Im a tile setter in Tucson AZ. I used this product and thought it was just as good as ditra. The roll is a little wider than ditra and has little holes all over to let air escape. I will be using this product again. Thank tile coach for the best tile videos on TH-cam!
Figured I might be able to get a question answered here. I'm wondering how long a bathroom remodel would take. An approximate. I'll try to put the scope of detail the best I can. I just want to know what to expect. ADA bathroom thats apprx. 6ft x 12ft Curbless shower taking up half with toilet and vanity on other half Removing tile wall surround of shower to stud Removing toilet and vanity Removing tile on entire floor Removing concrete floor down to failed hot mop Pouring new floor and shower pan New concrete surround Kerdi membrane everything Tile floor with 2"x4" tile. Yes inches Tile surround with 4" or 4 and a quarter Reinstall grab bars. Toilet. Variety and sink. How long would it take 1 person to do that?
@@bdenney9443 I would guess 2-3 weeks. I only install tile (no demo, framing, plumbing, etc...) so I am not sure. For the tile portion, would be about a week and a half.
Tile contractor here in Fl. Installing for 34 years. Yes I still can walk. Hardiboad or Duroc hasn't failed me and been installing since it first came out. Have done beach homes on stilts and 20 years later np.
Been installing as long as you out here in Cali, have always kept 2 to 3 layers of foam carpet pad in my leather kneepads, knees feel great , keep it going brother !
I’m redoing my subfloor and will be installing 2x10 joist with 3/4 plywood and 1/2 duroc giving me 1 1/4” substrate for my tile. Do I have to install a crack isolation membrane? Thanks
@@wolverinegnr Use liquid nail a tube each sheet and screw it off after you drop the sheet while it's wet. You can put fiber tape on each seem and flash with thinset but not necessary. Most likely you will be using a large format tile 12x24 or larger so use a good bed of white multiple purpose thinset. At least a 1/2" notch trowel on the deck and back stroke each tile with a 1/4" notch. That will also give you a sufficient bed if you're using a leveling system. Your floor will be solid. Mix thinset with clean cool water. Couple fundamental things that will make or break the integrity of your floor
@@factsnotfeelingssendit5961Awesome thanks for the reply. I’m going to liquid nail the plywood to the joist when I screw it down. Your saying I should also liquid nail the duroc? I’ve been looking at the versabond lft white, is that a good product or do you recommend something else for the thinset? Thank You and appreciate you taking the time to help out
I love watching your videos we have been without a bathroom since November 2020 I’m hoping to find Someone that can do a professional job Keep up the good work And hopefully I find the honest and professional tile installer we have to redo our bathroom twice now
I've been using strata Mat & strata heat mats ever since they came out with it. Never had a call back. Quick and easy install. Nice product. Thanks for the videos.
can we at least agree that you might not know there needs to be a call back for 2, 3, 5, 10 years? There is a lot more to building products than the weeks immediately following installation.
Get yourself a little hand roller. I use the kobalt extension handle roller and its perfect! I think they are normally used to roll over and push laminate down into the glue, but they work amazing for getting this mat membrane into thin set. It creates better bond on the mat, plus its easier to roll around then dragging a float around.
Back in my day we would put down felt paper, wire and mortar and if we ever had to take up one that was done like I mentioned what a ton of work. I hope this last. Thanks for the vid
Gotta say Isaac, you make some awesome videos, make us “think and ponder”, and challenge us to be better👍🏻 Can watch one of your vids, & then immediately wanna go back out and try a new product haven’t used, or a tip just saw ya do, just love it😊 Just wanna say, thx again, and appreciate all you do for us, and me. Have a good weekend✌🏻
WOW, that may be a game changer with the air holes. I used Ditra over pressure treated plywood subfloor in a remodeled bathroom with UNMODIFIED thin set, and the thin set NEVER dried. I tore everything up and use backer board with zero problems. Obviously it was the pressure treated wood, but this product may have worked with the air holes.
This product is good if you have a height problem, I'm talking about if you're limited to raising the floor ( if the cabinets are installed, and you need the toe kick measurements).. hardy///durock are the best steady avoids movement,etc. 35 years experience it's enough.
I was taught that you want the strokes of your mortar to go all the same direction and in the shortest distance to allow all for the air to exit from under the material being laid down which may cause issues later on.
