How long of a wait with ceramic tile?

[Jadnashua]

Blocking, especially the type usually installed (diagonals or solid often with a gap and not tightly fitted) primarily help keep the joists from twisting, which helps them maintain their maximum strength, but does not signficantly aid in overall floor deflection ratings. If you put a dead load on a subfloor with and without blocking, and it will deflect nearly the same. WIth properly installed subflooring, you get sharing between adjacent joists. Deflection is still a concern in a general case. Testing has shown that blocking does not make a major contribution to deflection except prior to subfloor installation. As previously noted, failures can often take up to 10-years to exhibit themselves from failing to follow the rules. There are short-term effects, and long-term creep effects. An improperly spec'ed floor under a heavy continuous load will slowly bend, different from a short-term impact, and can eventually fail.

There's a lot more science in this than the average person is aware of. Most pros give a 1-year warranty, and may fix things after, but often not. A failure after that timeframe, people don't often associate it with the install.

The trend in specifications for a floor is leaning more towards design for the real dead load than specifications on live load deflection...this is more reliable in the long-term and only slightly correlates to the current deflection scheme.

If your joists are fir or southern yellow pine in good condition, you should be okay. If they are full of holes, splits, or cracks, and another species, they are not.

 

[TonyKarns]

grout

Just about any grout that is latex modifed portland cement grout is what I use. Sanded for joints over 1/8" and non sanded for joints 1/8" or less.
Mix the grout powder with FLEXIBLE GROUT ADMIXTURE (in place of water), and mix to a “toothpaste†consistency. It is better to mix no more than can be used within 20 minutes. Mix well. Mix each batch until all the pigments are dispersed and wet. Then allow the grout to stand for 5 minutes and mix again. The mixing time for each batch should be the same.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Livin4Real]

So now to installing the toilet over the ceramic. Most people recommend tiling under the flange, if this is the case then obviously it makes a fun job of screwing down the toilet flange. I'm relocating the toilet to the other side of the bathroom so I'll be starting fresh with a new hole and flange, etc. Is there a special drill bit for ceramic and I'm assuming it's a finesse game trying not to crack the tile while screwing down the toilet flange?

 

[Geniescience]

use pieces of tile left over from the day's work, and position them so that you don't have to drill any holes. The goal is a level surface of the appropriate height to put the flange onto, and gaps left over for the flange's screwholes so that screws can go through easily and grip into your wood subfloor. You don't need a lot of grip. If you want to, you can grout the gaps and then drill out holes in the new soft grout. No big deal.

david

 

[TonyKarns]

Agree

Take Genies advice. As far as drilling through the tiles if you ever have to, in this case you dont, I use good quality concrete drill bits. They do however sell more expensive bits specifically for drilling through tile at Home Depot.

 

[Jadnashua]

It very much depends on the type of tile you have. A pro would probably notch the tile using either a diamond blade on a grinder or with the wetsaw, or possibly with nippers to make a neat finish. If using a softer tile, a carbide bit might cut it. The most assured way is to use a diamond core bit. Lowes sells them fairly inexpensively, or you can buy them on the web. If the tile is properly thinsetted to the floor with proper coverage, unless you are drilling right at an edge, it takes a lot to crack a tile.

 

[TonyKarns]

masonary bit

I've always used masonary bits for tile. Just start out slow to score the surface and its downhill from there.

 

[Jadnashua]

You haven't tried to drill a PEI V tile! It will laugh at a carbide bit...

 

[TonyKarns]

ya got me

You got me on that one! Your right about that!

 

[Livin4Real]

So while sitting around today I decided to flip the Toto over and have a look at the underside. I put the flange on it to see how much the toilet hung over on the sides and how close I needed to be for tiling. What I noticed was the bottom of the flange sat even with the bottom edge of the toilet, this is with nothing in between the toilet and flange (i.e. wax ring) so my concern is once the wax ring is on there. With putting the flange on top of the tile will it be too high with the wax ring for the toilet to rest evenly on the tile?

 

[TonyKarns]

toto

Sounds like you might want to consider a waxless ring? What model Toto is the toilet?

 

[Livin4Real]

It's an ultramax, I'll take a pic today and post it. Worst case (actually easier case to me) I have to screw it directly to the subfloor and tile around it.

 

[Jadnashua]

As long as the toilet will sit flush on the floor over the flange, there will be enough wax to make a seal when installed. In fact, the closer it is , the less chance of a blowout if you should ever need to plunge it out.

 

[Livin4Real]

that's the problem, there isn't any room in between the top of the flange and the bottom of the toilet, so once a wax ring is put in there I don't think it will compress enough to allow the toilet to sit flat on the tile. I picked up a waxless ring today, looks like that may be the way to go or like I said screw the flange directly to the subfloor. I didn't get a chance to take a pic but will get one in the morning.

 

[Jadnashua]

If the toilet can sit flat without the wax ring, it will sit flat with one. Any minor space inbetween will have wax in it after installation, creating the seal. The channel in the toilet is usually dome-shaped as well, which would fill with wax. Waxless works, too. Put the flange where it is designed to be if you have the choice.

 

[viennamicro]

Hmm...

With 120 acres, why not just use the tree and prop a shovel beside it?

I'd suggest some lime and approaching with the wind at your back

Seriously, assuming you're a novice like me, take the time the pros quote and convert it to metric (double it and add 30).

Good luck and let us know how it comes out!