This is what I need some information on. I decided to put some floor tile in front of my door in my living room where some carpet is. So what size should I cut out of the carpet where I‘m going to put the tile ? If you have any advice how I should go about this just let me know. You no something like the dos as well as the don‘ts
The first thing you need to do is ensure that the subfloor is proper for tile installation. If you have particle board you need some major work done before you can safely tile. A single layer of OSB or plywood should be at least 3/4 thick with 16 O.C. joists and then you'll want to use Ditra or a similar crack isolation membrane over that. If it is thicker than 3/4 you may not have to use the Ditra but you'll still need a cement board underlayment, though you might as well use Ditra anyway. Install your tile on top of the ditra/concrete board. I'd use a Schluter edge profile to cap the tile with a metal trim before butting your carpet back up against it. And yes, you need to put tack strip around the tile and preferably power stretch the carpet back onto it. Kneed kicking will just have it loosening up again in short order.
The size is up to you like the 1st poster said. The area you have can dictate the size some what. If you come into a hallway setting that is only 3/4 foot wide, I d put in a 6x6 or an 8x8 tile if you can find that size anymore.If its more open a larger tile will work well, But 99% of the time a 12x12 tile will work out fine. I never cut carpet completely until I know what size I m installing. If you know the cut off point you can cut it short of that area, leaving 6/8 of carpet . You ll want to fold it back and nail it down to retain the stretch in the carpet. If this is a completely open area, fold back the whole capet and nail down with a 1x3 or similar size to hold the stretch. Then you can install backer board if your not on a slab.Then tile , grout and refit the carpet to the size you ve installed. You can save the tack strip and use again . You may want to consider paying to have a carpet installer to turn and tack the carpet back in. This is tricky for a novice. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL
if you have a grinder use it to smooth out the cement or at least scrape it down with heavy scraper. This is something that your professional installer guy should have done when he poured your pan. you need it smooth surface to lay the tile. I'm assuming your laying 1 or 2 tiles with the pan sloping to the drain. If you have any chuncks on the pan it will make you tile look bad and won't set properly.
Well the size is really up to you, I would probably keep it in a neat rectangle or square though, only as wide as the door is, but that's hardly a requirement. What kind of tile is it though, cause the installation will vary greatly depending on that. Need a bit more info =)
Cut your carpet and pad smaller that the area where you are laying the tile. If at all possible, I'd roll both the carpet and pad back in one piece without cutting them until the tile work was completely done. Then install your carpet tack strip about 3/8 inch away from the tile. Cut the pad along the outer edge of the tack strip. Then cut the carpet to go over the tack strip about 1/4 to 3/8 inch longer than the edge of the tile. With a stiff blade putty knife tuck the carpet securely between the tack strip and the tile. That's the best help I can give you without doing it for you. Good Luck and don't try to rush things. Remember, the tile thin set and grout must be completely dry or they will move on you.
