Sky Deck Renovation

Sky Deck wrote:

westend wrote:
The interference layer product will work but I'd save myself the expense and trouble of using it. ... FWIW, I've installed tile in a few RV's... None of it ever failed. I've installed it directly on wood subfloor and over cement board.

Westend, I went back and looked at your Cowboy Hilton project. You built a cement board and tile compartment for your propane heater... that's impressive. (I've been wondering when people would start warning me about weight!) Can you tell me more about why you did that? Any advice on what I ought to check out or improve regarding safety here?

I'm glad to hear you've had no problems with cracking. But I do see a lot of people saying they have. All things being equal, you wouldn't rather have this layer under your bathroom stone tile?

The reason for the tile around the heater is two-fold, to insure safety so that the heater doesn't ignite a wood wall and heating efficiency--by having a hundred pounds of masonry around the heater, it acts as a passive thermal heatsink. FWIW, the Sportsman heater is in it's third RV and is the best heating appliance I've seen, of course, it's no longer made. :(

Why does a tile joint fail: substrate material is not stable (moves or flexes), improper bond either from materials used or improper installation technique, or tile is of low quality.

The last you can just about eliminate as the marketplace dictates quality and even tile from Indonesia is made to a fairly good standard. Improper materials in most homeowner situations usually relates to lack of knowledge or reliance on the advice of a lumber store salesperson. If one is an installer, one would know what to use and the proper process to mix and apply. An unstable substrate usually has to do with lack of support to the floor sheathing or wall surface. The lack of support can let the substrate flex. High moisture areas can be prone to failure, also, because expansion and contraction will be the same as flex.

For your new bathroom: I would install a tile backer over the existing flooring. They now make backer that is only 1/4" thick and it does work well. Install the backer as to mfg's directions (I usually use thinset, same mix as for installing tile). My own preference for a small bath is to use a smaller tile or stone. A 12' x 12" tile looks out of place in a small room. I have customers that specify it because of their laziness (less joints to clean is the reasoning). I have just started passing up those jobs as I can be as busy as I want and don't want my name on anything that ugly. The 2" by 4" stone looks nice, I would make sure the moisture level is adequate by wiping a wet sponge over the back of it prior to installing and letting the moisture absorb. I wouldn't use that plastic interference layer product, they can create more problems than they resolve.

Weight: When I was proceeding on my trailer, I tried to stay cognisant of weight but I had a couple of things in my favor--A fully boxed frame that was also used on Starcraft's bigger trailers and I removed many pounds of particle board and appliances. As built, the Hilton weighed 600 lbs. heavier and had a side imbalance of around 200 lbs. (the kitchen and all the appliances, the steel water tank, and the heater with it's tile are all on that side). Since then, I have added 130 lbs. of batteries on the other side and will use the non-kitchen side for most of my storage. The Hilton rides like an arrow but why not make it close is my reasoning.

I've been thinking about your bedroom slide mechanism. Is there any chance it can be mounted underneath the floor?