ᐅ Leveling height differences between floor coverings

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and hope to follow all the customs here.

Currently, our semi-detached house is under construction. It is a developer project, so many aspects are predetermined and cannot be fully influenced by us.

In a few weeks, a floating cement screed will be installed in our semi-detached house. Later on, we plan to have different floor coverings installed in the hallway, kitchen, and living room. The living room will have solid hardwood flooring with a thickness of 20 mm (0.8 inches); in the kitchen and hallway, tiles will be installed.

Since it is an open kitchen, we are wondering how to handle the different floor heights, as there is about a 10 mm (0.4 inches) difference between the tiles and the solid hardwood flooring.

To level the height difference, we asked the developer to install the screed in the kitchen, hallway, and guest restroom areas 10 mm (0.4 inches) higher than in the living room. However, this was declined. Also, the location of the movement joints in the screed surface, which according to the building specification should later be reflected in the floor coverings, depends on technical requirements and cannot be planned in advance.

We now have to accept this situation. Therefore, I would like to ask how the height difference can be best compensated, or what arrangements I should make in advance with the hardwood flooring and tile installers before the floor installation.

Thank you very much in advance for your help, and best regards

Baunovize

How strong is the tile really? There is also 3-4mm (about 1/8 to 3/16 inch) of tile adhesive underneath.

The tile is 9.6 mm (0.38 inches) thick. If I understand correctly, adhesive of approximately the same thickness is used for both parquet and tile installation. Is that right?

Baunovize schrieb:

The tile is 9.6 mm (3/8 inch) thick. If I understood correctly, the adhesive used for both parquet and tile installation is about the same thickness. Is that right?

No, the adhesive for parquet is actually very thin. For tiles, it also depends on the size of the tiles and the installation method. Large tiles, for example, are installed using the buttering-floating method, where adhesive is applied both on the floor and on the tile, which results in a thicker buildup.

You have several options:
- leveling with tile adhesive
- engineered wood flooring instead of the solid option (why insist on solid?)
- edge trim profiles
- tile installer uses a leveling compound
- last tiles are laid with a slight slope

Am I missing anything?

In case of doubt, I would simply choose a parquet floor with the appropriate thickness.

Baunovize schrieb:

The tile is 9.6 mm (0.38 inches) thick. If I understood correctly, the adhesive used for both parquet and tile installation is applied at roughly the same thickness. Is that correct?

That would be new to me as well.
Parquet adhesive is thin and rubbery, practically being pressed flat.
Tile adhesive is mortar and is as thick as the notched trowel allows.
Those 0.5 cm (0.2 inches) are negligible in my opinion, especially if they are in separate rooms.
For open-plan kitchens, I personally wouldn’t choose two different floor coverings, since you always have an edge that needs to be “covered.”