I'm looking at tiling our kitchen in the next month or so and trying to work out the best way to do it. It is approximately 9 m2. The original T&G floor boards are in good shape and appear to deflect very little. I'm looking for advice on how I can best tile and fit UFH. I'm trying to keep the floor height as low as possible but realise there will need to be a step from other floor covering. If possible I would like to keep the finished floor level to about 20mm about the original. From what I have read on here already I believe I have the following 3 options:
1. Fit ply, then the UFH and then tile on top.
2. Fit a backerboard, then UFH and then tile.
3. Fit UFH, then a SLC and then tile.
Am I right with the above?
I would greatly appreciate any advice on which is the best option and also what products are best to use.
Thanks

Any idea wht type of tile you are going to be putting down.?


p.s.welcome.....

I think more than likely ceramic. The other half has got some picked out but thats never a guarantee until things have been bought.

OK....

This option is the way i do it.....

Make sure the substrate is well secured.....fix ply......lay UFH.....Cover with a suitable SLC( i use mapei fibre plan).......then tile.this gives a nice flat bed to tile too....

OK. What thickness ply would you recommend?

This depnds upon the adhesive you are going to use....BS recommneds 15mm with an s1 adhesive....but you can use thinner with a 2 part system....

OK. Can you recommend any 2 part adhesive? If I used a 2 part could I use 9mm or would it be safer to use 12mm?

Depending on the floor boards condition..you can tile straight onto them with a good 2 part system......but i prefer to over board.....

So 9mm ply..and a 2 part system would be fine....Mapei kera quick and latex plus......

IMO you could glue & screw 12mm ply and use Ardex 7001 to fix. I've never had any issues with 7001 on a timber base.

Thanks for all the advice. As for fixing down the ply would it be best to glue and screw it down? I assume any wood floor glue would be ok.

alright dave, what concistancy does mapei fibre plan have to be when mixing and do you just pour on and spread or is there a technique to doing it?

Hi and Welcome,

We would always Recommend Insulation board to be used on any type of subfloor as will help improve the performance of the system.

rough warm up times are as follows,

Uninsulated concrete - 3-5 hours (maybe longer depending on base thickness)
Insulated Concrete - 2-3 Hours
Timber - 30-60 Mins
Thermopanel or Ekoboard - 15-30 Mins

European standard IEC335/EN60335
recommends for safety that no more than 100W/m2 is installed directly on a timber floor and will only give you a 'Warm Floor' effect.