Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Jul 22, 2010 12:09 pm We currently live in a 1970's house that needs some updating (to say the least!). Our kitchen and dining area are laid with slate tiles over original timber boards (no concrete slab). I doubt the floor is original, maybe 15 years old, but over that time the floor boards have moved and the tiles have cracked. There is nearly no mortar left between the tiles and they look disgusting. So I have a couple of questions for the experts/experienced out there... Do you agree that it is very stupid to put tiles over a timber floor? I think there is masoinite under them, but they still move. Can you lay modern timber flooring over timber floor boards? Or is it best to just rip up the tiles, sand and varnish the original floor boards? Thanks for any advice! Re: To sand or not to sand? 2Jul 22, 2010 12:48 pm beckandbubs ............best to just rip up the tiles, sand and varnish the original floor boards? Thanks for any advice! This is generally the option where you get most bang for your buck. Post some pics of the tiles and the timber floor if you can Cheers Re: To sand or not to sand? 3Jul 22, 2010 9:07 pm We have slate laid on timber floor with no problems (Been down about 16yrs). In our living area we laid timber floorboards over the timber floor, (real boards not floating floor) as there were patches where we had removed a fireplace etc, and it wouldn't have looked that good. Has the added advantage of better insulation. In one bedroom we have polished the hardwood floorboards which were under the carpet. They came up really well too Re: To sand or not to sand? 4Jul 23, 2010 7:02 am Your easiest solution could well be running a floater over the top of your tiles. This can be done ad long as a) you don't have cracked and loose tiles and b) you can work with the additional 10 -20 mil (depending on product) of height. Otherwise, roping them out and laying a new floor is also an option as people have said. Re: To sand or not to sand? 5Jul 23, 2010 1:13 pm Here are some images of how bad the floor is. The tiles just shatter when things fall on them. They have looked like this since we moved in. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And here is a close up. I think the tiles are actually laid directly onto the floor boards which would account for their movement and loss of grout. I think it's going to be a bugger to get rid of them! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So I don't think we can lay floating timber over the top of these. I like the sound of timber flooring over the top. Can it be stuck down to floor boards? or does it have to be floating? Re: To sand or not to sand? 6Jul 23, 2010 1:25 pm I just rang a flooring company that we used in our old house to get an idea of pricing. They said to sand and polish the existing flooring would be $30 to $40 per square meter. Cheap compared to timber flooring over the top which they said would start from $120! Re: To sand or not to sand? 7Jul 23, 2010 5:02 pm That sounds about right, the only hassle I can see is that it looks like the tiles go under the kitchen kick boards? Could take a little work to get out Cheers Re: To sand or not to sand? 8Jul 23, 2010 11:13 pm We laid proper timber over our floor, not floating floor. I think it is nailed down with secret nails. I didn't get it supplied, laid and polished by the one company. I shopped around and got the timber for a really good price (from Melbourne timber). I then got quotes to have it laid. And then got quotes for polishing. I could be wrong, but doing it that way I think it would be cheaper than 120m I'm putting a new floor in my kitchen, slate flagging on a standard concrete slab. I have allowed for a bed thickness of up to 20mm to accommodate the different… 0 17539 2 4350 2 8874 |