| Tile over tile means exactly what it says, | | | | |
| but in this case you're going to sandwich a | | | | After sanding, vacuum the tile and wipe down |
| layer of radiant heating mats between the old | | | | with an all purpose cleaner. Pay special |
| and the new tile. Tile over tile is an easy | | | | attention to the areas untouched by the |
| way to avoid the mess associated with tearing | | | | sander. |
| up the old bathroom floor, but requires | | | | |
| thorough planning. | | | | Installation: |
| | | | |
| Deflection: | | | | Roll out the mats prefabricated to your |
| | | | specifications by the manufacturer. Some |
| Before you install a radiant heat mat over | | | | radiant systems, like Quickmat, are |
| the old bathroom tile and install new tile | | | | self-adhesive and require no mortar to secure |
| over the mat, you should check the floor for | | | | them to the old tile floor. |
| deflection. This is the maximum amount the | | | | |
| floor can move under the anticipated load | | | | If you're home has only one bathroom, cover |
| (you). Ceramic tile is hard and will break or | | | | the heating mats during inevitable |
| dislodge if the surface bends under the load. | | | | interruptions with plywood or heavy |
| Here's a simple test: | | | | cardboard. |
| | | | |
| Stand in the middle of the bathroom floor and | | | | Throughout the installation process, use a |
| jump up and down. If the floor moves it has a | | | | digital ohm meter to check the resistance of |
| deflection problem and is not a good | | | | the heating mats. This will help you monitor |
| candidate for tile over tile installation | | | | the mats for short circuits. |
| until you reinforce the sub-floor. | | | | |
| | | | Have your electrician connect the heating |
| Avoid That Sinking Feeling: | | | | mats to the power source and install the |
| | | | thermostat. Depending on the local electrical |
| Since you're tiling over tile, you must plan | | | | inspection procedures, you might have to wait |
| in advance to avoid making the vanity, toilet | | | | until the job is inspected before you start |
| and tub look like they're "sinking" into the | | | | laying tile. |
| new floor. | | | | |
| | | | Trowel out the mortar over the mats. Some |
| One way to keep the bathroom fixtures from | | | | manufacturers recommend latex- modified or |
| looking swallowed up by the new floor is to | | | | epoxy-modified mortar and grout instead of |
| remove and reinstall the baseboard. Better | | | | water-based multi-purpose adhesives. Mortar |
| yet, why not buy new baseboard tile too? | | | | beds thicker than 3/8 inch should work fine |
| | | | for most systems; they just take slightly |
| The raised height of the new floor will also | | | | longer to heat up. |
| require you to adjust the length of the | | | | |
| door(s) and possibly install a new threshold. | | | | Since you won't be covering the entire floor |
| | | | with mats, under the toilet for example, make |
| Preparation: | | | | sure the mortar in these areas is level with |
| | | | the mortar covering the heating mats. |
| Remove or re-attach broken tile pieces. If | | | | |
| you remove them, wait until the floor has | | | | This might sound obvious, but don't bang the |
| been sanded and thoroughly vacuumed before | | | | trowel on the mat or heating wire to remove |
| you fill the spaces with mortar. | | | | excess mortar from the trowel. This could |
| | | | sever the heating wire. |
| If any of the tiles have checks wider than 1 | | | | |
| 8", you should consider a crack isolation | | | | Finally you can install the new tile and |
| membrane. This membrane is a roll on product | | | | baseboard. |
| that you apply to the old tile. The membrane | | | | |
| allows the new floor to move independently of | | | | Fire It Up! |
| the old. | | | | |
| | | | Your new radiant heated bathroom floor looks |
| Next, sand the old tile so the mortar has a | | | | beautiful and you can't wait to get warm |
| good bonding surface. A belt sander would | | | | feet. Go ahead, but only for 10 minutes. |
| ensure a consistent bonding surface. | | | | Don't put the system into full operation |
| | | | until the mortar is fully cured. This can |
| Please make sure you wear a face mask and | | | | take up to four weeks. |
| safety glasses while sanding. The tiles may | | | | |
| have been fired with toxic lead glaze. | | | | See why thorough planning is so important? |