Just wondering...

[Ghughes]

I am currently in the middle of renovating my bathroom, only problem is i cant make my mind up on floor coverings.

I was going to have a tiler in to tile all the walls, but i was considering vinyl on the floor, just to make access to any future leaks easy, and also dont fancy the cold touch of tiles on my feet after jumping out the bath.

But i was wondering have any of you guys done any tiling jobs where theres been a mix of vinyl on the floor and tiles on walls? and did it look any good, or does it just look cheap compared to the tiles?

(Sorry if this is on the wrong page, wasnt 100% where this kind of question should be)

 

[dickygee]

there are sopme excellent vinyls on the market and doesnt have to look a cheap job,, bring the tiles down to sit on the vinyl and a neat mastic joint all around looks fine,, forget the skirting as this looks a bit naff...

 

[Ghughes]

thanks, actually another problem you could help me with.

When my house was plastered, is was done in quite a rush and didnt notice at the time the plasterer had left a 3 inch gap from the bottom of the plaster board to the floor boards. Will this cause a problem with tiling?

Or do you tilers have little ways around this sort of thing? Packing it out with adhesive or should i pack it out myself before hand, and if so what do you reccommend?

 

[gcol]

Fill it with plasterboard.

 

[fernando]

I had the same concern re access to pipes after laying tiles, but my plumber assured me that there would never be a leak so whats the problem. He had a point, what leaks are you expecting from pipes nothing can access? I'd go with floor tiles if you can.

 

[gcol]

...what leaks are you expecting from pipes nothing can access?

Poorly soldered fitting failing with expansion and contraction.

 

[Ghughes]

True i guess i could trust my plumber a bit more, but my reasons are too fold, id like a soft warm surface down esspecially with 2 kids running around on them.

About filling the gaps at the base of the plasterboard with more plasterboard, will these need a quick skim over them before tiling or can you tile fine over the board?

 

[Symptoms]

G - If you fail to fit skirtings I will guarantee that at some time in the future you WILL strike one (or more) tiles with the vacuum cleaner causing them to crack - one of the main functions of skirtings is to PROTECT the lower wall covering. Using the appropriate skirting profile for the room will not look naff unless badly fitted and finished; it will also solve your 'gap' problem as the skirting will cover it (that's probably why the plasterer left the gap ... it's usual to fit skirting).

A decent vinyl (on a correctly prepared floor) looks fine in a bathroom.

 

[Ghughes]

OK thanks guys for the advice.

Ok one last problem to save me starting anew thread, the vinyl flooring, what kind of prep work will i need to do to the floor boards as they arent in the best condition.

Just a couple of sheets of underlay to even out the bumps, or screw down some ply to get a nice flat floor to lay on, i appreciate this isnt a tiling question,sorry.

 

[jefoss]

15 mm ply screwed down at every 20cms then tile some nice thick quarry tiles onto flexibale adhesive, then your floor should be nice and flat for your vinyl.

 

[gcol]

G - If you fail to fit skirtings I will guarantee that at some time in the future you WILL strike one (or more) tiles with the vacuum cleaner causing them to crack...

You'd have a job to crack them if you fit them properly.

...what kind of prep work will i need to do to the floor boards as they arent in the best condition.

Screw down 4mm ply.

 

[Symptoms]

G - secure any loose floorboards first with screws then oversheet with 4 or 6mm exterior grade ply (WBP) - try to stagger the joins. 3 schools of thought on fixing the ply to the floorboards:
1. screw - length=ply thickness + floorboard (say 20mm total) so no risk to pipes below as the screw won't break through
2. annular nails (ring shank) - length see above
3. divergent staples - length see above
all 3 are fine. Small room maybe use screws (not got 100s to do) otherwise 2 for a quicker job than screws. We use d/staples for speed.
Any gaps fill with a smear of filler, ditto over screw/nail heads as the object is to get a flat surface with no lumps or depressions which might become evident through the vinyl over time.

 

[Ghughes]

Great thanks guys, much appreciated