ᐅ Which type of flooring is recommended for a utility room with a screed base – DIY options or tiles?
Created on: 24 Feb 2023 10:32
J
Jurassic135
Hello everyone,
In our house, built in 2007, the utility room only has the bare screed floor. The original builders probably cut costs and just left it like that.
The room is just under 7 square meters (about 75 square feet) and, as usual, besides the technical installations, it also houses the washing machine, dryer, and freezer.
Directly adjacent is the kitchen, where tiles have been laid and end with a metal strip at the utility room. From there, the floor drops down a few millimeters (inches) to the screed.
Bare screed is neither visually appealing nor comfortable to walk on, so we would like to install some kind of floor covering.
Option 1: Have tiles installed – but then we would first need to find a tiler willing to take on a 7 square meter (75 square feet) job with many awkward cutouts (pipes, etc.). I’m not sure if we’ll find someone.
Option 2: DIY – install something ourselves.
Can you recommend a floor covering suitable for a utility room that can be installed by beginners? We are absolute novices when it comes to flooring; so far, we haven’t even laid laminate or carpet. We also don’t have any large tools. I’m unclear how to manage the floor around all the pipes. You can use pipe collars for the cutouts, but I imagine that will still be difficult.
The flooring should be suitable for damp environments since there is always a chance of water from the washing machine etc. Our washing machine has leaked before, and the heating system’s expansion vessel has sprayed water, so the floor must be able to handle that.
Is this even a reasonable project for beginners, or should we look for a professional tiler? Maybe you have experience or ideas on how we could do this cost-effectively but properly.
In our house, built in 2007, the utility room only has the bare screed floor. The original builders probably cut costs and just left it like that.
The room is just under 7 square meters (about 75 square feet) and, as usual, besides the technical installations, it also houses the washing machine, dryer, and freezer.
Directly adjacent is the kitchen, where tiles have been laid and end with a metal strip at the utility room. From there, the floor drops down a few millimeters (inches) to the screed.
Bare screed is neither visually appealing nor comfortable to walk on, so we would like to install some kind of floor covering.
Option 1: Have tiles installed – but then we would first need to find a tiler willing to take on a 7 square meter (75 square feet) job with many awkward cutouts (pipes, etc.). I’m not sure if we’ll find someone.
Option 2: DIY – install something ourselves.
Can you recommend a floor covering suitable for a utility room that can be installed by beginners? We are absolute novices when it comes to flooring; so far, we haven’t even laid laminate or carpet. We also don’t have any large tools. I’m unclear how to manage the floor around all the pipes. You can use pipe collars for the cutouts, but I imagine that will still be difficult.
The flooring should be suitable for damp environments since there is always a chance of water from the washing machine etc. Our washing machine has leaked before, and the heating system’s expansion vessel has sprayed water, so the floor must be able to handle that.
Is this even a reasonable project for beginners, or should we look for a professional tiler? Maybe you have experience or ideas on how we could do this cost-effectively but properly.
Winniefred24 Feb 2023 14:48Notched trowel, sponge float, bucket, mixer, angle grinder, tile cutter, roller for primer, edge insulation strips, pliers, tile spacers, spirit level. We even did almost everything with the angle grinder. It was manageable.
Winniefred24 Feb 2023 14:50WilderSueden schrieb:
I would take a weekend and tile it yourself. A boiler room doesn’t need to look perfect and is a great space to practice. 😉
Preferably a smaller tile size like 10x10cm (4x4 inches), so you have fewer tiles to cut around the pipes. And in case of doubt, I’d consider working roughly and not carefully cutting the leftover pieces, but just filling in with filler. Unfortunately, one weekend is not enough. Far from it. Everything has its drying time: primer 12 hours, leveling compound 48 hours, another primer 12 hours, tile adhesive 24 hours, grout another 6 hours or so. It really takes time.
Jurassic135 schrieb:
What about click vinyl,Vinyl is also PVC; it’s just a more modern term.W
WilderSueden24 Feb 2023 16:13Winniefred schrieb:
Unfortunately, one weekend is definitely not enough. Far from it. Everything has its drying time. Primer 12 hours, leveling compound 48 hours, another primer coat 12 hours, tile adhesive 24 hours, grout another 6 hours or so. Something like that. It takes time.Then just clear out for a weekend, do prep work every evening for a week, tile over a weekend, and move everything back in again 😉J
Jurassic13524 Feb 2023 17:30ypg schrieb:
Vinyl is also PVC, it’s just a more modern name.Some click vinyl suppliers advertise as "PVC-free"/non-toxic, so I guess there are now different types available?Winniefred schrieb:
Unfortunately, a weekend is not enough. Far from it. Everything needs drying time. Primer 12h (hours), leveling compound 48h (hours), another primer 12h (hours), tile adhesive 24h (hours), grout another 6h (hours) or so. It drags on like that.WilderSueden schrieb:
Then just clear out the room for a weekend, spend a week doing prep work every evening, tile over a weekend, and move everything back in again 😉Unfortunately, I can’t go without the washing machine for that long, especially with sudden dirty laundry from the child 🤨 One or two, maybe three days is more realistic for us. But good to know, if we want to hire a tiler, it obviously won’t be done in 1–2 days either but takes just as long... I had hoped you simply spread the tile adhesive on the floor, lay the tiles, let it dry, and that’s it.
J
Jurassic13524 Feb 2023 17:35I think I need to take a closer look at click vinyl flooring, since you can even cut it with a utility knife.
Although I find "real" flooring (like tiles or hardwood) the most beautiful, I’m not sure how we could be without the room for so many days during construction.
Although I find "real" flooring (like tiles or hardwood) the most beautiful, I’m not sure how we could be without the room for so many days during construction.
Similar topics