Stupid Tile Question

[Tone-NY]

Here is my question on tile installation. I had a new house built and it has a standard two car garage. I'm not living there full time and haven't really thought about layout for storage and the such. The floor has cured and am leaning toward a ceramic tile floor. My real question is for those of you who have tile what extra steps are/were involved with the expansion joints in the concrete?

This would be a project that I would undertake in the summer and look forward to your experiences with doing a project of this kind. I did do a search first and didn't find anything that addressed the expansion joint issue.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[nates90]

I would try to figure out how to lay the tile so a grout joint is with the paving joint. Then instead of filling that joint with grout, use a self leveling polyurethane. You could also mark out your paving joints and cut "new" joints in your tile, but you will be seeing the paving joint pattern up through the tile.

 

[68 Coupe]

There are numerous products in the market that are made to help address expansion/contraction issues. Companies like Schluter and Custom Building Products offer several options from peel and stick "foam" which also provides a very small amount of insulation, to a waffle looking product that can add significant height to your installation. Any of the crack isolation products will add quite a bit to the cost of your project, and may not 100% protect from cracks/separation, but they will help a lot.

I would highly suggest looking at porcelain tile as opposed to ceramic if that is the route you choose to take, as porcelain is going to be a more durable product and will take more abuse in a garage setting. Something else to consider would be installing some in-floor heating. It will also add some cost to the project, but is a very nice addition if you plan to spend a lot of time working in your garage. There are even electric mats that you just roll out making installation easier than ever. If you install floor heat, you will not be able to drill through the flooring if you ever decided to mount anything large to the floor.

Keep in mind that any "fired" product (ceramic or porcelain as opposed to machined like granite) is going to have variation in flushness, making it very difficult to have a smooth surface. Also, being that this is a high abuse area, don't cut any corners on thinset and make sure to get 100% coverage under every tile to ensure you don't have any air pockets that will cause a weak spot and potential breakage.

Hope this helps, good luck on your project!

 

[Tone-NY]

Thanks fellas for the information.

68 Coupe I was looking at the Schulter products and should have mentioned if that would help.

As a follow on the house is in the costal area of South Carolina so would floor heating be needed? I figured I could get by with a small space heater of some sort as the garage is fully insulated and finished. I'm in the Northeast and am used to colder climes and working outdoors.

 

[68 Coupe]

If you are in a more temperate area, floor heating would probably be a waste of money. It has been on my mind lately as it has been in the teens and even single digits here the past couple weeks, and I have been in my un-insulated and non-heated shop every day, dreaming of heating solutions

Schluter products are good, however they are fairly pricey, and in the case of their Ditra system, will also require a lot more thinset to install and add about 1/2" to the finished height. When added to the tile thickness and thinset, that will make your final height about 1" above your slab...

 

[Syntax_Error]

Ditra is not a half inch thick. Its about 3/16th thick and while it does add some thinset to the budget to skim it, its not much. Also it would be pointless to add it to a concrete floor in your application. If the floor is going to raise at one of your joints it will crack your tile. If the joint is going to expand heavily it will crack your tile. Ditra doesn't just sit on the floor it is mudded to the floor then skim coated then troweled then set on. so any movement will be transferred through the Ditra. You need to mesh tape your joints and skim coat them with thin set and then thinset your tile to the concrete floor. In a case were your are worried about expanding or lifting joints I would recommend not using a diagonal set or a brick pattern but use a standard straight set. With a straight set if your have a lift or grout cracking it will be easier and more cost effective to repair.

 

[Syntax_Error]

Sorry 68 coupe I miss read your 1/2 inch statement my bad.