@tilecoach I am Jeffrey J. Tondalo, LATICRETE’s Sr Technical Services Rep (Bethany, CT HQ). Awesome video, glad to see these videos in the field. I came across your videos randomly.. well done sir!
This is silly. He's clearly sponsored by laticrete. If nothing else, the number of awkward times he inserts the name of the product is a dead giveaway. Nothing wrong with that and I've always been a fan of laticrete products. No need to tank our chain
@@bobcougar77 definitely not by me.. but I’d throw him a bone for putting his trust in our products. Even if the materials were donated, it’s the cost of doing business sometimes…and social media is power.
This is great for plywood. Most of my work is in 80 year old homes that have 2 1/4 w x 3/4 thick tongue in groove subflooring. I would only use hardie backer.
Hi, i ve been using decoupling membrane like what youre using for ageas now. Always used to be tile straight onto ply, but things change for the better.. Mostly!!!
Great tips and at the perfect time. Just demolished my second bathroom yesterday, one is upstairs, the other one is downstairs on a slab. Question, what should I use for wall to cover the studs? Durock, wonderboard, wonderboard lite, hardibacker, ? I bought Durock but can exchange it if need be. Better yet, how about a setup recommendation.... Like for walls, and then for deck mud pan and liner. People like me, DIYers, would love a setup recommendation. Buying the X-flow drain because of the detailed video you posted, so thanks for that.
I’m doing the same for walls. Just watched one of Isaac’s videos of Hydroban vs Schluter foam board, great video BTW. I felt compelled to go with the Hydroban after watching.
Those “air-vents” also allow the thin set to breath allowing you to use a modified thin set. Unlike the Ditra which does not breath and normally set with unmodified thinset(or Schluter’s Allset).
I've been using Mapeguard UM lately and really like it, doesn't eat up near as much thinset as Ditra. If I never have to cut and screw Hardi again in my life I'd be okay with that. 😎
I like the idea but, by using hardibacker your adding thickness to the floor and removing some potential flex in the floor that can cause cracking of tile and joints.
I also wonder how many of these products are more for the installer, than for the customer. The showers especially, the foam board has a 10 to 15 year warranty, I can not fathom that 90% of those installs will make it to 20 years. No one wants to redo their shower to begin with. My house is 50 years old, they did cement board and hot mop, upstairs is still going strong, never leaked, I redid downstairs because I moved the bathroom, and there was no sign of failure anywhere. I just can't imagine the foam board stuff will last like that. I maybe wrong, but I assume its slightly better than green board
If you look at the research Hardibacker or any cement board product does NOT add rigidity or additional flexing protection. The whole purpose of an uncoupling membrane is that the floor is going to flex a little over time. cement board just transfer that flex to the tile.
These products have been out for well over a decade and have proven themselves as reliable, even superior with their uncoupling characteristics. Just try it, you'll be impressed.
I am fine with the mats as long as your subfloor is strong. working in a lot of early 20 century homes i prefer putting down the cement board in a bed of thin set as it will always help with strengthening the floor that much more . We have yet to give these mats real world time to see how they hold up..
The cement board wouldn’t add anything to the structural strength of the floor, it actually might make a weak floor system deflect more because of the weight added to the system,
@@eskilover it actually would and does add alot of strength in early 20th century homes that had small 1×4 T&G subfloor. Helps lock and fill all the gaps from being 75+ years old forming a solid surface. You don't tile over a weak surface ever
I never understood why a person would want a waterproof underlayment anyways, unless you are installing a curbless shower with no door or something like that. Anyways Ditra is only waterproof when you add joint tape, sealants, and details like that. Most people just use it as underlayment.
Luv’in the Laticrete vids and products you’ve shown. I’m going to get to the local supplier and try a few you’ve shown, That clear membrane is sweet and I can see the advantages. Any chance you can go thru their Thinset line and show the application use for each. Great job as always.
Depends on the subfloor deflection amount. Plastic adds no additional strength to the installation. I use 1/2-inch wonderboard when deflection is a problem.
I have 4XLT leftover and was going to.use that to fill in the holes on the mat but I won't be able to tile today. Can I just put my 4XLT thinset over dried 4XLT thinset?
Noticed you were kneeling on the first section of the Stratamat while doing the last section. Did you have to let the first section dry before working the second section or can you walk/kneel on it once you have run the float over? Thanks.
