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Guys,
I got a bid for a tile job. Tile man gave me a pretty hi price. He told me part of it was that they wanted to put wonderboard down on the deck in all the places the tile goes. I never heard of such a thing. Is this common practice or should I get another bid? Seems like it would make sense in a shower,but not a kitchen.
Thanks
Frank
Replies
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Frank,
What exactly are having tiled? If it is a deck yea he'll need to use a good underlayment like wonderboard or hardibacker maybe even a exterior ply might work. im not sure which one is best for outdoor use. maybe someone else can give you more info for a good substrate. But we'll need more info.
*Ron,Sorry, I should have been more specific. This is a kitchen floor, foyer and two bathrooms- inside heated space. I thoughtI could just get 11/2 in of plywood instead.Frank
*Frank,Your dealing with a tile contractor who wants to do a first rate, long term job. I like putting tile backer on floors, (thin-set and nailed) 'cause it's easier to do it now than to rip up the tile later to slide it in.........Luck
*Frank,yes I assume its a raised foundation rather than a slab, if thats the case then you'll need the wonderboard/hardibacker. I feel you pain with the cost, i have about 300sq ft to do shortly. but doing it correctly and it'll last a long long time.
*Frank,I just finished a big tile job in my own home, 600+/-square feet. I used backer this time. About 6 years ago I tiled a kitchen for my mom and dad. I put the ceramic over what I thought was a solid sub-floor. We replaced the tile about three years ago because the sub-floor was not a stable as I had thought and several tiles had cracked. It was a &*&^% getting the old tile up. My advice it to spend the extra money now and do the tile backer.Also, if I may ask, what is your tile guy quoting you, labor only? I have a kitchen I may be doing in a few weeks. I have been told $3 to $4 per square foot is the going rate in my area.Jamie
*Plywood and tile expand and contract at different rates. If you install ceramic tile on plywood with thinset it (a) Won't adhere very wells; and (b) Will crack along grout lines in short order.For a quality job, I would recommend (a) Deck mud floated job first; (b) A CBU (wonderboard/duroc) underlayment laminated to the plywood with galvinized or staniless fasterners and taped; or (c) If plywood is the only option, to use epoxy thinset (yucky and very very messy)Go with the CBU, Frank. What is "pretty high" on a square foot basis, including material? Is it over $10-15?
*Jamie, where you live that you see only $3-4/ft?
*Folks,Thanks for your reply. It sounds like the special subfloor is needed. They were around $10/ft here in rural Virginia, so maybe the price is right after all.Life is expensive, you get what you pay for;cheaper to do it right the first timeThanksFrank
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Guys,
I got a bid for a tile job. Tile man gave me a pretty hi price. He told me part of it was that they wanted to put wonderboard down on the deck in all the places the tile goes. I never heard of such a thing. Is this common practice or should I get another bid? Seems like it would make sense in a shower,but not a kitchen.
Thanks
Frank