Uncoupling membranes Schluter[emoji768]-DITRA

[NETexas]

I have a 25 year old slab on grade house with mostly builders grade ceramic tile and laminate wood flooring. We are thinking of replacing with wood look porcelain tile planks. Have had the old tile crack is a few places, some early on and some more recent years. The soil is clay and there is a lot of movement due to moisture.
My question is what is the word on uncoupling membranes do they work? Is it worth the added cost? Thought I read something about Schluter[emoji768]-DITRA having some failures.
Thanks


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[rustyjames]

The John Bridge tile website is the best site for all things tile.

 

[NETexas]

Thanks, didn’t know about the site. Found the answer.


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[Firebrick43]

All the "failures" I have seen or heard of have been shower pan failures and more leak related. In this case i don't see it any better(may be worse) than lead pans. I wouldn't do a tile shower pan in any situation personally.

 

[rlitman]

All the "failures" I have seen or heard of have been shower pan failures and more leak related. In this case i don't see it any better(may be worse) than lead pans. I wouldn't do a tile shower pan in any situation personally.

Ditra isn't made for shower pans (so far as I know). Kerdi is their product for that.

 

[Romar73Ventura]

Uncoupling membranes aren’t a guarantee against cracking, they do however give you a fighting chance. If your slab is moving there isn’t much that will stop it. You may have some trouble getting the long wood look tiles to sit flat if the floor has too much crown, dip, and or roll.

 

[Firebrick43]

Ditra isn't made for shower pans (so far as I know). Kerdi is their product for that.

 

[duneslider]

Showers should be constructed properly and if done right will last forever without leaking. If not done right, yep it will leak. Just like you roof... No shower I have ever done has leaked, just have to find someone that knows what they are doing. In theory you could used ditra and kerdi band in a LARGE shower but its best to just stick with kerdi in most cases.

Ditra is a great product, just installed it in my own house this last week (Ditra XL to better match up with 3/4" hardwood). I would stand behind Dirta any day of the week and would challenge anyone that says they had a failure that could be traced back to using Ditra. Ditra isn't the only player in the game, Laticrete makes a similar product that is great. Ditra or Strata Mat (laticrete) are my favorites and yes I spend the money to put them in my own house.

Over a concrete subfloor there are also a whole slew of other products that can help prevent cracking related to movement. Liquid applied membranes, some fabric membranes, etc. If your cracks happened only over cracks in the concrete you can treat just the crack area. There are also thinsets designed to prevent cracking.