I am installing a bathroom but have been advised to only use wood, not tile or ceramic, flooring directly on top of the concrete because the tile will crack. What are my options?? The basement is poured if that makes a difference.
Concrete is a good base but make sure your tile set is plentifully applied. Any voids and your tile will crack.
If it's concrete, then it should be a grey color. Buy a brick colored paint. Pour paint into a tray. Use a large rectangular sponge and dip just the base of the sponge into the brick paint. Dab the sponge on newspaper to remove excess and then use the sponge to stamp rectangles on the floor in a pattern that would appear like bricks. When dry, paint floor with a non yellowing lacquer.
The last thing i would put in a basement or bathroom is wood. Wood doesn't take moisture well at all and absorbs moisture even in the air. Concrete is the best place for ceramic that's why when it's a wood floor they put concrete backer boards down. I would sugest caramic, vinyl or the newer pvc flooring made by balta it comes in alot of patterns and moves just like a laminate floor.
Concrete is a great base for tile. However, if you have areas where you patched new concrete next to old, it will crack at the joint. In this event, use a crack supression under the tile. I am all for laminate in the basement. However, I would discourage in a bathroom due to the large amount of water. Check out this website for a product to put down under the tile.
Hmm... I'm just curious on how do you drain the basin, floor trap, WC or shower. Just in case, you are at basement, can the water drain out via gravity to outside ICs? If you need piping below, you might think twice to install a raised toilet floor rather than hacking the concrete floor. If you need to do this, you may go for a heavy duty cement board on floor joists wtih expoxy tiling finish or vinly flooring. Concrete is the best substrate for tiling but you need to waterproof the area before screeding/ tiling on top.
