| Floors and Tile: Setting the Tiles |
From "Home IQ"
episode DHIQ-118 |
|
|
When the tile setters show up at the Oberg home to install the tiles, they discover several places where the floor moves. The floor has too much bounce and the seams are swollen. The floor joists used in this house are a new technology -- SpaceJoist® (figure A) -- that the homebuilder had never worked with before, as we covered in previous episodes, so finding the bounce is especially challenging.The problem must be corrected because if the floor moves "after" the tiles are installed, it may cause those tiles to crack.
Finding a SolutionUnsure of how to keep the joists from bouncing, Greg Allen (the site supervisor) asked the manufacturer's representative to come out and troubleshoot the problem: - Chris Haley, a structural engineer for SpaceJoist TE, LLC, explains that the strong-back (figure B) for the joists is code required and must be installed, and it does two things --
- It shares the load for one truss to the other truss, so when someone steps on the center truss the two trusses on the outside are actually sharing in the load.
- The second purpose of the strong-back is to help eliminate floor vibration.
- In the area where our site supervisor expressed concern, Haley pointed out that the strong-back has been compromised and bored out (figure C) note the red arrows to the area of concern) and is now of "no" value. Also the strong-back has been broken (or cut short in other words) and because of this there is no shared load factor value given to the trusses.
- The bounce is caused by the broken shared-load value of the strong-back.
- To solve the problem the carpenters install wood bracing (figure D) that "ties" the joist together, which will reduce the amount of movement in the flooring above.
- Once the floor is reinforced the tile setters are ready to set the tiles.
Another ProblemBefore the tile setters begin work our site supervisor discovered that the seams between the plywood sheets are swollen, which causes bumps in the floor (figure E). This is a common problem in new construction because the plywood subfloors installed early on in the process (figure F) are exposed to the elements weeks, and even sometime months, which means moisture can seep into the wood and cause it to swell or buckle.
Solving the ProblemLuckily, a couple of passes with a power cleaner can fix this problem quickly! - After the seams have been planed down, the next step is to apply a layer of thinset mortar directly on top of the plywood (figure G) in order to even out any other imperfections.
- Then the tile setters put down an underlayment of cement board (figure H) to provide a smooth solid mounting surface for the tiles.
 |
Figure I
|
| |
Figure J
|
| |
Figure K
|
|
Setting the Tiles and River Rock- First the tile setters mark a grid on the floor to determine exactly where each row of tiles will go.
- Another layer of thinset mortar is applied.
- Now it's time for the tiles to be set (figure I -- note these are the tiles in the four-seasons room of the Oberg home).
Note: The tile used in the four-seasons room has the texture and appearance of slate, but it's actually a manufactured ceramic tile. - To finish out the room the tile setters installed a decorative border (figure J), which is enjoyable for the installers because it gives them the opportunity to add some "art" to their craft.
- Next is the river rock installation, which presents a tough challenge because our homeowners prefer a cascading effect down the steps. The corners need to be more rounded or the effect won't work.
Note: The installers experimented by using a piece of plastic tubing, but it wasn't strong enough to provide a solid mounting surface for the river rocks. - Finally the look was achieved by applying a curved edge made out of a thin bands of wood set -- setting each one slightly lower than the one before it.
- After applying a couple of layers of mortar, the river rocks can be installed (figure K).
In the next segment it's time to roll out and install the carpet.
RESOURCES :
DuPont Stainmaster® Information
To contact DuPont about the Stainmaster, click here.
To visit the Stainmaster section of DuPont's website, click here.
DuPont
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Email: info@dupont.com
Website: www.dupont.com
Joists Information
SpaceJoist® TE, LLC
Website: www.spacejoist.com
Tile (Best Tile, Inc.)
Best Tile Distributors, Inc.
Website: www.besttile.com
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
Website: www.beautifulfloors.com
Carpet (Boyle Carpet Service)
Boyle Carpet Service, Inc.
Website: www.boylecarpet.com
Tile and Carpet (Molyneaux)
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
Website: www.beautifulfloors.com
River Rocks Information
Nicklas Supply, Inc./Splash
Website: www.wit-co.com
or www.nicklassupply.com
GUESTS :
Brad and Lynn Oberg
Homeowners
Company: IBACOS (Brad)
Title: Co-Founder/Chief Technology Officer
Website: www.ibacos.com
Greg Allen
Site Supervisor
Hendolhurst Homes
955 Markman Park Rd.
Baden, PA 15005
Phone: 724-935-5658
Fax: 724-935-0884
E-mail: gcrbs@adelphia.net
Bruce Dickson
Project Manager
IBACOS
Website: www.ibacos.com
Ken Donovan
Tile Installer
Boyle Carpet Service, Inc.
5800 Perrysville Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Phone: 412-931-2350
Fax: 412-931-8476
E-mail: info@boylecarpet.com
Website: www.boylecarpet.com
Laura Nagy
Sales Consultant
Best Tile, Inc.
11040 Perry Highway
PO Box 848
Wexford, PA 15090
Phone: 724-935-6965
Fax: 724-935-9333
Website: www.besttile.com
Steve Chase
Sales Consultant
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
305 Commerce Park Dr.
Cranberry, PA 16066
Toll-free: 866-Floor-Me (866-356-5150)
Phone: 724-776-2525
E-mail: info@beautifulfloors.com
Website: www.beautifulfloors.com
Tony Macioce
Carpet Installer
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
See contact information, above.
Carol A. Evans
Sales Consultant
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
See contact information, above.
Chris Haley
Structural Engineer
SpaceJoist® TE, LLC
Toll-free: 800-238-8678
Fax: 817-652-3079
E-mail: info@spacejoist.com
Website: www.spacejoist.com
Dan Keener
Sales Consultant
Boyle Carpet Service, Inc.
5800 Perrysville Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Phone: 412-931-2350
Fax: 412-931-8476
E-mail: info@boylecarpet.com
Website: www.boylecarpet.com
| 
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2004/06/18/dhiq118_2fa_e.jpg",350,450))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2004/06/18/dhiq118_2fi_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2004/06/18/dhiq118_2fj_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2004/06/18/dhiq118_2fk_e.jpg",350,450))
