Please help a girl out with tiling down to DPC

[janjul]

Hi all, this is my first post so please be gentle and I am a girl!!!

I have tiled many bathrooms before as a DIYer and have no problems with primers, adhesives, setting out etc but I have a really specific query about my downstairs cloakroom and am hoping you guys can advise.

The cloakroom is quite large and will have a back to wall toilet, wall hanging basin and a large towel rail type radiator. All plumbing is new and all installed and walls have all been plastered over 2 months ago so am now ready to start.

My problem is the room previously suffered from damp on the internal party wall. The house is a large Victorian semi built in 1896. The room has been a downstairs cloaks well before we bought the house but dampness was uncovered on renovating the cloakroom. It appeared that the damproof course had broken down (there was evidence of recently installed bitumen damp course on other 3 walls but not on this wall). There was also some attempt at Bitumen tanking on the wall but this had started to break down and was noticably wet on removal. We had DPC injected when we moved in 3 years ago but this did not improve the wall much. So we bit the bullet and decided to remove all plaster in room and to remove a course of bricks on the damp wall to put in a new DP membrane which seems to have done the trick despite there been only a 1/2 to inch cavity between the two party walls and the bricks are also cross bonded every 5 runs of brick up 2/3 rds of the wall.

Anyway we had all walls replastered with correct cement, waterpoofer and plaster mixes and all seems perfectly dry. The plaster did not plaster down to floor so as not to bridge damp proof course but this is where my problem lies.

I like my wall tiles to flush fit with the floor tiles as I like the cleaner look rather than having skirting boards on. I now have a gap about 3 inch up from the floor and am not sure how to deal with this if I want to keep that look.

Can I just tile down to the floor as I have always done or should I bite the bullet and install skirts. The floor is ashphalt and therefore no damp there and I have sourced and used previously a great adhesive for that type of floor so its just bridging the DPC I'm worried about. I had also thought of putting the bottom tiles on proud of the floor and overfacing them with a tiled skirt just cut from the tiles I'm using (have an electric tile cutter) so it may not hit you in the face looks wise. In this way the bottom tile would still stop short of the dpc but this would be hidden by using the facing tile (say 1/3 height of full tile but don't know if I'm worrying about nothing. The tiles are reasonably large rectangular tiles and will laid lengthways along the wall. I also like to use very wide grout spaces and the floor tiles are matching square tiles so that all grout lines follow from floor line up the wall. I have got quite good at pulling this off now and I love the challenge!!

I would really appreciate any advice you could offer as we intend this house to be our last one so I want to do the correct thing so it doesn't come back and bit me on the bum in years to come.

Sorry post is so long but wanted to give you as much info as poss to ensure you know what I'm up against.

[TilingLogistics]

The post is that detailed you almost sound like a Pro

That said why not consider cutting skirting out of your floor tiles then you will solve the problem

Kev

[whitebeam]

Hello Janjul and welcome to the forum, That is some descriptive writing and easy to understand. Agree with TL

[janjul]

Thanks guys - I just love tiling!!! I also have a Dad who needed a boy and ended up with 2 girls and he taught us everything he knows!! By the time I got married he had bought renovated and sold 18 properties and at 73 he still does just about everything so he's great to have around - my other half is not too great on the DIY front so it's a good job I love it!

So can I just clarify - you recommend tiling down to about the end of the plaster (approx 3 inch up from the floor) and then use a cut tile as a skirt which will be set in front of and overlapping a bit of the bottom tile. I could then use a small batton adhered to the floor tiles with silicon or other waterproof type adhesive so the skirt wouldn't keck in towards the wall where it meets the floor tile. Does that sound about right?

Many thanks in advance.
Jan

[Fred]

Keep posting jan................

[GazTech]

[quote=janjul;124322]Thanks guys - I just love tiling!!! I also have a Dad who needed a boy and ended up with 2 girls and he taught us everything he knows!! By the time I got married he had bought renovated and sold 18 properties and at 73 he still does just about everything so he's great to have around - my other half is not too great on the DIY front so it's a good job I love it!

So can I just clarify - you recommend tiling down to about the end of the plaster (approx 3 inch up from the floor) and then use a cut tile as a skirt which will be set in front of and overlapping a bit of the bottom tile. [B]I could[/B] [B]then use a small batten adhered to the floor tiles with silicon or other waterproof type adhesive so the skirt wouldn't kick in towards the[/B] [B]wall where it meets the floor tile. Does that sound about right?[/B]

Many thanks in advance.
Jan[/quote]Hi jan, great posts...rather than use timber siliconed, chop a concrete common brick in half length ways and stick them with rapid set or spf. The less timber tiled onto anywhere the better......welcome to the forums..... .Gaz

[whitebeam]

I would go for 100mm or cut a floor tile in half which would give more strength and use adhesive to stick the tile onto the floor, Wood could take in any moisture that may rot over time

[janjul]

Got yah!
Thanks guys (and girls if there are on more of us on here!)
I really, appeciate this.

Of course your right with the wooden batton idea - what a bimbo!!

I think in my head I was thinking UPVC or something but your suggestions are great.

Can't wait to get going now!!

Jan

[Dave]

Good luck jan and welcome to tilers forums........any pics of your tiling work..?.we love pics on here.....also we do have lady members on here and they have there own forum as well.......if you pm Dan direct he will tell you what you have to do to gain access...

[janjul]

Thanks for that.
Yes will post some pics for you. Give me a day or two and I will post them up. Will need to read up how to do this on the site as I haven't done it before.

Thanks too for all the comments I really appreciate them.

I would have loved to taken up tiling or carpentry as a career but ended up as a psychology lecturer who now supports FE/HE students with the whole range of difficulties/disabilites. I have never lost my love of working with my hands rather than brain (not that that is not a requirement of what your guys do but you know what I mean) as you get to see the results of your labour much more quickly than the work I do as a teacher that can take a long time to achieve.

I had a stoke 5 years ago from which I recovered well enough to carry on teaching but it made me re assess my life a little and now I tend to put more effort into what I enjoy doing (ie. the DIY) and get far less stressed about the other stuff.

Apart from a busted Achilies tendon which I have just had an operation on, I'm ok but otherwise would have tried to give you guys a run for your money!! Only joking

I would love to learn to lay Vicky floor tiles as our hallway would look fantastic done with these. We have them in the vestibule but the couple who had the house before us ripped up the hall floors to resolve damp issues and replaced them with chip board - Aggh!! I despair.

Anyway re-laying real floorboards is the plan but the tiles would finish off the job perfectly. We also bought some fantastic, original, Victorian, 9 column radiators for several rooms in the house which we are going to install soon so lovingly sorting the house out feels like all my Christmases have come at once.

Am I sad?

Post again soon with the pics
Jan


Jan

[whitebeam]

You certainly are not sad Jan and I wish you all the best with your project, Any other queries don't hesitate to ask

[janjul]

Thanks Whitebeam you can be sure I will.
Jan