SLC: Mixed Feelings

almazon

Hello guys,

Today I had my first experience with leveling the floor in the bathroom over concrete slab.

The idea is to raise the floor up to 5/8, so I could install 3/8" Ceramic Tiles on 1/4" Thin Set. Altogether finished surface gotta be 1 1/4" which is 1/4" lower than Toilet Flange (1 1/2").

I have mixed feelings about the job I did.

Surface of SLC came out very smooth, but I am afraid not THAT leveled as I expected.


Besides I think I will need another couple bags of SLC.




How leveled it should be for installing 12x12 Ceramic Tiles?

Thank you in advance,
almazon

joecaption

Tell me that not partical board you used as a sub floor.
Why are you doing it this way instead for just adding a layer of Tile board?

almazon

Its a Concrete Slab underneath on 1st floor.

JetSwet

Did you get the 5/8 hight by doing the slc? Did u mark the bottom of the side walls so u know we're to end up at?
Joe is correct this is the hard way of doing it since your raising the hight of the floor that high.

Sent from my iPhone 4 ios5

almazon

Yes, thats exactly what I did. I started my pencil marks on the wall from the Toilet Flange and connected them on all walls using the Level. Then from the height of pencil marks I subtracted:

- Width of the Level
- 1/4" Difference between Top of Toilet Flange and Finished Surface
- 1/4" of Thin Set
- 3/8" of Ceramic Tiles

and got myself a Sharpie marks and line.

This area by the Toilet Flange:


You can see them in this image also (thats where I ran out of SLC):


The problem in my case that my bathroom is T-shaped. Once you open a door, Toilet on the Left and Sink on the Right.

Thanks again,
almazon

JazMan

Almost everyone who uses SLC misunderstands that is does NOT level a floor magically. Most people do not have enough product on hand and are not ready to work fast, which is required.

Often times, "leveling" a room is not desirable since it would raise parts of it too much.

Using a 1/4" trowel will NOT raise the floor 1/4". But, if you're using "normal" thickness porcelain tiles that are 12-14", you should be using a 1/4x3/8x1/4 instead.

Jaz

__________________
Tile 4 You LLC Troy, MI
KERDI Shower Specialist ... DITRA Installs ... Product-Method suitability consultation. I have NEVER made a mistake, I thought I did once...........but I was wrong! - PRODUCTS ADVERTISED WITHIN MY POST ARE NOT ENDORSED BY ME!

DannyT

tile doesn't really care about the floor being level but it likes it flat very much. you say it needs to be 1-1/4 to be 1/4 inch lower then the toilet flange but in the photo i don't see a flange for the toilet only the pipe stubbed up?

JetSwet

You need to be leveled to lay tile if you have a gap from the wall to middle of the floor for what ever reason this stuff comes in handy although I prefer to use morter with the milk mix drys quick on you so you really have to be prepared on how to do it. The pictures look good I'm impressed on how smooth it came out around the toilet.

Your gap around were your flange is going might be to much I would tighten up closer to your pipe so when you solder your flange on the flange sites right on the slc.

Sent from my iPhone 4 ios5

almazon

Now we're back to Toilet Flange

almazon

I have and planning to use 1/4x3/8x1/4 for my 3/8" 12x12 Ceramic Tiles.

JetSwet

Posting closer pictures looks better I couldn't tell from the farther away pic looks good to me just make shore it's secure on the slc.

Sent from my iPhone 4 ios5

almazon

Ok, guys,

Based on what I saw in numerous online video tutorials about SLC I think I know where my problem was.

SLC really wasn't watery enough and I had to move a lot of it around. It started to stick to trowel almost immediately.

I was mixing 50lbs of LevelQuick RS + 6 1/2 Quarts of Water.

Could it be the case?
Any ideas?
What tool would you recommend for this job?

TIA
almazon

JetSwet

The fact that you had to go so high up could be the issue. This stuff drys quick if it was clumping up on you fairly soon and you didn't add water would cause as well. The trick is to keep the water in so it doesn't dry out, keep wetting your trowel cleaning it have a bucket of water with you and don't mix so much at one time.

Sent from my iPhone 4 ios5

JazMan

Why did you decide to use RS? You have to mix it exactly like it tells you on the bag, use cold water and be ready to roll. Did you add the powder to the water or the other way?

Jaz

__________________
Tile 4 You LLC Troy, MI
KERDI Shower Specialist ... DITRA Installs ... Product-Method suitability consultation. I have NEVER made a mistake, I thought I did once...........but I was wrong! - PRODUCTS ADVERTISED WITHIN MY POST ARE NOT ENDORSED BY ME!

almazon

I decided to use whatever was available at my local Home Depot. Is there something wrong with RS? Yes, I added the powder to cold water.