granite adhesive

[butch]

What kind of adhesive for 12"x 12" granite
tiles on bathroom floor?
thanks
butch

[John Bridge]

Hi Butch,

polymer modified thin set mortar. something like Versa Bond, sold at HD. That's engineer talk.

Better tell us a little more about what you are doing, though. We may be able to help you avoid some pitfalls. Granite is a little tricky.

[Bud Cline]

How thick is it now?

Is it concrete?

Is it wood?

Is it something else?

Your sub floor that is!

We can't allow you to proceed until we have some answers, have you never heard of the Tile Police? Now drop your trowel, place your hands over your head, and back out of your bathroom slowly. That's it, nice and easy, just keep backing towards my voice.

[butch]

Right now there is plywood, I was going to put down
cement board over it. The granite is 3/8" thk. I was going
to rent a wet saw.

[John Bridge]

Okay, you can put your hands down, Butch. We are just kidding. We are concerned that your project turns out in a superior manner, though. Please ask us questions. Stone tile is not usually a weekend warrior type project.

[Bud Cline]

NEXT I would be curious to know...how big is this bathroom? What size are your floor joists? How far apart are they spaced?

Answers to these questions will determine which cement board should be used and what other preparations might be required.

[butch]

Thanks for the info guys.
The floor joists are 2x12's spaced 16"
on center and there is a 5/8" thk pc
of ply over a 3/4" thk pc of ply.
Does that sound right?

[butch]

OK, I forgot to answer the question about size of
bathroom. The tiled area is 5+ feet by 7+ feet.

thanks

Hi Butch

You will also need to check the floor in all directions with a straightedge. Granite is set with very small grout joints, and any "out of flat" condition on the floor will make it a real battle to avoid lippage.

Let us know how flat the floor is.

Don't mind Bud...he's not a real detective, he just plays one on TV.

[butch]

I have a problem with a bathroom toilet. The discharge goes out the back of the toilet into a flange in the wall. It looks like an industrial toilet. It sits on floor but screwed into wall. If I tile under this thing i will have a problem with the flange lining up with the raised up toilet.
How about tiling right up to the toilet. Any thoughts?

[Bud Cline]

"BEEN THERE"

Those things can be impossible to deal with without your banker. The possibility does exist tho that the flange can be re-elevated slightly. This is something you should discuss with a local plumber.

Commercial wall-hung stools are dependant on a foundation in the wall itself to support the weight. Yours is not. It may be as simple as cutting the drain line and installing a new coupling that will allow you to raise the flange slightly. Then all that remains is to tweak the sheetrock a little.

I'm not saying this is YOUR situation but it could be.

Otherwise you may have to tile around the foundation which isn't a major problem. It just may not be the finished look your wanting.

[John Bridge]

Been there, too. Bud knows how to mess with them, and I know how to mess with them, but maybe you ought to just tile around the thing as best you can. Unless you have a couple hun you want to get rid of in a hurry, I would not call a plumber.

[butch]

Thanks guys, you are really
bailing me out on this one.