Floor with part tiles and part carpet, need a few tips

[kilo_4que]

right guys i have some premises which i have work going on in at the moment. I have designed the interior and have had some bespoke drylining done i.e. curved ceilin etc.

I now want to transfer the curved shape on the floor having the inner ceramic tiled and outer side carpeted.

Now to start with would i be right in saying i would need to add 12mm ply flooring on the floor boards to start with and follow the steps shown in the sticky?

Other than this the main problem was the skirting boards and boarder between tiles and carpet.

I was wanting to add skirting boards after the tiles were fit so they can hide the edges and leave the tiled section seamless however with the carpet encapsulating the tiles area the skirting will sit lower on the carpeted areas. What would you guys suggest in this situation

With the other problem i was wondering whether to simply get the carpet fit snug along the perimeter of the tiled area or should i use some specialist beading prior to laying both sides. If so what beading do i need to look for. Someone did mention there is like a flexi separator but i had no clue what they were on about.

I hope the above makes sense, sorry if it doesnt as ive typed up in rush. Please do ask me to clarify areas you are unclear with

Thanks

 

[JerryM]

i've not tiled onto floorboards but would expect the 12mm ply to give the rigidity u need providing it's well screwed down.

i think u might be best putting the ply down over the full area to avoid the problem with the skirting height. otherwise u will need to cut the skirting dog leg fashion at the tile/carpet boundary.

i've not come across a "flexi separator" but feel it would be very useful if it exists. otherwise the carpet grippers will need fitting in short lengths to profile around the tiled area.

by using ply over the full area i think there is a better chance that the carpet once tucked in behind the gripper will hide most of the tile and avoid a trip hazard.

 

[kilo_4que]

hi Jerry

thanks for the reply matey

regarding the ply board, I was actually referring to ply boarding the whole area/room anyway

the floor is pretty even but the problem is it is in three parts. One part is where the old floor boards are, the middle part is where new floor boards were put down 2 years ago and the final part which ive had to put in due to wood worm infection. Now the floor is predominantly even but im sure there will be a few mm difference between the three parts hence one of the reasons wanting to get ply in.

Secondly getting the ply in was not my worry for the skirting it was more the tiles. In more detail for example ill have a wall where half of it will be met with tiles and half with carpet i.e. the tile will cause the skirting to sit higher. I have been advised to shave the skirting where the tiled sections are but i think it will look tacky. The alternative is to first the skirting and then the tiles and carpet but then the other problem occurs where i cant hide the edges of the cut tiles.

Im really stuck now guys and would appreciate all the help you great guys can provide

 

[JerryM]

i'll have a think about it - it's not an easy one.

coming to mind though - can u leave the skirting off - i leave it off in most kitchens for example.

shaving the skirt does not look brill - but u may have too

i don't feel the tile cut edge will stand out once grouted and would not be a concern to me.

 

[kilo_4que]

Jerry normally i would have thought of leaving the skirting out completely also but the problem is this is my design studio which has been drylined and needs skirting as a must to a. cover the lower rough edges and b. give a fine finish to the sharp edges etc

Also the tiles i have are really big, i think 4 tiles per square meter and they are porceline so i was hoping to keep the gaps very short i.e. user the very fine spacers as it would look good so i doubt the grout would cover much of the rough edges.

But then again ive invested in one of the tile cutters with a water inlet, i hope that cuts tiles more nicely compared to a grinder with a diamond cut blade

cheers

 

[JerryM]

i think either the skirting boards need to go down before the tiling ie accept the tile cut edges will be visible

or raise the carpeted areas of the plywood by putting hardboard or other thin board (mdf) under the plywood to bring it level with the tiled finish floor level ie so skirting can go flush over the tiles and board. trouble with this is the carpet will end up higher than the tiles by quite a lot ~10mm and the threshold would then become an issue due to the curved shapes.

Nb u can get a tile file and or sanding "gauze" which are good for cleaning up the edges after the tiles have been cut.

have not used the water cutter but expect it to be much better than dry diamond which is as you’ve pointed out not that brill.

this pushes me towards skirting boards down 1st (which is normal convention).

 

[kilo_4que]

argh, this is really stressing me out now as i am confused as to what needs to be done

 

[mack4]

Sorry if I'm butting in,but,why not install skirting first then finish the cut edge of the tiles with a matching bead of silicone.

 

[JerryM]

sorry kilo. mack4 always pleased to get someone else’s view.

i'd go for putting the skirting in 1st. file/cleanup the cut edges as much as poss then grout or use silicon as mack4 suggests.

i say this as i don't believe u will be able to get a "flexible/profile" threshold to go over the joint along the curved sections. this u would need if u raised the ht of the carpet sections to bring them level with the finished floor level of the tiles.

 

[kilo_4que]

Jerry as yourself and Mack have said, i was just thinking of having a fine silicon bead.

Regarding the threshold over the joint, are you referring to the parts where the carpet and tiles meet? As im sure there are carpet/tile seperators (dont know real term for these) that are flexible butg have seen them applied on flooring and not seen them for sale anywhere

 

[JerryM]

silicon bead sounds good. i also use decorators caulk (mainly around laminate) - find it easier to work with and just as good - worth considering

yes threshold is where tiles meet carpet. i've not seen any that are flexible. as long as the tile is higher than the carpet then the carpet can "tuck in" in the gulley behind the gripper bars (cut into small pieces to follow the profile)