How to Install Tile Over Concrete. Tile can contribute thermal mass. Heavy, high- heat- capacity material that can absorb and store a significant amount of heat; used in passive solar heating to keep the house warm at night. Should we be looking at using sand instead?”Campbell’s question is the topic for this week’s Q& A Spotlight. Lay the tile directly on the concrete Yes, writes Doug Mc. Evers, Ditra will insulate the concrete slab from the tile and lower the potential for thermal storage. I can't think of a more durable surface than a concrete slab for holding tile — try removing it sometime.

Tile, if installed properly and as long as what's underneath is solid, will last a long, long time.”Insulation should be installed beneath the slab, Mc. Evers adds, while the choice of tile also is important: dark tiles will absorb more heat than light- colored tile. James Morgan agrees with Mc. Evers. Citing Schluter’s own description of Ditra as an uncoupling membrane that permits differential movement between a lightweight substrate (such as a wood subfloor) and tile, Morgan says it’s “entirely unnecessary” between tile and a heavy material such as concrete.

That said, he adds, the effect of the membrane on the thermal properties of the concrete would be “barely measurable.”No, you need an uncoupling membrane William Geary isn’t buying it. If Campbell doesn’t want to use Schluter’s products, there are alternatives, such as those made by the Noble Company.“There is good green building advice here,” he adds, .

The FloorElf posts photos of failed tile installations and the problems that caused them. How To Install Maps On Zumo 550 Motorcycle on this page. Incorrect shower floor bases, incorrect tile substrates, and incorrect. One day garage Floor resurfacing, repair, restoration, protection, coating solutions over existing concrete and other surfaces.

And the slab also should have control joints that help make any cracks in the concrete more predictable. We just run a strip of Ditra, Noble or Rolled Gold or whatever membrane is your preference approximately three tiles wide in the areas over the expansion joints.”“James is entirely correct,” he continues. The inverse of U- factor. Because tilers will inevitably fill some of this gap with thinset, you can place 1/2- inch foam weatherstrip around the room or tack in a strip of 1/2 inch plywood around the room and pull it out after the tile is grouted.”Our expert’s opinion GBA technical director Peter Yost had this to add: Back in the 1. I worked full- time as a remodeler, I laid a lot of ceramic tile. Winrar Software Free Download more.

And I never used a “slip sheet” or “anti- fracture membrane” or “reflective cracking” protection when I laid ceramic floor tile over any substrate. And now I shudder to think of how many of my floor installations have telegraphed cracking because movement or curing in the substrate was not decoupled from the ceramic tile. To match a durable installation to the durable floor finish (ceramic floor tile), you need to decouple the tile from the substrate, even concrete. It’s a bond break, just as with any cementitious system. A great resource/quick read on this is an online Tile Letter.

Installing Tile Directly To Wood Surfaces. Chip board, cushioned vinyl flooring, particle boards of any type, luan plywood, OSB (Oriented Strand Board), tongue.