What would you do? - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

vegaskurt · 12-15-2004, 02:45 AM

I just ripped out the vinyl from my downstairs bathroom so I can put tile in. This picture is of the border to the carpeted hallway leading into the bathroom. Should I get rid of this metal strip? replace it? or just leave it and tile up to it?

Thanks

Mike Costello · 12-15-2004, 06:25 AM

Wow,such clean tools. Lol.

Pry the metal open and carefully remove the carpet from it and rip the metal out.If you have access to a knee kicker that would be good as you could "bump" it to get it off the pins easier.

You can use either a marble threshold or some schlueter metal that goes under the tile ,then tuck the carpet to that. :Thumbs:

Glasshousebltr · 12-15-2004, 10:54 AM

Hey thats my putty knife!

Bob

Mike Finley · 12-15-2004, 11:21 AM

The only thing left out is that you will need to install a carpet tack strip, you won't be able to tuck it up to Shulter strip. I'm sure Mike knows that but just left it out by accident. What you currently have is a transition strip that serves the dual purpose of holding the edge of the carpet tight and steps the edge down to a vinyl floor. You new tile floor is going to end up at the same level as the carpet so leaving that edge will look bad.

vegaskurt · 12-15-2004, 03:52 PM

There is actually a tak strip about an inch behind the metal strip. I'll go look around for the "marble threshold" to see what you guys are talking about.

This was an unexpected project. Wax seal failed on the toilet, whoever installed the vinyl installed the toilet first and the vinyl around it. So when the toilet leaked, the water went underneath the vinyl and rotted a good foot of it. Who ever laid it also diddnt use that much adhesive, took me about 20 min to pull it all out.

Mike Finley · 12-15-2004, 06:15 PM

A couple of things- don't even bother trying to reuse the existing tack strip. First off it isn't going to be in the right spot just to use as is and you will have to pry it up and move it. Most of the time they break or the teeth on them that hold the carpet are smashed. For $1.97 I would just get new tack strip. HD usually has a three pack.

Marble threshold is one way to go, but that is not what was talked about. I use a thin metal strip specially made for tile. As described it goes under the lip of the tile that will butt against carpet. You install in to the floor and tile to it. It leaves a 1/8 reveal. They come in many colors and materials.

If you haven't considered already, if the floor is rotten around the toilet, cut it out and replace before you tile. Make sure you use a cement board or Hardi board over your sub-floor before you tile.

vegaskurt · 12-16-2004, 12:03 AM

Does the thin metal strip have a name or will HD know what I am talking about?

I got all the vinyl out the other day so I am down to just concrete for the whole surface now. Luckily none of the water made it to the walls. I wonder if I should put some concrete paint/sealer down before laying the tile but that might be overkill. what do you think?

Don Benham · 12-16-2004, 12:04 PM

If you care about how long the carpet last hire an installer to come restretch it up to your tile edge or threshhold. He'll know exactly where to put the tackstrip and be able to get the carpet more secure for you. A minimum charge should cover it.

Don

Mike Finley · 12-16-2004, 02:35 PM

Take a look here

http://www.schluter.com/english/prod...toverview.html

It is the first item called transition profiles.

I would not do anything to the concrete in regard to sealing it, unless you check with the manufacturers in regard to issues of bonding between the thinset and the sealer. I didn't realize you were on concrete floor. Concrete is absolutely the best substrate to tile on and doesn't need anything done to it if it is clean and without cracks.

vegaskurt · 12-16-2004, 06:17 PM

Thanks, I will go to HD tonight. Another site said that a piece of Z-strip would do what I was looking for but I would need somthing to pull/stretch the carpet over it.

Mike Finley · 12-16-2004, 07:54 PM

Z-strip is for butting carpet with vinyl or another low flooring material. A z-strip is almost identical to what you took out.

**Teetorbilt** · 12-17-2004, 12:20 AM

Mike, I've had a couple of tile floors 'pop', one was my own. No one seems to be able to explain it and none of it was cheap tile. It is almost as if the tile expanded and has only happened with 8 or 12" tile. The affected area is almost always about 4 X 4ft. and can rise about 2" in a matter of days. In the case of my patio, I know that the water table was down about 8 ft. as I was waterfront at the time.
I now seal all concrete slabs prior to installing any flooring (cheap insurance).

Mike Finley · 12-17-2004, 10:43 AM

Hi Teetor,

In regard to tile and concrete the main concerns addressed by manufacturers are crack movement and slab movement, normal moisture passing through doesn't seem to be a concern. Ditra and products like that have been created for dealing with concrete, but vapor barriers don't seem to play any part in tile laying, unlike laminate flooring that is made of wood and causes the problem because it absorbs the moisture, tile doesn't absorb moisture and doesn't expand. No manufacturers nor the Tile Council of America recommend any type of vapor barriers for tile. Tile releasing or grout cracking is almost always due to the substrate moving beneath tile. If I got you right, you said the slab under your tile moved 2 inches? If that is the case the issue is slab movement and not moisture passing into your tile. Like I said tile doesn't absorb water and expand so the tile is never at fault, it is always the substrate. While it seems you have found a combination of thinset and sealer that isn't reacting negatively to each other, I don't believe you are actually gaining anything from it.