ceramic tile quetion

[LowBuckX]

I want to tile my front door entryway like a 4'x4' area. the entryway is in the living room so the whole room is carpeted with new carpet so this would be an inlay type situation where the carpet will butt against the tile on 2 sides..

What I need help on is what/how would I trim the carpet to tile correctly. Ive done full rooms before but the wife wants the entry way done and Im clueless on the trim.

[paul67]

At most DIY places you should be able to get a trim that will do the job,they will show carpet to tile on the label,even were they sell tile will have the trims.

[Bill Howell]

I would get a professional carpet guy to do it after you laid the carpet. However if you want to DIY, go to Home Depot/Lowes and get the fold over type carpet strip that butts up to the tile and you hammer to strip over the carpet. Cut carpet, install strip, then work the tile to the strip. YES, this is backwards as how you would do it in a regular installation but it will be much easier to get the height of the tile correct with the carpet strip. Just a little extra thickness or a little thin on the maskit as needed so you don't have a "hump". Otherwise you have to "even" it up in the carpet, thus, why I said have a pro do it, unless you are pretty good with shimming the carpet fold up or down.

[Samckitt]

I have seen carpet layers either double pad the area that meets the tile, and/or roll the carpet to make it double thickness & staple it to the floor where it meets the tile. This way there is no trim or anything where they meet. But of course this wouldn't be able to be done if you are on a slab.

I am doing my landing inside front door next weekend while wife & kids are away. I am going to do a patter like this. Big tiles are 20" square, little ones are 6.5".

[LowBuckX]

I think Im going to have the opposit problem. The carpet and pad are real thick so I will have to bring the tile up the the carpet level with leuanne or double the leuanne while stepping the subfloor to make a even look. ..

[Bill Howell]

I think Im going to have the opposit problem. The carpet and pad are real thick so I will have to bring the tile up the the carpet level with leuanne or double the leuanne while stepping the subfloor to make a even look. ..

You are using a backer board right? If you use the proper stuff, between backer board and tile and mastik, you should be about 3/4 inch to 7/8 inch thick. Is this on a slab? if not, use 1/2 inch backer board and then the tile. I can't imagine carpet and pad being thicker than that. If it is, they also sell 1/4 +/- backer board to build it up a little more.

[Bill Howell]

Oh, and it is better to have the carpet just a touch higher than the tile, no rough edges that way.

[Samckitt]

I agree with Bill, better to have carpet higher than tile, no stubbed toes that way. Use concrete backer board to raise the tile like others have said.

[MonzaRacer]

Still gotta use the cement board or it will have a tendency to crack tile in high traffic areas.

[TPI Monte SS]

Bill and the other guys have given you excellent advice. Don't forget, it wouldn't be that much work to do a good 'ol fashioned mud job, since you said it's only a 4'x4' area. Staple down some plastic sheeting to your subfloor, then put wire lathe on top, then mix up your concrete. Smooth out to the desired height, let it set up for a day or two, then install the tiles with ThinSet cement. It'll never crack, especially if you use good ceramic tiles. My father-in-law and I did the entry foyer, dining room, and kitchen like that six years ago in my house and it still looks brand new. We also had to add 3/8" plywood to the living room floor so the carpet would be just above the height of the tile.

[Hammered]

I've done this twice now and have used a Schluter strip to make a nice edge between the carpet and tile. I'm very happy with both jobs and no one in the family has stubbed a toe yet (after 6 years).

[muthstryker]

some good ideas, i would use the schluter as a border, if the tile ends up being higher then the carpet they make rubber rises for the carpet. if not that double the padding up, but it also depends on the cement board you use, we always did 1/2 inch hardi, 1/4 thin set and then the tile would be around 1/4.

[paul67]

If you've got a wooden sub floor galvo screw down not nail every 4 inches.

[pav8427]

Add up your different thicknesses.
Carpet+pad.
Tile+mud bed.(using a 1/4x1/4 square trowl)
Once this is figured, make up the difference or compensate for the difference w/ your sub flooring.
Any good lumber store will have threshhold in different styles.
A good one for zero threshhold is a aluminum style that is mudded under the tile.
Laying directly over the subfloor is usually good for 10 yrs.

Doug

[Overkill]

I've done this twice now and have used a Schluter strip to make a nice edge between the carpet and tile. I'm very happy with both jobs and no one in the family has stubbed a toe yet (after 6 years).

I didn't install it, but that's how it was done on my entry ways.






I'm more than happy with it. Now I just need to change the doorway so that it swings open from the middle instead of the outside of the tile.

[LowBuckX]

I found out today that the reason the carpet looked/felt so thick around the door was (gulp) They carpeted over old tile that was glued down to linoleum that was glued down to another layer of tile..



And would you beleive that it all seperated from each other and buckeled up... geeeze Im afraid of what I will find when I pull it up for real to do the job....

[Bill Howell]

Sounds like you already have plenty of underlayment.....hehe

[LowBuckX]

Ive been watching alot of Holmes on Homes so Im prepared to find about anything....lol