quick connect porcelain tiles

[bpuharic]

click together porcelain tiles...any opinions?

might consider for the bathroom

[RicodJour]

Interesting. ~$6/SF...they're gonna sell a boatload of them.

I'd have to see an installation, and play with some of the tile to see how they actually fit together before I'd give a thought to using them.

R

[dadiOH]

Why?

[bpuharic]

no grout. no mastic. no waiting 24 hrs for tiles to set then 24 hrs for grout...

[aemeijers]

I'd be interested in seeing them, but I'm highly dubious you can get a water-tight seal from a click-together joint. Even if it is water-tight when new, what about when people have walked on it for a few years, and it has been washed 100 times?

And by seeing them, I mean in person, not on a web site.

[RicodJour]

Dal mentions antimicrobial additives in their literature, which would lead me to believe that the joints are not water-tight. They also say not to use it in showers, which have shower pans for waterproofing, so they must let some water through and it would just sit there with no way out. That's probably the most serious concern.

R

[dadiOH]

All of which keep the tiles nice and solid. So they don't break.

[John Grabowski]

Dal mentions antimicrobial additives in their literature, which would lead me to believe that the joints are not water-tight. They also say not to use it in showers, which have shower pans for waterproofing, so they must let some water through and it would just sit there with no way out. That's probably the most serious concern.

*The installation instructions call for an expansion gap around the perimeter which causes me to think that the bottom is wood with the porcelain tile mounted on top. They also require that you start the installation against one wall. So that means one side of the room will have a full tile while the other side will have an odd dimension. I also noted that it is sold exclusively online at Home Depot. No chance for a visual inspection. I would wait to hear from others who have actual experience with this product before considering it.

[RicodJour]

Dal specifically states that the starting row tile can't be cut...? That can't be right. I think they just want the first row to be straight to prevent creep from laying it in a diagonal pattern. I didn't read that - just surmising.

R

[bpuharic]

that's interesting considering they say it can be used in bathrooms

[aemeijers]

Yeah, seems more like a kitchen and entry-hall solution to me, where it may get damp and mopped once in a while, but doesn't get dripped on every single day.

[RicodJour]

Interesting how? What would be the point of manufacturing a tile that wasn't able to be used in bathrooms? In the South there'd still be a market, but in the North it would be extremely limiting.

R

[jamesgangnc]

Who cares if you have to wait a couple days before using a flooring that you will probably keep for 20 years?

[RicodJour]

It's more of a DIYer item considering it's only sold at HD, so not having to deal with the mess and complexity of a real installation would be more likely to get a newbie DIYer to say I-Could-Do-That. The snap together would also insure alignment. But again, this is all theoretical for me until somebody actually gets their hands on some.

R

[Jerry - OHIO]

I can't see a DIYer using this if the floors aren't dead flat. Wouldn't these crack if they were laid over uneven floors???

Jr

[Bob(but not THAT Bob)]

I've never had a subfloor this flat:

"Make sure the subfloor is flat. Any unevenness greater than 2mm (1/16") over the length of 1 meter (40") must be smoothed out."

Easier to set tile in mortar than to get an entire subfloor this perfect.

[bpuharic]

pretty much the case. have a professional electrician friend who builds houses tell me he used these in his basement and they work fine, but wouldnt recommend for bathroom use because of the water

[bpuharic]

my thoughts too, unless they were some type of modified material that had flexibility

[bpuharic]

this is probably a kiler....