Tiling (Marble etc)

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crackur

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I was looking at some cement board for a cpl of tiling jobs in my home I'll be doing once the weather warms up.

I'm going to tile both the bathrooms in my house first.

My guest bathroom is smaller and the master is not that big of area because of having a garden tub and a standup shower etc.

My question: I see that durock etc come in 3x5 at lowes. I was wondering what is the best way of cutting it or installing it to reduce movement in the floor.
 
I prefer a sharp razor blade knife. Score it and snap. You can also use a power saw with a dry concrete blade, but the dust is horrible and dangerous to breath in. Make sure you lay the durock in a staggered pattern, which will give you added strength.
 
I also can actually use an old flathead screwdriver, or a chisel. You just need to cut the nylon mesh and the board will snap as havasu said.
I set a board on the piece I need to cut and use it for a straightedge. :)
 
There's a lot more to tiling then they show on those silly DIY shows so make sure to do some research before starting.
TheFloorPro.com - Ceramic & Stone Tile Underlayments
I use a carbide scoring knife that sold in the tile dept. at any Lowes or HD there only about $5.00.
But first you have to check out what's under the floor to be laid to make sure it will even support tile without cracking. If it's partical board, louon, or linolium it's all got to come out first.
For a floor there has to be a bed of thin set (never ever used premixed thin set) to set the tile board into then it gets screwed down with tile board screws. Just look at the screwing patterern on the board for screw placement. It's going to take a lot of screws. A cordless drill is going to take forever and a lot of batterys. We use impact screw guns to do it.
 
Joe gave you some good points. There are others, but we'll need more info.

I noticed you're considering marble tiles. If so, the installation criteria for the subfloor is different than it is for ceramic-porcelain tiles.

Tell us more about what you're planning to do and with what. Be specific with names and brands.

Tell us how the floor is built staring with the; type and size of joists. Their species and grade would help. The joists spacing, and the unsupported span. Then of course the subfloor sheets, its thickness and how many.

One areas a shower, so what are your plans for method of installation and waterproofing?

Jaz
 
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