I have a 14' X 18' dining room that i am going to split into two rooms. I have a good idea of how i am going to tie the interior wall going down the middle of the room to either side of the walls, my question is what would be a good way to fasten the bottom sill to the floor. The flooring is 12" X 12" ceramic with standard underlayment or plywood underneath that. I am not sure of how to get thru the tile without cracking or breaking it. Thanks for listening :)
Rooms? At 14 x 9, they are a bit more than closets. Make the wall easily removable because it may devalue the house as it is. Enloy the space as you see fit but make it easier for hte nest owner to remove it.
Given that it is not a load bearing wall, I'd drill and put a couple of anchors. Between the tie at the ceiling and sides, it needs little bottom support.
Any borg or tile shop will carry drill bits made for drilling through ceramic tile, although for the limited use you need, I try a borg first - much cheaper. Put an X of masking tape where you want to drill to help prevent the bit from walking before you break through the glaze.
My suggestion is to buy a bit and a few pieces of orphan tiles of similiar material and thickness. Practice drilling through the orphans before you put bit to finished floor. I did this when I installed a pedestal sink over tile in my bathroom. Once I had a feel for drilling the scrap tile, I was much more confident when I attacked the real floor. I drilled slightly oversized holes in the tile so I didn't have to be concerned with exact position of the base. The tile isn't going to hold the sill in the place, the fastener through the joists are, so the hole in the tile can be bigger than it needs to be to allow for easier alignment.
Of course, if you are lucky enough to be able to position the wall over a grout line, then it should be much easier.
It's not going to be a hold wall, so it really doesn't matter what you do as long as it doesn't topple over on you and kill someone. Also, if you're not expecting someone to be playing football in the room, it's not like it's holding back a herd of trampling cattle.
If you anchor it well to the sides and the top, I'm willing to bet just a couple of screws in the bottom will suffice to keep the wall from kicking out. Drill through the grout so you can fix it later.
If I were worried about the tile, I think I'd consider using an adhesive to hold the wood in place. All you're really doing is holding it so that it doesn't move when you hit it with the vacuum cleaner.
I would suggest buying a screen, something decorative that would fold up. Like in the old movies that the gals would hide behind when they dressed. Turning the room into two such tiny little spaces will be claustrophobic at best.
I agree with Kate about tiny spaces. What about a sliding divider such as used in hotel banquet rooms? Or pocket doors if there's room. Either option -- and there must be more that an experienced builder could recommend -- leaves you the possibility of re-opening the space if future needs dictate.
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