Methods of installing temporary showroom floors

[Tool Guy - Kg]

When I install a temporary tile floor in a showroom (concrete floor), I install it over roofer's tar paper. I trowel down some vinyl adhesive with the really tiny notches and lay the paper down. A few rolls with a 100# roller and I'm off to the races.

I've seen some floors go bad with this method recently and I noticed that the tar paper wasn't held down with anything. The owner of the store said "Well of course it's not glued down, we want to be able to get it up when it comes time to take it out". I look at it and think that because the paper wasn't held down firmly to the floor, there were small air pockets that allowed the tile to flex up and down with foot traffic and ultimately caused cracking all over the place.

What do you guys use for temporary showroom floors? Anything special?

[stefan]

I use the cheapest wallpaper you can get and install it as you would install wallpaper and then tile over it

[Tool Guy - Kg]

I'm assuming you use the paper kind? Not the vinyl.

[Dog paws]

Kurt, we use loose laid roofing felt for our showroom floors all the time. It's amazing how well the 3-G's work.

[tileguytodd]

Many years ago we built a framework,installed 30# felt and did a 1" drypack without mesh(this was over concrete slab) .These were then skinned with liquid keralastic,allowed to dry and then the tile was set with a thinned keralastic 50/50 mix.these held up at least the 2 years I was around and i believe they were around at least another 2-3 before the showroom was remodeled again.This would not be the way to go over a wood subfloor however if it will see traffic.

[John Bridge]

In Houston they use "deadening felt," which is tar paper without the tar. It is glued to the floor and tiled over with thin set.

[RandyL]

HOw long would these temporary floors last?

[Arn]

I helped out on a couple of showrooms for TILECO. They just layed aquabar over the cement and tiled over that. Didnt even glue it down. No visible problems, and believe-u-me that is gonna be easy to get up!

[Rd Tile]

The showroom I deal with uses lindseed oil on the floor, then thinset and tile, scrapes right up when they change it, but lasts until they do, go figure.

[Hamilton]

Temporary Sample sections. Lay aqua bar on your showroom floor with no mastic
underneath. Tape the edges down. set right over the paper and grout. when it
comes time to change out a discontinued tile cut the grout joint and remove the
tile. no fuss no scraping.Ive done this and it works. Shocking yes it is.

[pitterpat]

Ok, showing my lack of experience...what is aqua bar and who makes it?

[Tool Guy - Kg]

So Far:
(3) lay down loose paper and tile,

(3) lay paper that is adhered down in some fashion,

(1) puts linseed oil on concrete ahead of time to keep thinset from bonding, and

(1) is for a thicker application altogether.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Seems to me that the problems I have seen with the tiles cracking over loose tar paper are probably being exasterbated by the fact that the concrete floor wasn't reasonably smooth. I know the concrete floor area that was uncovered was in kinda rough shape.


Soooooooo.........some conclutions.....haphazard as they are:

I think that a lumpy floors dictate the need for gluing paper to get rid of air pockets,

Loose paper is fine for a reasonably smooth floors.

And I like the linseed oil idea. That is cool because you can install like normal, and the tear-out is going to be reasonably easy. (Rich, do they use boiled linseed oil, or raw linseed oil?)

All these methods seem to give something like 2-3 years of showroom use.

[Arn]

is only a brand of tar lined brown paper. I think Ive seen it at HD and surely at mason supply shops. About $18.00/ roll. Its brown on both sides but has a thin tarry inside. I put the same thing under my mud work.

[Shaughnn]

Hey Pat,
AquaBar is a brand name for waterproof kraft paper. Same as "30-30-30".
Shaughnn

[stullis]

Originally Posted by Tool Guy - Kg

All these methods seem to give something like 2-3 years of showroom use.

And there we have why the "hacks" can stay busy installing tile.