Help with travertine floor tiling.

[Gazebo]

Hi all,

I did post a question similar to this a while ago and now the time has come to tile and i would like a little more advice if any of you good people could help.

I have 200x100mm travertine floor tiles which are to be laid onto a 10sqm wooden floor area which has been ply lined with 18mm then has 'clima' insulation boards fitted then 'clima heat mat' (customer got it all from screwfix). There has been a latex levelling compound put over the heat mat by the builder and now its my turn to tile.
What should i do next and which addy/grout to use.below i listed what i think i should do but please correct me if i am wrong or there is a better way.

1.prime latex with Bal apd.
2.lay ditra matting using Bal spf (should i use rapid flexi for this)
3.Seal tiles with Lithofin or .???(do i seal top and sides or just top.?)
Fix tiles to matting with white Bal spf(or should i use Rapid flex for this also.?) what is the best trowel to use for this size tile etc.?
4.do i need to prime ditra matting prior to laying tiles.
5.Seal tiles again before grouting .???
6. Grout with Bal micro or superflex, or ultracolor plus.?
7 seal again after grouting.???
8 should i be using a 3mm spacer for the flooring.
9 Any tips hints would be lovely....


I am also putting these tiles onto the walls which have been lined with marmox in shower area and a mixture of lime plastered walls and normal plasterboard in other areas. only going upto height of approx 1.2m outside of area so what should i be priming and what addy can i use...is white star ok on the walls or should i use Bal spf.?

cheers for reading this and hopefully giving me some advice.
Gary

[enduro]

Hi all,

I did post a question similar to this a while ago and now the time has come to tile and i would like a little more advice if any of you good people could help.

I have 200x100mm travertine floor tiles which are to be laid onto a 10sqm wooden floor area which has been ply lined with 18mm then has 'clima' insulation boards fitted then 'clima heat mat' (customer got it all from screwfix). There has been a latex levelling compound put over the heat mat by the builder and now its my turn to tile.
What should i do next and which addy/grout to use.below i listed what i think i should do but please correct me if i am wrong or there is a better way.

1.prime latex with Bal apd.
2.lay ditra matting using Bal spf (should i use rapid flexi for this)
3.Seal tiles with Lithofin or .???(do i seal top and sides or just top.?)
Fix tiles to matting with white Bal spf(or should i use Rapid flex for this also.?) what is the best trowel to use for this size tile etc.?
4.do i need to prime ditra matting prior to laying tiles.
5.Seal tiles again before grouting .???
6. Grout with Bal micro or superflex, or ultracolor plus.?
7 seal again after grouting.???
8 should i be using a 3mm spacer for the flooring.
9 Any tips hints would be lovely....


I am also putting these tiles onto the walls which have been lined with marmox in shower area and a mixture of lime plastered walls and normal plasterboard in other areas. only going upto height of approx 1.2m outside of area so what should i be priming and what addy can i use...is white star ok on the walls or should i use Bal spf.?

cheers for reading this and hopefully giving me some advice.
Gary

1. Yes i would prime the slc.
2. Yes lay ditra with flexi adhesive, depends if you want to start tiling the same day then use rapid set.
3. I don't seal travertine until i have layed it, because if it has holes in it the sealer will stop the grout from filling these, and don't seal the sides. Always back skim the tiles and make sure the adhesive is white and not grey.
4. No.
5. No
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. 3mm is the minimum, i would use 5mm
Gotto go due at work, good luck

[Gazebo]

Hi Enduro,

Many thanks for your help with regards to this. so bal spf will be ok for fixing the tiles to the matting.? and which trowel works best on the matting etc.?(have not installed ditra before.) by the way i was married at warbleton church and had my wedding reception on rushlake green. just out side of heathfield. small world eh.?
Cheers
Gary

[Dave]

Hi gary.......watch this video it will help understand the concept of Ditra and how to install it..




How to install/fix Ditra mat.

[enduro]

Hi Enduro,

Many thanks for your help with regards to this. so bal spf will be ok for fixing the tiles to the matting.? and which trowel works best on the matting etc.?(have not installed ditra before.) by the way i was married at warbleton church and had my wedding reception on rushlake green. just out side of heathfield. small world eh.?
Cheers
Gary

I live in Rushlake Green, it is a small world, is your wife's name Sonia?

[R Montgomery]

Hi Enduro,
Just trying to get a hang of things here.I used to install a lot of travetine in the states but it went out of fashion and I haven't seen it for about 15 years.It seems to be popular here at the moment from what I am reading on the forum.You say that it should be installed with a minimum 3mm joint.My question is why as I would always use a joint of about 1mm or just enough to take care of the variation in tile size?Has the quality of the travetine reduced to not allow this?I would like to know so I don't say or do anything stupid in the future.(with travetine everything else is just waiting to happen.)

[Lucas 2]

That's another good question.....got me worried now, been doing porcelain floors with 2mm grout gaps...not wide enough? It looks good though....why can't u use 2mm gaps with travertine too if they are very even sizes and no holes in them...?

[Lucas 2]

Thanks for the vid Dave..!

[doug boardley]

as enduro, I personally don't go below 3mm for floors. Due mainly to expansion/movement. If the tiles are virtually butted up to each other and there is movement in the floor they are going to heave/buckle or break imo

[Gazebo]

I live in Rushlake Green, it is a small world, is your wife's name Sonia?

Yes it is Sonia (of the Cushing variety previously)

Just had her Nans Burial at The church God Bless her.

Will she know you if you want to pass on a message.

Gary.

p.s. if you need a good plumber/bathroom fitter have a look at some of miy pics..

[Gazebo]

Isn't 3mm minimum Bs . requirement

Which trowel should i use on the ditra matting when fixing 200x100 travertine tiles.?

[enduro]

Yes it is Sonia (of the Cushing variety previously)

Just had her Nans Burial at The church God Bless her.

Will she know you if you want to pass on a message.

Gary.

p.s. if you need a good plumber/bathroom fitter have a look at some of miy pics..

My wife did the flowers for your wedding, so she knows your wife.

[enduro]

Isn't 3mm minimum Bs . requirement

Which trowel should i use on the ditra matting when fixing 200x100 travertine tiles.?

I would use a 10mm trowel, keep a small paintbrush in your water bucket then if any adhesive comes up through grout joint u can wash it straight out.

[Gazebo]

And what lovely flowers they were, please thank your wife (is it Julia) and let her know that Sonia and I are now the proud owners of a 9 month old little baby Isabelle.

[enduro]

My wife did your flowers, and she i training to become a midwife at the moment...so you never know she could deliver your next baby...