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Been on the net to research this but it's like flooring guys talk a foreign language.
Got 2 small areas of floor to do...less than 3m2 each. Ensuite, just screwed ply on to chipboard floorboards, I believe I need to skim it now to cover the gaps and screw holes... If so, what type and do I need to cover the whole floor ?
The other floor is rough concrete in a new utility... It's level but rough and "dusty".... Few holes here and there... Can I use the same "leveller / skim for both and if so, which one ? I sums I could then use the adhesive on top of this, I've seen there's a few, am I safe just using the "standard" adhesive or go for the pressure sensitive one ?
Any advice appreciated, feel confident about doing this myself so just want to get it right...
I don't know if your floor area is big enough for this, but we put the non stick stuff in a retail shop and it held up fine. Only problem is if you get small bits that don't have enough weight/area to stay put. Maybe it wouldn't work so well if you couldn't use whole planks in say an en suite if it was too small.
ISTR Trout on here is a fitter
Never heard of her
Ours was 6mm plyed over boards, pinned every 90mm. Then it was glued (no skimming beforehand) and is holding up perfectly well 9 months later.
Which adhesive did you use johndoh?
I got the supplying company to do mine. When I was doing the kitchen I got the kitchen fitters to fit the ply based on having karndean done. I believe they stuck down slightly thicker than the regular ply, though might have been due to dodgy floor underneath (first floor flat, wonky floor).
Standard karndean glue. Seems fine.
Only issue is the wonky floor has lead to some flex and one of the tiles has cracked, plus they couldn't get a ply screw in flat enough and that has broken through. I've got spare tiles but I get the impression it's going to be a lot of effort to rip up a tile once glued, plus the strips between tiles may need redoing if I do that.
We've got it in the kitchen, utility, bathroom and conservatory.
We had a damage tile replaced in the kitchen, it looked pretty straight forward, warm up the old tile with a hot air blower, take up the old tile clean the area, stick the new one down.
Don't forget to use a high temperature adhesive you have UFH or if the floor gets a lot of sun (conservatory, garden room etc).
I laid our 20 sq. metre living room with Karndean after a flooring company quoted £1800+VAT 😯
Really easy as long as you're exacting with your measuring and cutting. Ply as previously mentioned, Karndean floor screed, Karndean pressure adhesive, borrowed a garden roller to roll over the planks once they were laid. That was a year ago and it still looks like new. Took me 4 days in total (no doubt it could be done quicker if needed): one to cut and lay the plywood, one to screed & dry, one to measure and cut the planks, one to glue and lay. Total cost about £600 including all materials.
Which adhesive did you use johndoh?
It was just the standard Karndean glue.
A mate has this all through his down stairs.
Been great in the living room, dining room and hallway but a nightmare in the kitchen, all come up due to the heat.
My understanding watching the fella fit it is a 6mm ply stapled down, joints all feathered with adhesive and then the karndean stuck down on top. He used what looked like a heat gun in places to seal it down also.
all come up due to the heat
Heat because it is a south facing room or heat because of general cooking heat?
Have a look at vinyl plank flooring . The easiest thing ever to cut and lay and a fraction of the cost of kardean.
Essentially the same system as 'quick step' laminate but 5 mm thick vinyl which sits much better on slightly uneven sub- floors, is water proof and looks pretty much the same as kardean.
Yes I do this for a crust
Plywood gaps and screw holes will need skimming over
We use Ardex Feather Finish.
We don't use the pressure sensitive because it is not reliable and the tiles are only lightly stuck down
The standard adhesive is ok but you must lay the tiles into it while it is wet or it will not stick
The best way is to lay a small area which does not meet any cuts and let it dry. Then dry lay and do your cuts then take up and apply the adhesive and relay .
The concrete area must be dry and have a DPM underneath. This is a no go if any damp comes up it will lift the flooring
Screed it out with Ardex NA latex screed
Tips
Undercut the Architrives
Use thick paper to make templates round the bathroom pottery when you are dry fitting
Other screeds and feather screeds are available. But we like to use the best to avoid problems
You can of course hide any bad cutting with Silicon. But IMHO it looks crap
A hot air gun will soften the tiles to aid cutting but also can make the job look not professional if you over heat the tiles .
Happy to help out with any more questions
Also if any areas receive direct sunshine then the High Temp adhesive is recommended
Also if underfloor heating
Will Karndean go down on top of existing ceramic floor tiles?
Floor was levelled (with levelling compound) before tiles were laid and is level and even.
If you're in the South, I've a big tub if left over glue you can use...
DrP
Karndean is really easy to lay well as an amatuer. The advice above is good.
I've laid on concrete and over victorian floorboards (with 6mm ply/feather finish) and got a really good finish on both that still looks good many years later.
Only issue is the wonky floor has lead to some flex and one of the tiles has cracked, plus they couldn't get a ply screw in flat enough and that has broken through
Suprised at this - it needs a serious amount of flex to crack a Karndean tile. If the floor is that flexy then I'd say it needs thicker than 6mm ply.
Ours was 6mm plyed over boards, pinned every 90mm. Then it was glued (no skimming beforehand) and is holding up perfectly well 9 months later.
i think the fitters did this when they installed my brothers floor. hes had it for 14 years and its still looks new. its also in a high foot traffic area too (hallway and dining room)