My thinking what if the floor shift over time, the screws in the wonder board help control that and it add protection to the subfloor where this does those tiles can lift or move should that soft thin mortar doesn't hold. No I will continue to use the wonder board or cement floor.
I worked for a tile guy in the 70's and 80's. We would thinset and screw 1/2" plywood to the subfloor and then thinset the tile to the plywood. It was incredibly strong but removing it was almost impossible. How do you retile the floor in the future with Laticrete? I've never use Schluter or Kerdi. The last shower I ever did was about 12 years ago and I used the vinyl membrane that we always used. I broke a lot of leaking lead pans up back then. :)
This is how I do it on my jobs when there is no concrete I use cement between the backer board and the wood then cement on top again and has never failed me
@@20somthingrealestate wasnt really a question it was a statement that sometimes that stuff will not work out unless the homeowner is willing to incur quite a bit more cost rather than using some half-inch Fiber rock with plenty of screws and thinset underneath
Well it was a question because it started with "what do you do". But if you meant that to be rhetorical and you encounter this situation and you choose to cut corners for a customer because they don't want to be realistic well that's something your business will have to shoulder if something goes wrong. Maybe if they're family and they're fully informed but most businesses would simply turn down the work. It's a matter of ethics and warranty - you certainly aren't going to get support from your suppliers and if it goes bad the customer usually isn't going to admit fault even if they were informed. The "real world " is full of people trying to save a buck or simply not caring but that doesn't change the standards of building.
Sal says this is not waterproof because of the holes. Along the edge of my curbless shower I intend to extend the waterproofing from the pan for 6" or so.
I've done a lot of tile work, but have never used Ditra or the Strata Mat. I definitely like what I see and want to try it. One thing I wonder about though is remodeling in future years. I've taken up old tile in properties I've bought and taken up the old backer board and gotten back to a smooth, clean subfloor. What happens with this years from now? How would you ever be able to update it without a tremendous amount of work after putting mortar directly on the subfloor? If you have any experience with this let me know. Thanks!
I thought with a wood subfloor home you needed durock or hardibacker on the floor to prevent movement and the tiles don’t crack or pop up? How does this work?
I'm looking at that huge crack where the curb meets the floor that you didn't waterproof over plywood and I'm thinking this is certain to soften and fail with water exposure at the curb. Also your camera guy is doing his best, bless his heart. 🤣
My original floor in the master bathroom was laid in 87. It was straight over plywood. There was no water damage under it when I pulled the tile. Multiple owners and 25 years later.
"0:30 Has these little air vents that allow the air to come up and breath" From where? There is a SOLID piece of plywood underneath! If you don't want any trouble and work in the future spend more time now and do it right, hardiebacker is the only way to go.
is it going to be a pain to remove it and all the thinset on the wood subfloor for another style tiles? i would thiink hardiebacker would be much easier to remove then thinset.
donjt think thje matt yopu were working on is mud down but a good tip imo is work your way backwards out of the room with your back towards the door so you arent walking all over your matt you installed , your knees hands or anything will put little dips in the floor. i let this stuff setup fpr an hour or so untill i step on it. great vid though we use strata matt all the time,
I have a question can you use this type of tile for the Shower bathroom floor---> Butterfly Bay Pinwheel Basket Weave 9.25 in. x 13.75 in. x 8 mm Honed Travertine Mosaic Wall/Floor Tile
I’m sure this product does an amazing job but as someone who renovate bathrooms pretty frequently I would hate to have to remove this product especially since you are attaching it directly to the substrate plywood .
In case of removing old tiles and stubborn thinset, I replace the subfloor. Cut out the old subfloor with a small plunger circular saw as close to the perimeter as possible and drop in new subfloor.
You don't "have it all wrong" like that dude says. Questions please: I see that you are stepping and kneeling on the floor membrane. How soon can you walk on it? What would be cool is to see how the work holds up as this is what tiling is REALLY all about: customer satisfaction, permanent and solid, low maintenance and high performance application to floors and walls. How did this floor hold up? Anything new you suggest? Thanks!
I was exposed to massive amounts of silica dust without knowing or protection while drilling holes for housing and blowing out the holes with compressed air now I am trying to get a Whole Lung lavage to SAVE MY LIFE and remove the silica dust in my lungs before it's too late please spread awareness about a possible hope for removing the silica dust from lungs before it causes fatal damage.
