Bathroom tile questions. Total rookie.

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Xxiand

Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2018
Messages
7
Location
USA
My bathroom is tiny. The floor is 20 sq ft plus the bathtub. House was built in 1947 and I have removed 3/4 of the (likely) asbestos tile.
History:
I came across a free MSM green toilet and sink and had to have it.
I paid a guy to put the toilet in and demo the sink and vanity and he put in cement board and tiled a back splash and surrounding tile for the new vanity that he had intended to stick build from scratch to support the new sink. I paid him for that and that was 2 weeks ago and I still have no sink installed.
Then I decided while I was waiting for him to come back and finish the job, that I would go ahead and fix the floor. I removed the 3 layers of linoleum and asbestos under-layment.
Since I don't know if he is coming back or not, I have been researching what it would take to finish the job myself.
I went shopping at Lowes and picked up some wood look plank tiles that I like and after watching a youtube video, I decided to go with Laticrete Strat-mat uncoupling membrane underlayment instead of hardy backer.
My reasoning was that with the tile being 1/4" and the cement board being the same, that would be a full half inch difference with the hard wood floor in the hall and the Strata-mat is only 1/8".
Problem is everything I've read thus far online indicates that I need to remove the hard wood planks down to the sub-floor and then install. When the install guy and I had discussed floors, he said I have to have an inch of sub floor with hardy backer on top or the movement would crack it.
The guy on the video responded:
Yes, you need to demo to the subfloor, sponge the wood subfloor and install the Strata mat. You don't need 1 inch of plywood for your subfloor. We install on 5/8" or 3/8" subfloor all the time with Stratamat.
I have no intention of removing the tub so that I can tile underneath it.
So my dilemna now is, do I go with the original plan and use a 3/8 transition threshold or do I demo the hard wood and install on the subfloor?
Being a total rookie, the only way I can think to demo the planks is to adjust blade on the circular saw so that I don't dig into the sub-floor and saw a rough square around the perimeter and pull the old planks out.
First issue there is I have no idea how thick the planks are.
Second issue is, that is going to leave wood extending from underneath the tub that I would have to get out of there somehow. Wood chisel?
Third issue is, that whole process is going to leave the tub on top of wood plank flooring and I have no idea if the it is safe or if it's leaving the tub unsupported or less supported.
I hope I have come to the right place. After this I will have to figure out how to wall mount an old Standard sink, but that's a different issue.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Or I could go back with the original plan of painting the wood floor white, sand some of the paint to give it an old floor look and polyurethane it and take the tile back to Lowes.
 
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polyurethane is not waterproof .. Check out Cor Tec..
 
Why am I checking out Core tec? They offer vinyl planks and I've already bought wood look tile.
 
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I'd never rely on a ceramic tile job over anythimg but a 1 1/2" subfloor with 1/2" cement board, min 16" on center joists. I think thats the rule. But i live in the land of concrete.
 
No, But the members here do ..
Thanks for your response. I would like to get some input from someone who has used these membrane type of products because the guy who put out the instructional video is saying he installs on less than an inch plywood subfloor.
Sure don't want to make a mistake.
 
I don't think anyone around here uses any board type materials. I'd check with the manufacture of Ditra and Strata mat and let them know the size of the floor, the thickness of the sub floor and joist spacing.
Let them know the age of the house too.
 
I don't think anyone around here uses any board type materials. I'd check with the manufacture of Ditra and Strata mat and let them know the size of the floor, the thickness of the sub floor and joist spacing.
Let them know the age of the house too.
As noted in op, I am a rookie and do not know the lingo. Strata mat is not a board. It is an uncoupling membrane. Basically it's heavy plastic with a waffle pattern and comes in a roll.
 
As noted in op, I am a rookie and do not know the lingo. Strata mat is not a board. It is an uncoupling membrane. Basically it's heavy plastic with a waffle pattern and comes in a roll.
I think it has a couple of different thicknesses and possibly a grid to snap in heating wire so the floor is warm to the feet.
 
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