duraceramic?

nuchange

Has anyone had any experience with duraceramic installation? Is it better to install it with grout or without grout? if without grout is installation as secure as with grout? Can this go over sheet vinyl? Thanks.

Bud Cline

If installing Duraceramic without grout the seams must all be sealed with their special seam sealer.

Not a good idea to install any floorcovering over a previous floorcovering.

nuchange

thanks for the info guess we'll have to take the sheet vinyl up in the kitchen first

Floorwizard

maybe just lay 1/4 underlay over the Vinyl. trust me...that's a ton easier....

MI-Roger

We just had Stainmaster groutable vinyl tile installed, it is manufactured by Mannington and there are several Mannington pattterns also. Others on the board swear by the Konecto vinyl time products saying the better/best of these are even heavier duty than the Mannington/Stainmaster products.

The installer who did our Stainmaster vinyl tile had nothing good so say about the Duraceramic products. He said the wear layer will completely separate from the tile. Maybe this only happens if the 16x16 tiles are broken apart into four 8x8 tiles (which sounds like a bad idea from the get-go to me). He said the Duraceramic has earned a bad reputation with local installers, whereas he has not had a single call-back on a Stainmaster/Mannington job in the three years he has been installing this product.

I know this is mostly hear-say, but ask around and get as many opinions as possible.

p.s. - My wife completely removed the previous sheet vinyl and luan underlayment by herself while I was at work! Score heavily into 3ft x 3ft squares, then pry off the floor using a floor scraper and/or Wonder Bar. The luan will snap on the score lines giving you easy to handle pieces for disposal.

Turbinwife

We had professionals put the dura ceramic down in our kitchen and because the linoleum that was already down was in good shape and very secure it was not necessary to take it up. They laid it rite on top. That was a year ago and so far has been fine.

Bud Cline

That's because they wanted to blow-out your job to get your money and run to the next job.

Marcia020943

Had our kitchen DC floor installed 3 years ago. An underlayment was also put down over the subfloor. Now nail heads are popping up through the tile, making bubbles & eventually cracking the ceramic finish on the tiles. How can I fix this? I have only 9 tiles that match & probably 12-15 that have bubbles in them? It was installed by a ceramic professional installer. I love the floor except for this.

rusty baker

Wasn't much of a pro if he used nails. Most pros quit nailing underlayment 30 years ago. Stapling is standard and better. Not much you can do to fix it. I am sure there isn't a warranty after 3 years.

__________________
"I'm twisted, not sick. Sick implies, I'll get better"
Semi-Retired Installer
Installing since 1973

Bud Cline

There is NO "ceramic finish". If you were under that impression you have been taken on a dark-ride by somone.

You can not fix it. Nails should never have been used to install the underlayment. Galvanized staples are used.

No it wasn't!

Marcia020943

OK now what do I do? He said he'd take up some tiles & try to use screws to tighten the underlay & see if that w/stop the bubbles coming up. I don't know if we should try that or not, or just write the entire floor off & start all over again. A VERY expensive lesson for me. I even printed out all the DuraCeramic installation instructions & gave it to him --which he just handed back to me. OBVIOUSLY didn't read them. I'm getting nervous about letting him try to even fix it. Do you think he can?