We've now decided to sell our Hilton Head home and move to Aiken. After having cracking problems with the travertine floors here I'm really nervous about wanting them at the new house. We plan on building so what are the best requirements for joists etc. that will quarantee no cracking? The builder had mentioned 12" on square I want to make sure that we could meet the best deflection numbers possible. The next question, some new porceline tiles look almost if not better than the real thing, are they any less prone to cracking. Do they have any advantages over stone for use in the showers? :bang: Just noticed this morning some tiles are cracking that were installed just last year in a different room and by different installer that did follow the hardiback instructions to the letter. Now what? They are very fine cracks that run in straight line thru about 5 tiles. As usual thanks for all the great advise. Know any great installers up in the Aiken area?

Hi Seaside. Forgot your name. Maybe you'll put it in a "siganature." :) Porcelain tiles are a hundred times stronger than travertine. 12 inches on center is great, but a big part of the equation is overall span (the unsupported lenth of the joists). Make sure the builder uses intermediate beams to keep the joist spans within reason. A double subfloor or a single floor of 1-1/8 in. Sturd-I-Floor plywood is also very important. It wouldn't matter whether the installer followed the hardibacker rules if the subfloor and framing were substandard. :)

Hi Seaside, Hi John, Another question would be how stable the foundation is. A neighbor's house was very slowly going out of kilter and that produced lots of cracks until they had the place straightened and stiffened up by massive steel beams. Even if it is only a fraction of an inch over many years that can be enough. One thing to look for would be cracks in the drywall and also ceiling areas that change slowly. Regards, Joerg.

Thanks for replies. What would be the ideal length for the joists? Heard that I-joists are stronger? Would assume that using porceline for showers would have less mantenance issues than travertine. Anything that can be done in the initial building stage that will prevent flooring problems is worth it. We haven't had any cracking problems with the walls or ceilings, just read in another thread the issue of annual moisture and temperature being the cause of some cracking. It does seem strange that this seems to happen in July/Aug , we also get alot of direct sunlight on the floors. Ok, John do I just give my name or is there a place for the "signature"? Thanks, Vicki

Thanks for coughing up the name, Vicki. ;) You can make a signature that will appear each time you post. Go into the user CP to do it. The link is in the dark blue bar that goes across the page right below the header information. It's the first link. You might also want to check out the FAQ. :) Seasonal changes are worth considering, and direct sun on a portion of a floor can cause considerable expansion/contraction problems. The majority of problems are caused by deflection and subfloor movement, though. Having a tile contractor who knows what he/she is doing is imperative. I-Joists and trusses allow a builder to achieve longer spans than with traditional joists, and we haven't quite yet got the numbers down as far as tile installations are concerned. Our chief engineer, Bob Campbell has been collecting bits of information from manufacturers and making calculations of his own. I'll see if I can get him to stop by here and comment. We've gotten traditional joists pretty much down to a science (deflectolator). :) Your builder should be made aware of the areas in which you intend to install tile and stone. Ask him to then confer with the appropriate people to determine what has to go into the subfloor and supporting members. This is what engineers are for. :)

Hi, Vicki! You moving to Aiken have anything to do with Savannah River, or are you attracted by the cultural offerings? :D To amplify what John said, make sure your architect knows that you want ceramic or stone floors (tell'em for sure which you want) so he can specify the proper joists and subfloor materials. And if he doesn't understand why you are making the point, you might want to look for another architect. And then, once you have your plans and specs in hand, bring them over here, and we'll take a look at them together. ;)

Thanks for all the info, I plan on printing it out and giving it to the builder when the time comes. We're still looking at floor plans right now. Stone and tile doesn't seem too popular up there for some reason, lots of wood floors and cultured marble baths. After 18 years on Hilton Head, never planned on moving, husband got tired of the traffic. Visited Aiken and 5 weeks later bought a lot, nice southern small town feel, friendly people. Hopefully the Savannah River site doesn't become a target though.