Hey Sunny! Help!

[Gryphon]

yeah I think its the same thing.

[followsthewolf]

Gryphon,

Definitely put down the backer.

Speaking from experience here.

[Gryphon]

grout cracks?

[followsthewolf]

Bingo.

The first time I did tile by the fireplace (making a hearth), I thought the floor was solid enough -- good floor and subfloor, joists, etc.

OK at first. But, with Winter, and logs, and walking, and sitting, and fire tending, etc., the floor started to develop the tiny little spider webbing that spells eventual doom.

Tore it all out (thinset is a B!TCH to scrape off wood without making a major mess) and put down concrete board, then the tile, and 7 coats of sealer.

Been 8 years and I only recoat w/sealer every 2-3 years. Couple of coats and I'm good to go.

[Gryphon]

The American Tile Association, or something similar, I cant put my hands on the book now, recommends joists at a much closer than usual 12 inches on center for floors that will be tiled...theres hardly a builder out there that will do that...so backer is a great idea.

[followsthewolf]

Yep.

I even went down in the basement and put additional cross-bracing in the floor joists to prevent the cracking. Stupid me. Wood flexes.

Concrete board is the way to go, for sure.

[Gryphon]

what should I allow for waste? I ordered three 16 sf containers. (if I recall the numbers correctly). Im only tiling 30 sf, minus the sink area. Ordering 32 didnt seem like enough,  but surely 48 was overkill.

[followsthewolf]

Who is installing the tile, and how much experience do they have?

[Gryphon]

me, and none.

[followsthewolf]

I installed it myself, also.

Just common sense -- lay it with as few seams as possible, and make sure the seams fall in the least used areas.

Definitely use the specialized coated screws that are made for the board.

Lay it as tight as you can over a floor that you make as rigid as you can. The little the flex, the better. Tile and grout have no flex.

Follow the directions on the directions with the thinset. Worked for me.

Grouting, the same. Be prepared to wash & wipe the grout about a million times w/clean water each time.

Depending on the finish of the tile you bought, you will get various opinions on sealing it. I was always more concerned with sealing the grout itself, as opposed to the tile surface. I tended to overkill.

Those are the salient points I can recall now, after several years have passed.

If I remember any others, I'll pm you.

Good luck. If I were closer, I'd be glad to lend you a hand. Always enjoy working on do-it-yourself projects.

[Gryphon]

well we will see how well I like it after Ive done this one! I nearly pulled my hair out last year when I had to paint some new trimwork I had installed...
I probably will skip sealing because its a seldom used guest bathroom. But if this goes well, Im doing the master bath too...and will more than likely seal that one--Im planning to use travertine and I know it can stain easily.

[followsthewolf]

Right about the travertine.

BTW --

    Waste -- I always buy one more sheet than I think I'll need. I get really pi$$ed when I'm in the middle of a project and have to go buy more material. I would rather gather up the extra and make one trip back after it's all over to return unused stuff, than make three trips in the middle of something because I shorted myself on material.

    Trim -- If I have a choice, I always dry fit and prepaint the trim. It's a heck of a lot easier for me to touch up the trim than it is for me to paint it in place. If you have gaps too big to fill w/paint, you can always fill in the cracks w/several kinds of filler on the market, if necessary, then touch up. Saves my sanity.

[Gryphon]

today was demolition day. Old floor and baseboards are out. The backer board is down...the tile is on its way...so far so good.

[followsthewolf]

You go, Gryphon!!

[Magistrate]

Let see some before and after shots of it, OK?