David Wilson
New Member
So this will be lengthy and detailed but here goes. I’m remodeling a small bathroom (80 sq.ft) and wanted a heated tile floor. My old floor was ripped to the joists which are 2x10’s spaces on 16” centers. I blocked every few feet and screwed down 23/32 subfloor plywood sheathing. I screwed in every 8” with 3 1/2” t-25 screws. It is very level and very solid.
Next, and this is I believe my huge error, I rolled on a basic oil based primer. It was just some stuff I had left over- primer is primer was my reasoning. I then proceeded to caulk all edges and seems with silicone. The primer dried and sat for about 4 days.
I purchased 4 bags (55 lbs each) of SLC from The Tile Shop, which I divided into half to make easier to handle and mix in 5 gallon buckets. They were stamped 9/17 date. Following the instructions verbatim, I mixed the dry SLC into the water using a paddle type bit on a heavy duty drill at low to moderate speed. Each bucket was mixed for 2-3 mins and then remixed just before I poured. The entire process took me 20-30 minutes. The final 2 buckets I added about an additional 1 cup of H20 as it seemed a bit too thick.
The pour went fine. I poured each one into and towards the last. It appeared consistent and smooth. Two areas leaked just a bit into the basement. Very minimal- about a cup or two.
It was dry within 24 hours and I knocked on it and heard that devastating hollow noise. I could also see a small variation in hue from pour to pour. Now that a week has passed I’ve developed several cracks that traverse from edge to edge and intersect like a cobweb. These cracks will move vertically and I’m starting to hear a disgusting crackling noise. So obviously, it’s a catastrophic loss.
I’ll be taking it all up. My questions are: what went wrong? What can I do on the next pour to prevent this issue from happening again. Should I use a different product? Is that date a use by date or a production date? Can I put the appropriate primer over my oil based primer or should I sand it off? My heart can’t take another failure like this. I’m only out $200 with cement and heating coils but worse is the time invested. Luckily I hadn’t put down my marble tiles yet.
Please be as specific as possible.
Thanks
Burned
Next, and this is I believe my huge error, I rolled on a basic oil based primer. It was just some stuff I had left over- primer is primer was my reasoning. I then proceeded to caulk all edges and seems with silicone. The primer dried and sat for about 4 days.
I purchased 4 bags (55 lbs each) of SLC from The Tile Shop, which I divided into half to make easier to handle and mix in 5 gallon buckets. They were stamped 9/17 date. Following the instructions verbatim, I mixed the dry SLC into the water using a paddle type bit on a heavy duty drill at low to moderate speed. Each bucket was mixed for 2-3 mins and then remixed just before I poured. The entire process took me 20-30 minutes. The final 2 buckets I added about an additional 1 cup of H20 as it seemed a bit too thick.
The pour went fine. I poured each one into and towards the last. It appeared consistent and smooth. Two areas leaked just a bit into the basement. Very minimal- about a cup or two.
It was dry within 24 hours and I knocked on it and heard that devastating hollow noise. I could also see a small variation in hue from pour to pour. Now that a week has passed I’ve developed several cracks that traverse from edge to edge and intersect like a cobweb. These cracks will move vertically and I’m starting to hear a disgusting crackling noise. So obviously, it’s a catastrophic loss.
I’ll be taking it all up. My questions are: what went wrong? What can I do on the next pour to prevent this issue from happening again. Should I use a different product? Is that date a use by date or a production date? Can I put the appropriate primer over my oil based primer or should I sand it off? My heart can’t take another failure like this. I’m only out $200 with cement and heating coils but worse is the time invested. Luckily I hadn’t put down my marble tiles yet.
Please be as specific as possible.
Thanks
Burned