Bathroom remodel Problem # 1 Toilet

We are renovating our 1930's bathroom. We have gutted the bathroom down to the studs and are expanding the bathroom into the small adjoining room to enlarge it. My husband is replacing the old galvanized plumbing with PVC. So far so good. My first question to pose here is, the floor of the bathroom is the original wood floor to had a layer of vinyl on it. We are going to put either durock or backerboard on top of the wood so I can tile the floor with 1/4" tile. That would add from 1/2" to 3/4", depending on the durock or backboard used. Is there some sort of extension that will raise that big toilet drain up to the tile level? Sorry, not sure what you call the drain, sewer pipe, what ever it's called. We don't wish to replace or change that big pipe. Thanks!

I would take a hammer and break off that cast iron flange before you put floor down.

After the tile has been installed I would install a deeper closet flange on the finished floor.

Don't let the melting of lead discourage you either.

Thanks! Does there not have to be a seal between the old pipe and the new one installed? Can I post a pic here?

To make the seal around a leaded in cast iron, you used oiled rope (hemp) referred to as oakum, pound it down all round the connection, then you fill up the top of the connection with molton lead.

But, if you really want a tiled floor to last, you need to do more than you are planning...

Dimmensional lumber moves too much and will likely cause your tile to crack in the change of seasons. You need 1/2" of plywood on top of the planks, then you can use either an isolation membrane (such as Ditra from www.schluter.com) or cbu (cement board - 1/4" is fine since it doesn't add any strength to a floor). Then your tile.

If you want to minimize the floor height, then you need to cut out the planks, put down 3/4" subflooring, then the tile. Note, you need to determine if the joists are strong enough for tile before you go to all of that trouble, too. It makes a big difference if you are using ceramic tile vs stone, too - stone requires the floor to be twice as stiff as ceramic. A stone floor would require either the additional ply on your planks or two new layers of ply if you tear them out.

Isolation Membrane for tiles

Hi,

While searching old posts, I saw a reply that said "..Dimmensional lumber moves too much and will likely cause your tile to crack in the change of seasons. You need 1/2" of plywood on top of the planks, then you can use either an isolation membrane (such as Ditra from www.schluter.com) or cbu (cement board - 1/4" is fine since it doesn't add any strength to a floor). Then your tile."

This is probably a really stupid question, but what does the membrane do? Does it allow the water to go through the grout and roll away from the plywood so that keeps the seal with the mortar and tile intact? If so, where does the water go when a membrane is used under floor tile?

Thanks

Go to www.schluter.com and look at their info on Ditra. It will be easier than describing it here. Basically, the membrane offers a decoupling between the wood which moves and the tile which doesn't. (well, not exactly true - if it is a large area and can see bright sunshine, you then need expansion joints in the floor) If you install a cement board (cbu), you need to put mortar under it, and screw or nail it to the subfloor. What most people don't realize is that the mortar isn't to actually hold the cbu to the floor, it is to fill in any irregularities on the floor so that the cbu is fully supported (and thus your tile). When the wood moves, the screws or nails holding the cbu will actually enlarge the holes in the cbu, but the tile and the cbu become a monolithic mass that sort of floats on the wood. This is why it is very important to also use the reinforcing alkaline resistant fiberglass tape on the seams of the cbu - you want it to act as one solid sheet.