Advice on master bath project

[Chel10]

Hey All!

I have been slowly working away on my master bathroom and stumbled upon this great forum! I wish I found it sooner as I think I would have been able to avoid a lot of headaches. I was hoping to get some tips and advice on a few things I have yet to either figure out or may stump me further into the project.

For now, I'm trying to figure out how to transition from my bedroom carpet to my tile. I didn't complete the tile up to the door threshold because I'm at a loss of what to do. I'm not a fan of those basic metal strips or rubber ones you find in the hardware stores. My current plan is to just tuck the carpet next to the tile, but I'm unsure if I need to put something like a schluter trim prior to protect the tile edge.

Any input welcome! I have uploaded some photos to give an idea of what I'm doing.

[cx]

Welcome, Andrea.

It had long been my custom to tuck my carpet directly against the edge of my ceramic tile floor installations. Simple to do. Looks good to my eye.

If you plan to do the work yourself, I recommend you get a plastic stair tool for the job, rather than an aluminum one. Less likely to damage a tile edge.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Chel10]

Thanks CX! I agree I do find it very pleasing to the eye as well. Yes I plan on doing the work myself so thanks for the tip! I've never done it before, but I have also never laid tile before either. From what I can find, it is usually done using latex glue. Do you have a preference, or use glue?

[cx]

Woah, Nellie!! What are you considering bonding with this latex glue?

[Chel10]

Based on your response, I feel that you don't use any glue haha

I've read that in some cases the fibers of the carpet can lift up and frey, so if you put down some glue before you tuck in helps this in the long run. This is why I ask! I find that weeding out the good and bad advice can be tricky. Even finding answers to some questions are just plain difficult if you don't know someone with experience.

I have tried to rely on advice from a few local tile store/ setters, and found that some things they didn't even know...so lost a bit of confidence in them needless to say.

[cx]

Ah, now I understand. Maybe. I think. Didn't really want you installing either your carpet or your tile with that pookey.

Old carpet guy told me that putting some "Elmer's Glue" on the edge of the jute backing helped to keep it from coming from together in that tile-edge-tucking application. Don't know how much jute backing is used these days and it's been years since I've tucked any myownself.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[smifwal]

By the looks of it you don't have a carpet that would require latex on the edge. You are also a bit far from the tile edge to get the carpet up to it with just a kicker especially on the right side looks to be about a inch and even if you did,you would likely create a bubble on both sides of the door way. You might need a carpet guy with a power stretcher. If you can't get someone out then you might consider a t-molding and when you have your carpet replaced you can have the guys tuck right to the tile

[Chel10]

CX, could you imagine installing stuff with just glue... as funny as it sounds, some one has probably done it...and has a youtube video on how to do it... not me, I'm using good all schluter all-set for the full warranty on the shower.

Shawn, thanks! the good news is I didn't finish the tile in the threshold as I wasn't sure what to do. So I plan on finishing the tile until about 3/8 inch from the current tack strips which gives me some overlap of the tile and carpet. I'm going to rent a knee stretcher just get it back secure to the old tack strips. Does that make sense, or am I missing something completely! A second set of eyes is always nice on these projects .

I'm hoping I will get my one wall done then do the threshold. Unfortunately, the project is taking me some time to complete and when I finally have time to work on it, plans change. I will keep you updated.

ps. you guys rock

[smifwal]

Originally Posted by chel10

I'm going to rent a knee stretcher just get it back secure to the old tack strips

That will work, just make sure you lean forward and put a lot of your weight on the head of the kicker when you are kicking it

[Chel10]

That will work, just make sure you lean forward and put a lot of your weight on the head of the kicker when you are kicking it

wonderful thanks!

[cx]

Is that why the pewt that big ol' comfortable knob on the front there, Shawn?

Perhaps Shawn can weigh in on the tack strips, since he's apparently better versed in things carpet than am I. My informal training says we use a double row of tack strips at such carpet/tile junctions, but I don't know if that's a universal recommendation.

[smifwal]

Originally Posted by cx

Is that why the pewt that big ol' comfortable knob on the front there, Shawn?

I do wrap my hand around that when I am doing stairs. But that knob retracts\extends the "teeth". On a thinner carpet you don't want the teeth all the way out and visa versa We will call that head, she should be chocking it by the neck and leaning over it so basically your shoulder would be parallel the head. This way the teeth don't tear the knapp of the carpet. A kicker is tricky to learn how to use correctly. I would rather you have it stretched but a kicker will work but you will need to "set" the carpet on the strip, you can't just bump it on there. you want to set the kicker head about a 1/2 in away from the tack strip, you bump the kicker with the meaty part of your thigh and use your free hand to set it on the strip

Originally Posted by cx

we use a double row of tack strips at such carpet/tile junctions

stacking strip is pretty common, but there are a number of other ways to get the tack strip closer to flush with the tile, cedar shims, cardboard, they make a rubber ramp and wood ones. But if you are stacking strip, I was taught to put a single piece of strip behind the double and have the pad cover that piece.


Where about are you located might be someone on here in your are that would come out and put your doorway back for you

[Chel10]

1For visual here is the threshold with the carpet pulled back with the current tack strips and underlay.



Here is it with an upside down tile cut for my wall, to give an idea of the finished idea (distance is not perfect because I have yet to cut tiles for this location.

Where about are you located might be someone on here in your are that would come out and put your doorway back for you

I'm located in southern Alberta, Canada I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge with me. This is what I crave when learning new skills but find that it is just so hard to find out without knowing someone who does whatever you are learning. Even just the basics, like how to care for your tools etc. seems so simple, but for someone who has never worked with thinset mortar before, is invaluable information.

[cx]

Andrea, if you don't add that location to your User Profile the information will be lost before we leave this page. And it's frequently helpful in responding to some types of questions.

[smifwal]

I missed the part about you tiling past the carpet so you would have a overlap, I was thinking you were going to make a straight line off the points of what you already have set, but looks like you are going to put some small pieces in, Am I correct in this assumption?.
For carpet to tile transitions I put my finger between the tile and tack strip and smoosh it a bit(fingernail against the tile) Your carpet looks pretty thick and you used a uncoupling membrane, so you may not need to stack the strip and you need a little more space between the tile and the carpet to tuck to.