the Warmly yours brand.
I think the suntouch has a better price on a basic kit.
http://www.sun-touch.com/
Tile and hardwood are about the same as far as underfoot comfort goes....(The modulus of elasticity is so small that feet will not pick up the .0002 " deflection) it you want to save your feet / back from fatigue the best thing is to wear a decent pair of shoes...next get a "anti-fatigue" mat for a common work area...like in front of the sink or in front of the cook stove.
The upfront installation costs are a bit high, but when you factor in that it replaces your forced air heating system with a much more efficient style, the benefits start to stack up.