Three years ago a GC convinced a homeowner that he could add a layer of wood to the original sub-floor, then routered in floor heat channels and run pex lines. Over this he convinced the homeowner, the store that sold the material, and the installer that it would be a good ideal to then put the tile directly over this in floor heat system with no CBU. Just tile directly to the wood and directly over radiant heat pex lines.
Not knowing the specific system that he used, or whether it actually matters, or the depth of the various routered spaces, what type of wood was used as the filler, or the actual structure of the subfloor itself leaves some questions in the air. This just seems like it was a bad idea all around from the beginning.
The floor has failed in numerous places, cracked tile, loose tile, disintegrating grout joints throughout. The floor is now a total fail. Has anyone out there heard of such a technique or seen something similar? The only documentation I have found on systems like this all say to tile 'as normal with cbu etc' over a comparable type floor system.
I am hoping to salvage the structure, pull the existing tile, float or grind it flat again, install CBU and new tile. Once I do a full inspection next week I will add more detail.
Not knowing the specific system that he used, or whether it actually matters, or the depth of the various routered spaces, what type of wood was used as the filler, or the actual structure of the subfloor itself leaves some questions in the air. This just seems like it was a bad idea all around from the beginning.
The floor has failed in numerous places, cracked tile, loose tile, disintegrating grout joints throughout. The floor is now a total fail. Has anyone out there heard of such a technique or seen something similar? The only documentation I have found on systems like this all say to tile 'as normal with cbu etc' over a comparable type floor system.
I am hoping to salvage the structure, pull the existing tile, float or grind it flat again, install CBU and new tile. Once I do a full inspection next week I will add more detail.