Mud floors
My building is an apartment building and yes my apartment is on a concrete slab. There is an apartment below me. We did have new bathtub fixtures installed but it never occurred to us that the same might have to be done for the toilet. We trusted that the contractor would do what needed to be done. What I don’t understand is that the original floor was fine so why couldn’t the floor I have now be the same level?
odyssey
in Tile 13 years and 10 months ago
7
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7 replies
odyssey | 13 years and 10 months ago
I recently had a mud floor laid in my bathroom during a complete renovation. The floor is at least one and one half inches above the entry way leading into the bathroom and much higher than my previous floor that was completely removed..I didn’t really notice it at first because the saddle leading into the bathroom slopes and we were dealing with some non-related personal issues at the time and were a little distracted. What is done is done and I can’t think of any way to remedying it but is this a common occurrence? I have another bathroom that I want to renovate and so I am wondering if a recommendation can be made for a tiler experienced in laying mud floors. Thanks
Jorge Fontan | 13 years and 10 months ago
if the bathroom floor is really 1.5 inches above the saddle I would call that very unacceptable, I would ask the contractor to redo it at his own expense. And this is not a common occurrence, that is crazy the person who did it probably does not know what he is doing. I am an architect and I have done lots of renovations with mud floors and mud walls and we never had a problem like that, but we always used professionals.
odyssey | 13 years and 10 months ago
I am sorry if I didn’t make myself clear. The saddle is set high and from my foyer into my bathroom there is a 1 1/2″ difference in height minimum. The bathroom is not any where level to my foyer floor. The saddle slopes going into the bathroom so at first we did not realize the difference in height. I now notice my bathtub shows is a bit shorter than it used to be because the floor is much higher than it previously was. If this is still not acceptable or common I doubt the contractor (who was paid in full) would voluntarily redo the floor and my only recourse would be to hire someone else who has experience with mud floors.
brucef | 13 years and 10 months ago
It is unclear what you are saying, but I will try to help.
Oftentimes a mud floor will come out significantly higher than the hallway outside.
This is caused either by sloping floors or a high spot in the bath.
Remember mud is in some ways a liquid that seeks its own level. In order to have a minimum safe depth to suppport tile (1.5″?), the tile has to be above that in all places. When we set a mud floor, it has to be level, it can’t be flat but tilted.
Usually a spot by the masonry wall will be the high spot, usually around the toilets waste bend (floor flange).
Check your new floor for level. If it’slevel, I would recommend living with the results, as your floor should last longer than you or I.
Jorge Fontan | 13 years and 10 months ago
I am not quite sure how the saddle slopes from the description I think what you are saying is that it was installed at an angle to accommodate the height discrepancy, so the elevation of 1.5″ is between the tile floor and the foyer floor which you say used to be level. I do not understand how such a difference in height was necessary. If the difference was 1/4″ I would let it go but I stronglly think (if I am picturing it correctly) that this job was not done well. Now can you live with it I am sure you can but maybe you shouldn’t have to. Did you discuss it with the contractor. I can not think of any reason the floor inside and outside the bathroom could not be level or at least pretty damn close. Anything more than 1/4″ or maybe a 1/2″ would drive me nuts. In my experience I have to say there are not a lot of good contractors and the good ones are really expensive. This would never happen in a penthouse on park ave. Although I am very strict and intolerant, it depends on your standards.
Although I have never seen this done but one contractor once suggested to me putting the new tiles right over the old ones, I laughed because I figured he was joking but he was serious. That is the only way I would imagine you could raise the floor 1.5″ Needless to say I did not use him on the job, don’t use that contractor again.
odyssey | 13 years and 10 months ago
Yes, it is driving me nuts, I am very upset about it. My bathtub is not as high as it was before the floor was laid, my mirror is lower, as is my light switch, etc. The contractor has my full payment and I can’t imagine I can compel him to return on his own volition.. I am hoping for a recommendation as there must be someone out there who knows how to lay a mud floor with better results as even if I must live with this floor, I wouldn’t use the same tiler for my second bathroom.
odyssey | 13 years and 10 months ago
The underlying floor was concrete. no beams were used. I am positive. He just poured the mud onto the floor and smoothed it out and said because the floor was concrete there was no need to do anything else. Is this a structural problem waiting to happen?