Study on Chinese Herbal Kombucha for treatment of Silicosis : www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3760100/#:~:text=These%20preliminary%20results%20indicate%20that,silicosis%20and%20other%20pneumoconiosis%20diseases.
@@MrGarymola hardiboard's structure comes from using thinset under it and over it. When you add tile over the top of it, it becomes one solid sheet of substrate to walk on. If you only look at the material before it's installed I could see how that would not seem very strong but you're missing the rest of the picture. When you compare hardi to ditra or stratimat, hardi is going to provide more structural support when installed.
@@RELAXnRENOVATE ...don't think thinset would add enough to the strength...if you are relying on that for strength it would make more sense to beef up the subfloor if there are issues with give under any load...I have seen grout crack many times over the top of hardiboard & cement board...I suppose one of the problems is overweight people or rolling heavy things across the floor.
@@MrGarymola my point is that hardi adds more support than plastic uncoupling mat. That’s it. I’m not relying on that for structural support. As for why those observed floors failed, I can’t speculate. When installed correctly over a sound sub floor it won’t crack.
Hello Isaac. Can you do a video on how you would lay large tiles on a wood floor? And how would you ensure there isn't too much bounce in the floor, to cause cracks.
If you have flex in your subfloor and you're expecting your underlayment to take it up you shouldn't be tiling it. Add perpendicular laid layer of subfloor or address the framing issues. I've used 3/8 ply over dimensional lumber subfloors and it was solid. You may need thicker. Assess each situation independently.
@@20somthingrealestate Did you use 1/2" cement board on top of this? From what I have researched, the results say that you need at least 1 1/8" subfloor thickness under tile. I honestly can't find if this is code or just a best practice. Any insight ?
@@georgekirby5992 3/4 +3/8 is 1 1/8 although it's not ply it was stiff. It's best practice as 3/4 is going to surpass standard load requirements on traditional framing so that's what you're going to find in most residential construction. The framing will also make a difference. If I had an issue with a floor I'd add perpendicular sheets of ply and use an uncoupling membrane. Using cement board just to hope that it adds enough stability to the floor? No. The subfloor should already be stable.
@@20somthingrealestate I misunderstood your first post. When you said you used 3/8 ply over dimensional lumber subfloor, I assumed you meant 3/8 ply over dimensional joists. I know cement board doesn't really add strength, but I just am trying to find code that dictates the overall thickness requirement. I used 23/32 ply on 16" center 2x12" joists that span 12' so my calculated flex is ok. My only question would be why I am required (if I am) to use 1/2 cement board instead of 1/4 inch just to reach the 1 1/8 thickness "requirement".
Great vid. How would this system do if you are doing small pattern mosaic tile on the floor. Seems like it would be hard to keep that and penny tiles level.
don't really understand why so many different methods over in the states, here in australia standard practice for anything wet area is lay fibre cement board first, water proof over the top then direct stick your tile or shower pan. seems practical enough
Hmmm. Here in TX, after the catastrophic freeze in Feb. 2021, a lot of people realized the value of a decoupling membrane, which isn't really standard on our usual concrete slab on grade foundations. I wonder if this could be used on a slab?
Yes, it absolutely can be applied directly onto concrete slab substrate (with thinset in between, of course). The uncoupling benefits are actually greater when using it on concrete rather than wood. Laticrete Strata, Schluter Ditra, and other similar products all detail in there instructions that it can be applied to concrete. I also live in Texas and have been researching this. One additional thing to consider is thermal transfer from the concrete slab foundation to the tile. Assuming that your concrete slab is not insulated from the earth (most homes in Texas are not), you can expect your floors to get cold in the winter. You can mitigate this by installing a thermal barrier first. Ditra Heat Duo has a built in thermal barrier, but it is just a 1/8” fleece sheet material bonded to the bottom side, which only offers an insulation R-value of 0.35. Laticrete recommends installing their 1/4” thick Hydro Ban Board on the floor as a thermal break before installing the uncoupling membrane. Their 1/4” thick Hydro Ban Board offers about 1.125 R-value (4.5 per inch). The thermal barrier with concrete slab is even more important if you are considering heated floors, because you will lose heat directly to the earth without it (inefficient wasted energy). You can use Strata Heat Mat instead of Strata Mat for heated floors.
