Laying Tile

[photon]

Last time I did this the K3 wasn't glued down or anything.. it was awsome, took me 10 minutes to remove all the tile!

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

we redid the subfloor it cost 170$ to replace about 600sq. ft of floor with 3/8" ply.

Okay, I thought you were talking about taking out all the subloor, like down to the joists.....That you want nothing to do with.

If it's added on top of the existing subfloor than theres a 25% chance that it's been glued down. If it's glued down good luck. It it's not than it's not that bad.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Mccree

Most K3 **** is glued to the subfloor, you have to scrap that stuff off.

Messy Messy Stuff

So the lino comes off easy enough but the K3 is glued down. After a few minutes I was only able to break of two small pieces the size of a roll of tape. What do you use to scrape the stuff off with? Would it be okay to just lay 1/4 inch plywood on top of the K3 and put the tile on top of that?

[V]

You take a big ass crowbar and go at it. There's really no easy way to do it that I know of. A good hand held belt sander is good too for the spots that just won't come off. Sand the crap out of those spots.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by shane_c

So the lino comes off easy enough but the K3 is glued down. After a few minutes I was only able to break of two small pieces the size of a roll of tape. What do you use to scrape the stuff off with? Would it be okay to just lay 1/4 inch plywood on top of the K3 and put the tile on top of that?

we had some success using a heat gun, and slowly prying up and blasting the heat under..in the end we said F it and we pried up and removed all the MDF subfloor...the also have stuff you put on the floor and leave over night to remove the stuff..called foam something

[redforever]

We are in the midst of a major renovation. We had carpet and lino, going with hardwood and tile. We had K3 under all the lino. Our tile people said it had to come out, they would not put tile over K3. Big job but that is what you have to do. We were lucky, our K3 was not glued down, usually it is. Ours was put down with a gazillion of those extra long staples, so the demo guys still had a hard time getting it off, it still came off in small pieces. At least, without being glued and screwed, the plywood sub base was salvageable.

The tile people will now glue and screw a 3/8" plywood over the existing plywood sub base, some do 1/2" but the standard is 3/8" I guess. Then the tile will be placed over that.

[Rathji]

When I did mine, I took the advice of my uncle who builds houses for a living. Do NOT lay tile on OSB, since the OSB soaks up water from the grout and will warp. Use 3/8" plywood, with one finished side and screw AND glue it to the subfloor (to prevent squeaking). The plywood making things different heights isn't a problem since there are many different step up/down products out there. As for walking between then , you dont even notice.

I found spacers were invaluable to make the tiling go quickly, but do not rely 100% on them.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by shane_c

So the lino comes off easy enough but the K3 is glued down. After a few minutes I was only able to break of two small pieces the size of a roll of tape. What do you use to scrape the stuff off with? Would it be okay to just lay 1/4 inch plywood on top of the K3 and put the tile on top of that?

I found that if you take a circular saw and cut the K3 was that way to go. Also we rented a "scraper" (kind of like a jack hammer) to remove the really glued down stuff.

[shane_c]

Okay, so I have removed most of the K3 (Proboard) from the kitchen. For those who have laid tile before I have a few questions.

1) We have an island that the proboard runs under. I am not in the mood to remove the island and don't have something that will cut right up to it. Do you think I would be safe with about 4" of proboard all around the island that will be level with the plywood?

2) Did you remove your dishwasher and tile under that too or just tile up to it?

3) The proboard floor was glued and stapled. Can I just bang the staples in or do I have to physically remove the several hundred of them?

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by shane_c

Okay, so I have removed most of the K3 (Proboard) from the kitchen. For those who have laid tile before I have a few questions.

1) We have an island that the proboard runs under. I am not in the mood to remove the island and don't have something that will cut right up to it. Do you think I would be safe with about 4" of proboard all around the island that will be level with the plywood?

2) Did you remove your dishwasher and tile under that too or just tile up to it?

3) The proboard floor was glued and stapled. Can I just bang the staples in or do I have to physically remove the several hundred of them?

I think you should cut the proboard out right up to the island, because if the tiles don't bond to the proboard part properly, you will have movement which will crack the grout or even crack tiles. find a saw that will cut right up to it, or you might have to chisel it out...

for the dishwasher, if you tile up to it, you might not be able to get the dishwasher out after because of the height, so if it ever springs a leak or you want to get a new washer you might be in trouble.

you can bang in staples that are straight, I had the bent up staples removed and pounded in the odd one here and there.

[Flames_Gimp]

nm

[Ironhorse]

Definitely lay tile under the dishwasher, and for that matter under the fridge and stove also. If you don't, it will stand out like a sore thumb when it comes time to sell your home...

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Definitely lay tile under the dishwasher, and for that matter under the fridge and stove also. If you don't, it will stand out like a sore thumb when it comes time to sell your home...

We never tiled under our dishwasher(in fact the lino is still there). Most have a kick plate that is removed to expose adjustable legs. No worries about height difference there. But forsure tile under the stove and fridge.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Mccree

We never tiled under our dishwasher(in fact the lino is still there). Most have a kick plate that is removed to expose adjustable legs. No worries about height difference there. But forsure tile under the stove and fridge.

not all dishwashers are the same though. the other thing is, what if there is a leakin the kitchen and water gets under cabinets? if it's tiled under, water won't get right into the subfloor.

plus what if you want to change the cabinets or layout down the road? now you have to re-do flooring too.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

not all dishwashers are the same though. the other thing is, what if there is a leakin the kitchen and water gets under cabinets? if it's tiled under, water won't get right into the subfloor.

plus what if you want to change the cabinets or layout down the road? now you have to re-do flooring too.

All true but if you want to redo the layout and you have an island then you are still redoing the floor.

As for the Dishwasher, if it leaks I still have the lino there and there is silcone between the old lino and the new tile.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Mccree

All true but if you want to redo the layout and you have an island then you are still redoing the floor.

As for the Dishwasher, if it leaks I still have the lino there and there is silcone between the old lino and the new tile.

true about the island.

as far as the washer, what if the leak is at the back?

basically, it's personal preference if you want the flooring under, or just up to the cabinets. there are pro's and con's to both.

[ken0042]

The other thing with doing under the dishwasher..... let's say you do get a different D/W later on and it's noticeable. Make sure at least that you buy enough tile to do underneath. That way 3 years from now you aren't trying to find a match for your current tile.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Mccree

We never tiled under our dishwasher(in fact the lino is still there). Most have a kick plate that is removed to expose adjustable legs. No worries about height difference there. But forsure tile under the stove and fridge.

I think this is the way I will go as well. I will run the tile just under the kickplate and call it a day.

[Sylvanfan]

I did under the dishwasher when I did my tile. It's really not that bad, and it's not very much work. Thats the type of thing an home inspector will rip to shreds, and will make your work stand out as amateur. You don't have to get your spacing right, and you can do a half ass job of the grout in those areas, but I'd reccommend putting the tile down. If people think it's an amateur job, you won't get as much money for your efforts.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I did under the dishwasher when I did my tile. It's really not that bad, and it's not very much work. Thats the type of thing an home inspector will rip to shreds, and will make your work stand out as amateur. You don't have to get your spacing right, and you can do a half ass job of the grout in those areas, but I'd reccommend putting the tile down. If people think it's an amateur job, you won't get as much money for your efforts.

I agree, it's a better job if it's tiled under