Use levelling compound or not? Laying 600x600mm Rectified Porcelain Tile on Concrete

kifi

Hi All,

I plan on laying 600 x 600 mm rectified porcelain tiles in a hallway and in the kitchen of a new house. The floors are concrete and appear to be quite flat.

Because of the tile size, I understand that lipping might be a problem where it might be difficult due to keep tiles flush to one another. Also, narrow grout lines appear to look best, but this will show up lipping problems even more.

My question is whether or not I should use floor levelling compound or not? Is there a chance that I could make the floor more uneven after using self levelling compound bearing in mind that i have never done this before? Or is using it a foolproof method where I cant do much harm?

Thanks

cletus

Are you hiring a tiler to do the tiling job, or do you plan to both level and tile.

The reason I ask is that we had the same tiles laid in our kitchen by a tiler, and we just let him have a look at the floor before he was due to start, as they were going down on concrete, and although it seemed pretty level to my untrained eye, I had no idea what tolerances the tiler would need to work to

Calahonda52

If u have never used LC before keep it that way.
Instead of
Or is using it a foolproof method where I cant do much harm?
more like
Or is using it a foolhardy method where I cant do much good?

For 600 rectified, with no tiling experience, get a tiler, especially for such a strategic situation.

How are you going to cut them?

Tom44

There is two types of finished tiles.

GOOD / BAD

If you cannot do a 100% good job first time, get a professional tiler.
Money well spent.

I've done a lot of DIY small tile tiling, but I got professional to do the large tiles on my floor.
I know my limit's.

cletus

I'd be inclined to agree with the above two posters. I'd be all right at DIY myself (installed the kitchen in my house for example) but when it came to putting down big porcelain tiles, I figured you only get to put them down once, might as well put them down right.

Drilling 4 small holes in porcelain tiles gave me my fill of them

kifi

I have tiled a bathroom and an ensuite before with good results. I guess another reason I would consider doing it myself is some of the botched jobs that I have seen people report from supposedly "qualified" tilers.

If the substrate is flat, my tiles are good quality with no bowing or cupping and I use a trowel with 10mm notch, i am most of the way there. But if you guys think there is much beyond this, then maybe I really should reconsider.

Calahonda52

Some of the best tilers I have seen have come from the East of the EU. In the current climate if Janis or Markuss or Mihails tells you he can come on Saturday, run.. The best have work for several weeks but are worth the wait. My "Markuss" did a job for an American Auto company exec here and he was so impressed he gave him and his mates the tiling gig for a new corporate office in Chicago, organised visas papers etc. They are still there.

ps get to see their work

King Mallie

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Some of the best tilers I have seen have come from the East of the EU. In the current climate if Janis or Markuss or Mihails tells you he can come on Saturday, run.. The best have work for several weeks but are worth the wait. My "Markuss" did a job for an American Auto company exec here and he was so impressed he gave him and his mates the tiling gig for a new corporate office in Chicago, organised visas papers etc. They are still there.

ps get to see their work

You obviously haven't been out much because I have had loads of highly skilled Irish tilers work for me and these lads will come back in a year or two years in the unlikely event of an issue arising with their work.
But all these other heads will be nowhere to be found if something does go work.

It's time we started promoting our local people then we would not such mass immigration