@@gabrielo8922 Thanks for this! Appreciate hearing from someone else here in TX. Building codes and specs are so localized... naturally. What works in Amarillo might not work in Kingsville. 👍😁
I'm a DIY and I subscribe. Great video. If I use white Strata-Mat instead of a backer board can I install the Ditra peel and sick orange over this for a heated floor ? thanks
So whats the most economical but best way to put tile on a conventional foundation house hardie backer or uncoupling membrane? What is considered the right/ longest lasting way
Lol the subfloor will be absolutely destroyed by the time you're done scraping off the old thinset. Guaranteed if it's OSB. I know this is an old video, but this is the type of crap that 90% of these videos conveniently fail to mention. Lots of contradictions when you watch the more recent videos
Been using this product for 2 years now. We use a vinyl hand roller to go over it. Faster and more efficient than a float. Patching over this product is also pretty easy.
if your working with a tile size and wet saw that will allow it, can you make those miter cuts with the saw instead of the grinder? or is there a benefit to the grinder? say to allow for a 47 or 48 degree cut so none of the short point of the tile interferes with the trim? thank you for all the helpful advice too!!!
Love your videos....but I respectfully kinda disagree with this advice. I've found that mudded , screwed Hardie board substantially beefs up the floor for a solid substrate for tile. That membrane works when you have almost zero floor flex. Just my .02s. Keep up the great vids!!!
Question ? The area where you are kneeling and standing , when was that done ? Can you immediately kneel on it ?? Or if not how long until you can kneel and contribute the work ??
Are you moving away from using Shluter products? I recently bought one of their systems. Now I'm afraid to use it. Lol. I had thought about Laticrete or Wedi. It's just so hard to get where I live and it's pricier to buy online and have it delivered.
So direct on your 3/4 plywood? Or it was on your other plywood cause I hears it need minimum 1and 1/4 so deflection don't cause damage to tile( jeff renovision)
Did you add additional wood subfloor to the existing subfloor? I have a second floor bathroom I need to tile but really don’t want to add additional hight. The current subfloor appears to be 3/4”.
Great product and easy to use , but there is a difference between the laticrete Strata Mat and the Schluter DITRA. The DITRA is also a waterproofing membrane, the Strata Mat is not! Thanks for the great video 👍
How come people don't use a crack membrane like noble cis over plywood instead? It's a smooth surface, no waffles, no need to be filling the waffles, you'll spend less thinset. Are crack membranes for concrete only?
There are applications where the hardbacker can be a better choice, where it resolves issue's in a poor conditioned subfloor. That said, it's all about achieving the best end result for durability as well as eye appeal, in a cost-effective manner.
saw demonstration from the Hardy backer manufacture at a trade show in LV Nevada, been using it for the last 15 years never had one tile crack or grout lineThere is a proper spec to install it yes it’s a little more work ,in my opinion for my jobs I’ll stick with hardy backer.
Dude, you got this so wrong. "Which if there's any stresses below the plywood, that mean's that it's not going to transfer up through the tile." Uncoupling membranes will only take Lateral movement, not vertical movement which Hardiebacker would. Calling out Hardi specifically when you are -advertising- using a membrane.
@@christopherbielecki4309 well said on your knowledge!!! A lot of it is experience and been there done that , applied knowledge of how science and physics work in the real world , also what I have always been intrigued about is longevity!!! That's why we are dreaming and hoping to build a house out of earth and concrete, rebar in there to of course.... Happy trails to you my friend
Edward, your dream house construction is the norm now in Thailand. The problem here is that they put a mud on the floor and apply a glue on top of the mud bed and same on the tile before laying it down. Grouting is a disaster due they lay the tiles so close to each other. I wish I could receive a procedure how to properly water seal a concrete floor, lay the mud bed and properly seal that so that the shower and wall are considered water proof. Help is appreciated.
Im a tile setter in Tucson AZ. I used this product and thought it was just as good as ditra. The roll is a little wider than ditra and has little holes all over to let air escape. I will be using this product again. Thank tile coach for the best tile videos on TH-cam!
I've been doing this for 7 years. ALWAYS learn something from every video. THANK YOU!!
24 years here and I have probably learned more in the last year ( from this channel and social media) than I have in the previous 10
Figured I might be able to get a question answered here. I'm wondering how long a bathroom remodel would take. An approximate. I'll try to put the scope of detail the best I can. I just want to know what to expect.
