Karndean Flooring Tiles Over Central Heating Pipes

[darkdante]

Long time lurker first time poster.

I am looking to fit some Karndean in my kitchen, utility room and bathroom.

The sub-floor in all rooms is concrete, with a very low RH and fairly uneven.

I am searching for a bit of advice.

Is a water based or latex based levelling compound better?

The floor will need to go over some central heating pipes in the subfloor. Do I need a specific adhesive for this or will a PS adhesive do? The pipes are noticeably hot through the existing Lino. I have read about discolouration due to heat.

Any advice about whether I should remove the skirting board and tile under them or tile up to them and then seal?

I have laid various floors, solid, engineers wood, tiles, carpet and lino but never a Karndean. I am a confident DIYer and luckily have an engineer for a dad!

Many thanks

Chris

 

[lymmranger]

Hi darkdante,

Ok, to answer your questions first....

latex is best

use a suitable high temperature adhesive (this is a MUST)

no need to remove skirting boards

Next I will try and talk you out of doing it yourself!!!

- sub-floor preperation is critical to the longevity and appearance of your floor. fitters make screeding look easy, and indeed getting an average finish is easy, but for LVT it needs to be a superb finish! can you acheive this?
- secondly do you have the knowledge required to judge that your screed is properly adhered and dry?
- do you realise that correctly applied adhesive grabs instantly (ie make sure you place the tile correctly first time!!!!!!)

please search this section of the forum and read through the posts from people who have ended up with problems due to poor installation

this type of flooring is expensive because of the skill required to fit it, over half the cost a shop will quote you is down to floor prep and labour

Either way good luck

 

[darkdante]

Thanks Lymmranger.

I will read through posts regarding bad fits. I have read that you do need to fit it well to give it a nice finish.

I appreciate all your help and I will add this to my research.

I am a competent DIYer who enjoys a challenge...

 

[lymmranger]