Holmes on Homes Fixes a Tile Floor

[stullis]

Saw the show last night on HGTV.

"Jersey mud method" and non-modified thinset was used to set the porcelain tile. Way to common in the US as well. Some guys swear by that method.

I saw cement board, Durock I believe, put down not hardibacker and then they installed ditra over that. Not a good practice unless he just wanted the extra height and as Kman said, the addition of plywood would have been the better choice.

Also don't like the use of siliconized caulking he used on the floor. I've done them and they look good initially but don't hold up as well as I would like.

As far as the countertop, I thought they mentioned the weight issue as well as the cost factor.

All in all a pretty good show and while not perfect he and his guys do a nice job with an eye for the details.

[Kman]

Why in the world would someone use Durock with Ditra on top? By the time you install 5/16" Durock with thinset underneath, you could have put in a layer of 3/8" plywood.

[Kman]

Finally saw that episode today.

Looked like either 12x20 or 13x20 tile on the Jersey mud job. Most of the tile came up with one or two taps on the edge with a prybar, and according to Mike, they saved 80% of the tile. Looks like there was absolutely no transfer of thinset onto the tile, and of course, no back-buttering on the tile.

I did see that they went to the trouble of using 1/4" Wonderboard with Ditra. Not really sure why they went to the trouble of that. I did hear him say that the "cement board would give us a really strong floor." I don't know the prices of the materials they used, but around here 1/2" ply is about the same price as CBU, and you don't have to put thinset under ply. Plywood would have been much stronger and made a much stronger floor.

Overall, though, it was a really nice job.

Funniest part was where the plumber found a spot where a previous plumber, or maybe even a homeowner, had tried to solder some copper lines and set the vapor barrier and insulation on fire. He pointed out all the places that had burned or at least singed, then found where it looked like the fire had been had been put out with coffee. Whatever it takes to keep from burning the house down, I guess.