ADA bathroom thats apprx. 6ft x 12ft
Curbless shower taking up half with toilet and vanity on other half
Removing tile wall surround of shower to stud
Removing toilet and vanity
Removing tile on entire floor
Removing concrete floor down to failed hot mop
Pouring new floor and shower pan
New concrete surround
Kerdi membrane everything
Tile floor with 2"x4" tile. Yes inches
Tile surround with 4" or 4 and a quarter
Reinstall grab bars. Toilet. Variety and sink.
How long would it take 1 person to do that?
@@justinofboulder maybe you could give me an idea
@@bdenney9443 I would guess 2-3 weeks. I only install tile (no demo, framing, plumbing, etc...) so I am not sure. For the tile portion, would be about a week and a half.
@@justinofboulder thank you
Tile contractor here in Fl. Installing for 34 years. Yes I still can walk. Hardiboad or Duroc hasn't failed me and been installing since it first came out. Have done beach homes on stilts and 20 years later np.
Been installing as long as you out here in Cali, have always kept 2 to 3 layers of foam carpet pad in my leather kneepads, knees feel great , keep it going brother !
@@markme4 👍
I’m redoing my subfloor and will be installing 2x10 joist with 3/4 plywood and 1/2 duroc giving me 1 1/4” substrate for my tile. Do I have to install a crack isolation membrane? Thanks
@@wolverinegnr Use liquid nail a tube each sheet and screw it off after you drop the sheet while it's wet. You can put fiber tape on each seem and flash with thinset but not necessary. Most likely you will be using a large format tile 12x24 or larger so use a good bed of white multiple purpose thinset. At least a 1/2" notch trowel on the deck and back stroke each tile with a 1/4" notch. That will also give you a sufficient bed if you're using a leveling system. Your floor will be solid. Mix thinset with clean cool water. Couple fundamental things that will make or break the integrity of your floor
@@factsnotfeelingssendit5961Awesome thanks for the reply. I’m going to liquid nail the plywood to the joist when I screw it down. Your saying I should also liquid nail the duroc? I’ve been looking at the versabond lft white, is that a good product or do you recommend something else for the thinset?
Thank You and appreciate you taking the time to help out
I love watching your videos we have been without a bathroom since November 2020 I’m hoping to find Someone that can do a professional job Keep up the good work And hopefully I find the honest and professional tile installer we have to redo our bathroom twice now
I've been using strata Mat & strata heat mats ever since they came out with it. Never had a call back. Quick and easy install. Nice product. Thanks for the videos.
can we at least agree that you might not know there needs to be a call back for 2, 3, 5, 10 years? There is a lot more to building products than the weeks immediately following installation.
@@bluearcherx I've been working for this builder for over 10 years so when there is a call back we know about it.
How do would waterproof this is if you had to thanks
Get yourself a little hand roller. I use the kobalt extension handle roller and its perfect! I think they are normally used to roll over and push laminate down into the glue, but they work amazing for getting this mat membrane into thin set. It creates better bond on the mat, plus its easier to roll around then dragging a float around.
Wow. Picked up a Goldblatt one on your advice. Crazy how good your suggestion is...TY!
Man 7 years is awesome keep up the good work
Back in my day we would put down felt paper, wire and mortar and if we ever had to take up one that was done like I mentioned what a ton of work. I hope this last. Thanks for the vid
The real tile setters still do it that way.
Gotta say Isaac, you make some awesome videos, make us “think and ponder”, and challenge us to be better👍🏻
Can watch one of your vids, & then immediately wanna go back out and try a new product haven’t used, or a tip just saw ya do, just love it😊
Just wanna say, thx again, and appreciate all you do for us, and me.
Have a good weekend✌🏻
👍great video and great comment !
Congratulations on the laticrete sponsorship.
Absolutely
Having worked with the orange Ditra not long ago, I see a big benefit of the see through.
WOW, that may be a game changer with the air holes. I used Ditra over pressure treated plywood subfloor in a remodeled bathroom with UNMODIFIED thin set, and the thin set NEVER dried. I tore everything up and use backer board with zero problems. Obviously it was the pressure treated wood, but this product may have worked with the air holes.
A modified thinset is requred to install Ditra on plywood.
