Hi:

I'm planning to do a 5" oak plank installation on the lower level of my house. I'm also planning a tile installation in my kitchen on that same level.

My subfloor is presently concrete. The plan is to cover the concrete with a 6 mil polyethelene vapor barrier, then float 3/4" plywood over that and then and then to combination nail/glue the hardwood to the plywood. The problem I'm running into is that unless I do something to raise up the level of the tile in the kitchen - I will have an 1 1/4" height difference at the transition where the tile meets the hardwood.

Is it insane to think that I can tapcon two layers of 1/2" backerboard to the concrete subfloor in the kitchen to make the height difference more acceptable?

Thanks in advance for your help. This forum is a tremendous resource for us laymen.

James M

You may be able to do the backerboard tapcon thing, maybe with troweled thinset also. But it sounds like a lot of material cost and labor. I don't know if that procedure is advisable, my tile knowledge is pretty limited.
Regardless....I would consider hiring a tile/stone guy for floating a morter bed to the height you want. Then you can install the tile. I'll bet you save money, and it will be right.

Old fashioned mud bed. Thats not floating either, it adheres to the slab.

Why is there a tile question here....to aggrivate me? Someone must know I'm doing tile this week. Not a fun installation either. An extension of one I did in February, 40ft hall,entry, 3 bath rooms, 2 closets and a laundry room...sigh.

Yea, did I have you fooled that I'm a tile guru By "floating" , I was referring to the physical act of installing/troweling/floating the bed. Not that the bed actually floats. Yea...why is a tile question on here anyway?

Thanks! You guys are great.

I knew that you knew that. But it sounded like a floating concrete screed.

Come down here and finish this tile job for me. I hate installing tile.

Mudbeds kinda do float!


Hehehehe.

All I have seen done, there is a slip sheet(roofing felt) and wire lath.
Minimum mudbeds are approx. 2" thick.

I love tile, give me notice and I'm there, no diagonals though, unless we pull base and undercut jambs

You can come back and do the two bathrooms if you want. They are not connected to this part, only one is. Twenty inch tiles are wrapping around entire door casings. I spent two hours doing eight cuts on them today. One tile wrapped around two door casings.

Not to mention I am doing the 20's on an old MK101 lol

Back to that mud. Not positively absolutely insanely sure but isin't paper just used for when yer on a wood substrate? Gotta be careful bidding on demoing old tiles out here. heh heh

The one that bit me once, had a tar paper over the inset into the concrete.

The first time I got an education in mudbeds and tile removal. The lady wanted her entry tile replaced with the same wood going into the formal living room.... Surprise!

I have a friend who has done tile all his life, used to do mud jobs with his dad. He even got bit by one. lol They are often level with the door thresholds and lower than carpets in older houses.

I almost bid on one I was looking at. Old Mexican slate tile with a pattern in it. Expensive stuff if your looking to go retro. Then I noticed how dang perfectly flat it was. I said...mud bed gotta run. lol

Used to run into mud beds in So.Ca. all the time, big older homes in the hills with large Slate entry/foyers. The entire home would be concrete except the entry. Wood subfloor, paper, mesh, 3-4" morter bed with slate on top