anybody any advice for my first balcony please

[Rav daniels]

hi guys,

I am hoping someone can put my mind at ease, i have got a 5m2 balcony to do in 350x350 ceramic, its on decking, this is how i was gonna do it, if its wrong in any way, or someone has a better suggestion it would be much appreciated .

1. was going to use 12mm ply over decking, but customer has bought nomoreply, so will use that and screw every 300mm.

2.I am pretty much treating it as a bathroom floor and will do the rest as usual.

3.pre seal the tiles, before and after grouting,

4. A bit concerned about frost and thaw, is there anything you would recommend

sorry its a bit long winded, cheers Rav

[kilty55]

hi mate,what are you sealing ceramic tiles with? also im not sure ceramic tiles are frostproof to be honest maybe another more experienced member will advise you on this but im sure i was advised ceramics arent frostproof.

[Rav daniels]

thanks kilty55 for the reply, was going to go to my local shop and have a look and ask for some advice to be honest mate. heard about impregnator so was gonna check that out when i get a chance, i would of advised against ceramics, but customer has already got the tiles,

[bj F]

I would walk away from that one m8

[andy-p]

you dont want to be fitting tiles onto wood in an exterior situation...

[kilty55]

sure,i dont see what impregnator will do for a ceramic tile it wont take it? porcelain is ok for outside,but as stated i wdnt be into tiling onto ply outside,i would advise the customer mate but wouldnt be too keen to do it his/her way it will only come back on you.hope this helps

[Rav daniels]

thanks for the advice, its a new one for me, and giving me a headache ha. will have a chat with customer, think i will leave this one well alone, cheers

[grumpygrouter]

Ceramic tiles don't generally need sealing. if you are laying ceramics outdoors, make sure tha manufacturer stipulates that they are frost proof. Are the decking boards fixed close together like internal floorboards are?

using no more ply in accordance with manufacturers instructions doesn't require screwing a 300mm centres if I recall. You will need to use the No More Ply adhesive underneath it. Also as has been previously mentioned tiling to timber outside can have it's problems. Have you thought about laying Ditra or Durabase matting on top of the No More Ply to isolate the installation?

[Dave]

Take a look at the Schluter systems for balconys......

Balcony and terrace construction systems - Schlüter-Systems

[garythetiler]

as dave suggested schluter do a balcony system firstly i would overply with 18mm marine ply minium ,25mm if possible then you will need the uncoupling membrane which allows the transfer of water underneath from memory i think its called schluter troba please coorrect me if i am mistaken you can put a sand and cement screed on top of this membrane with a slight fall away from the building depending on the thickness of the bed ( 38mm if possible)you may want to use wire mesh to reinforce it allow this to thorughly cure and then tile with a good quality spf adhesive that is recommended for external works (schluter would probably specify ditra matting before tiling) you do need to use a frost proof tile and due to the thickness issue you may need a fascia tile or guttering trim hope this post help

[Spirit]

That seems like a very expensive and difficult way to do it. I would get a roofer to fibreglass it, which would make it water tight. Get carborandum grit added to the final gel coat, then tile with frostproof tiles and flexible adhesive.

[CJ]

Most of the above.

But would definately use Fast flex. More allowance in temperature changes.

If Ceramic.............make sure they are frost proof............or walk away, cos your'll be the person they phone when they get frost damage

[Rav daniels]

thanks for all the advice guys, had a think and am not going to bother with this one, sounds to much like a ball ache,, and i dont want it to come back and bite me in the arse. cheers

[DARRELL]

I did a ceramic floor the same way had now trouble but they couldnt walk on it in the summer as it got to hot..... lol

[Pawelzik]

4. A bit concerned about frost and thaw, is there anything you would recommend

A tile is regarded to be frostsafe it it conforms to EN 14411. Should be written on the tile boxes.
Otherwise the tile manufacturer has to confirm in written, that the tile is frostsafe and can be used at frost climate.