This product is good if you have a height problem, I'm talking about if you're limited to raising the floor ( if the cabinets are installed, and you need the toe kick measurements).. hardy///durock are the best steady avoids movement,etc. 35 years experience it's enough.
Permat, hands down best underlayment on planet earth
would it support a 1inch mosaic on it?
I was taught that you want the strokes of your mortar to go all the same direction and in the shortest distance to allow all for the air to exit from under the material being laid down which may cause issues later on.
there are air holes on the mat that release the air, bruh
we know you're a pro
Looks like a great product, my favorite part might be the Rockwool on the wall!
@tilecoach I am Jeffrey J. Tondalo, LATICRETE’s Sr Technical Services Rep (Bethany, CT HQ). Awesome video, glad to see these videos in the field. I came across your videos randomly.. well done sir!
I literally just had a guy email me and say “I was watching Tilecoach, and he recommended your products” social media is powerful man.
This is silly. He's clearly sponsored by laticrete. If nothing else, the number of awkward times he inserts the name of the product is a dead giveaway.
Nothing wrong with that and I've always been a fan of laticrete products. No need to tank our chain
@@bobcougar77 definitely not by me.. but I’d throw him a bone for putting his trust in our products. Even if the materials were donated, it’s the cost of doing business sometimes…and social media is power.
This is great for plywood. Most of my work is in 80 year old homes that have 2 1/4 w x 3/4 thick tongue in groove subflooring. I would only use hardie backer.
Hi, i ve been using decoupling membrane like what youre using for ageas now. Always used to be tile straight onto ply, but things change for the better.. Mostly!!!
Always trying to reinvent the wheel .this is fine if you never want to change the look in your home which is fine in china
Ditto
i use gray thinset when i install strata to see the coverage better, ty for the videos
Always exceptional videos. Isaac your the Best. Keep it coming.
How much is a role and how many ft .great video
Great tips and at the perfect time. Just demolished my second bathroom yesterday, one is upstairs, the other one is downstairs on a slab. Question, what should I use for wall to cover the studs? Durock, wonderboard, wonderboard lite, hardibacker, ? I bought Durock but can exchange it if need be.
Better yet, how about a setup recommendation.... Like for walls, and then for deck mud pan and liner. People like me, DIYers, would love a setup recommendation. Buying the X-flow drain because of the detailed video you posted, so thanks for that.
Any of the concrete boards will do. Hardie board has cellulose in it and will break down in water
I’m doing the same for walls. Just watched one of Isaac’s videos of Hydroban vs Schluter foam board, great video BTW. I felt compelled to go with the Hydroban after watching.
Hardiebacker on the walls work good especially if you apply Maipei Aqua defense or Red Guard to it.
Wedi if you can find it
Those “air-vents” also allow the thin set to breath allowing you to use a modified thin set. Unlike the Ditra which does not breath and normally set with unmodified thinset(or Schluter’s Allset).
Is that true according to Laticrete?
You can use a modified thinset with Ditra. It’s the substrate that dictates what type of thinset you use.
@@eskilover actually you are correct; thank you for correcting me. I was thinking of the next layer between Ditra and tile.
The ditra style membranes have the added benefit of being waterproof.
I do like the strata better if all you want is crack isolation though.
Another great video Isacc, always informative
Would you use the strata mat if there’s only one 3/4” layer of plywood under it?
Good job Isac!! Looks like you've floated the shower. Nice,that mat stuff is rad
Nice job! Good information...
I've been using Mapeguard UM lately and really like it, doesn't eat up near as much thinset as Ditra.
If I never have to cut and screw Hardi again in my life I'd be okay with that. 😎
I can install hardy backer in 2 hours, and start tiling the floor!, on the other hand, you have to wait one day for the thin set to dry, 🤭
@@twoserve2449 Does hardibacker get thinset underneath of it?
@@RandomNumber141 , No, never!, just screws where all the markings for, and start from the middle towards the edges, to keep air out!
I like the idea but, by using hardibacker your adding thickness to the floor and removing some potential flex in the floor that can cause cracking of tile and joints.
