Floor prone to flooding

[TilingLogistics]

So if i have this right now! You fit a membrane or tanking or whatever, then you tile but you use normal grout in case the floor floods and the water needs to get out.

Kev

[grumpygrouter]

Originally Posted by pendleh

Hi

Ive got a kitchen floor to do only problem is the area is prone to flooding. Can anyone give me some info as to what materials I should use if the floor is to withstand immersion for a while. The floor is concrete. Swimming pools come to mind .

Best Wishes

Howard

How long is a while?

[wetdec]

Originally Posted by TilingLogistics

So if i have this right now! You fit a membrane or tanking or whatever, then you tile but you use normal grout in case the floor floods and the water needs to get out.

Kev

If you are sealing below then any moisture will dissperse upwards yes. So if water does penatrate somewhere which isnt impossible it should have some sort of way out.


If you put membrane adhesive tile epoxy then you have a damp/wet sandwich if water gets in ?

Or wrong ??


tiler

..

[sWe]

There seems to be some confusion on this subject. Tiles (except glass tiles and epoxy based tiles) and cement based adhesives and grout are not waterproof. They're mostly resistant to water, which means they don't deteriorate under water's influence, but they still allow water to pass through. Even dense porcelain still allows some moisture through, though it's not much.

Long version:

If a floor needs to be waterproof, a waterproof membrane combined with cement based adhesive and grout is normally the best option, as that will allow the floor to dry out, as previous posters have stated.

If you for some reason need to use epoxy grout, and you need the floor to be waterproof, then epoxy adhesive is the way to go. Epoxies are more or less waterproof per definition, though some aren't entirely vapor proof in the long run.

When you use cement based adhesives and epoxy grouts, you want the substrate to be able to pass any moisture which get through. If you use waterproof membranes in combination with cement based adhesives and epoxy grout, water/damp might get trapped in the adhesive and any empty spaces under the tiles.
Though porcelain isn't waterproof per se, the moisture they allow through is less than what cement based adhesive can absorb. Picture putting a damp sponge in a plastic bag with a few pinpricks in. It'll dry, eventually, but it might take ages, and in that time, alot of nasty things can happen; the tiles can be discoloured and there might be mold propagation.

If you use epoxy all the way, only the tiles themselves will become damp, assuming there are no holes through which water can get in.

Short version:

• Floor needs to be waterproof, no particular sanitary (or mechanical resistance) requirements - Apply a waterproof membrane, and fix and grout the tiles with cement based materials.
• Floor needs to be waterproof, with particular sanitary (or mechanical resistance) requirements - Epoxy all the way
• Floor doesn't need to be waterproof, with particular sanitary (or mechanical resistance) requirements - No waterproof membrane; Tiles are fixed with cement or epoxy based adhesives, and grouted with epoxy.

Hope I've cleared up/summarized things in an easily digestible manner now.

/sWe

[wetdec]

Originally Posted by sWe

There seems to be some confusion on this subject. Tiles (except glass tiles and epoxy based tiles) and cement based adhesives and grout are not waterproof. They're mostly resistant to water, which means they don't deteriorate under water's influence, but they still allow water to pass through. Even dense porcelain still allows some moisture through, though it's not much.

Long version:

If a floor needs to be waterproof, a waterproof membrane combined with cement based adhesive and grout is normally the best option, as that will allow the floor to dry out, as previous posters have stated.

If you for some reason need to use epoxy grout, and you need the floor to be waterproof, then epoxy adhesive is the way to go. Epoxies are more or less waterproof per definition, though some aren't entirely vapor proof in the long run.

When you use cement based adhesives and epoxy grouts, you want the substrate to be able to pass any moisture which get through. If you use waterproof membranes in combination with cement based adhesives and epoxy grout, water/damp might get trapped in the adhesive and any empty spaces under the tiles.
Though porcelain isn't waterproof per se, the moisture they allow through is less than what cement based adhesive can absorb. Picture putting a damp sponge in a plastic bag with a few pinpricks in. It'll dry, eventually, but it might take ages, and in that time, alot of nasty things can happen; the tiles can be discoloured and there might be mold propagation.

If you use epoxy all the way, only the tiles themselves will become damp, assuming there are no holes through which water can get in.

Short version:

• Floor needs to be waterproof, no particular sanitary requirements - Apply a waterproof membrane, and fix and grout the tiles with cement based materials.
• Floor needs to be waterproof, with particular sanitary requirements - Epoxy all the way
• Floor doesn't need to be waterproof, with particular sanitary requirements - No waterproof membrane; Tiles are fixed with cement or epoxy based adhesives, and grouted with epoxy.

Hope I've cleared up/summarized things in an easily digestible manner now.

/sWe

Oh


tiler

..

[sWe]

Originally Posted by wetdec

Oh


tiler

..

The summer when I was 18, I was hired by a steel pipe manufacturer to "transedit" technical manuals and policies (on computer systems and use) from (poor) English (written by Finns, and they generally suck at English) to Swedish, and I found that having a having a fairly detailed explanation and a short "1 = a, 2 = b" style summary made the target audience (steel mill workers and office workers) happier, as they could chose which to read based on their their own technical understanding and the time they had availible

Ey Fekin, I'm writing long sentances again

[wetdec]

18 you have a very good memory then





tiler

..

[sWe]

Originally Posted by wetdec

18 you have a very good memory then

tiler

..

Well, it wasn't that long ago