I also wonder how many of these products are more for the installer, than for the customer. The showers especially, the foam board has a 10 to 15 year warranty, I can not fathom that 90% of those installs will make it to 20 years. No one wants to redo their shower to begin with. My house is 50 years old, they did cement board and hot mop, upstairs is still going strong, never leaked, I redid downstairs because I moved the bathroom, and there was no sign of failure anywhere. I just can't imagine the foam board stuff will last like that. I maybe wrong, but I assume its slightly better than green board
If you look at the research Hardibacker or any cement board product does NOT add rigidity or additional flexing protection. The whole purpose of an uncoupling membrane is that the floor is going to flex a little over time. cement board just transfer that flex to the tile.
maybe we can re-visit this job in 5 years time, to see if this flexible backer, has been reliable over the period,
why wait 5 years? it will fail within 5 months..
@@robbob4872 What makes you so sure?
These products have been out for well over a decade and have proven themselves as reliable, even superior with their uncoupling characteristics.
Just try it, you'll be impressed.
As long as the sub floor strong it shouldn't have any problem. Ther problem is? Most houses are built with 1/2" ply sub floor
Why cement board doesn't have no structural properties to it why would it matter if it's flexible 🤷
I am fine with the mats as long as your subfloor is strong. working in a lot of early 20 century homes i prefer putting down the cement board in a bed of thin set as it will always help with strengthening the floor that much more . We have yet to give these mats real world time to see how they hold up..
You have echoed my sentiment.
The cement board wouldn’t add anything to the structural strength of the floor, it actually might make a weak floor system deflect more because of the weight added to the system,
@@eskilover it actually would and does add alot of strength in early 20th century homes that had small 1×4 T&G subfloor. Helps lock and fill all the gaps from being 75+ years old forming a solid surface. You don't tile over a weak surface ever
@@eskilover You do realize that Hardie Backer is also a cement board, right?
what’s the best substrate for installing 1” hex mosaic on bathroom floors?
Tile coach can l use LHT laticre ansi 118.4 instaling ditra on wood ,
I like the strata mat so much more than ditra since you can see through it to make sure its imbedded, and you can use modified!
I agree, but it doesn't seem to be waterproof. Big downside, in my opinion.
I never understood why a person would want a waterproof underlayment anyways, unless you are installing a curbless shower with no door or something like that. Anyways Ditra is only waterproof when you add joint tape, sealants, and details like that. Most people just use it as underlayment.
Just use grey thinset and you can see the coverage much easier even through ditra.
I always just staple wire lath down and use a 1/2 inch notch trowel. Some of my floors are still known to be in service nearly 20 years later.
I prime the floor, staple lathe and use a cement mixer to pour self- level. Really nice to work on and perfect track record.
That's pretty slick...
Nice job brother...
Luv’in the Laticrete vids and products you’ve shown. I’m going to get to the local supplier and try a few you’ve shown, That clear membrane is sweet and I can see the advantages. Any chance you can go thru their Thinset line and show the application use for each. Great job as always.
Going through the Thinset line of products and applications for them would be very helpful. Agree.
Depends on the subfloor deflection amount. Plastic adds no additional strength to the installation. I use 1/2-inch wonderboard when deflection is a problem.
Always screw down subfloor for strength.
What size trowel do you need to use for the Strata Mat?
I have 4XLT leftover and was going to.use that to fill in the holes on the mat but I won't be able to tile today. Can I just put my 4XLT thinset over dried 4XLT thinset?
Noticed you were kneeling on the first section of the Stratamat while doing the last section. Did you have to let the first section dry before working the second section or can you walk/kneel on it once you have run the float over? Thanks.
My thinking what if the floor shift over time, the screws in the wonder board help control that and it add protection to the subfloor where this does those tiles can lift or move should that soft thin mortar doesn't hold. No I will continue to use the wonder board or cement floor.
I worked for a tile guy in the 70's and 80's. We would thinset and screw 1/2" plywood to the subfloor and then thinset the tile to the plywood. It was incredibly strong but removing it was almost impossible. How do you retile the floor in the future with Laticrete? I've never use Schluter or Kerdi. The last shower I ever did was about 12 years ago and I used the vinyl membrane that we always used. I broke a lot of leaking lead pans up back then. :)
This is how I do it on my jobs when there is no concrete I use cement between the backer board and the wood then cement on top again and has never failed me
That stuff is very easy to use I agree about that but what do you do if the subfloor has a lot of deflection
You fix the subfloor 😄
@@20somthingrealestate yo i get that but that would raise the price of The project considerably
@@anaheimstrangeanimal9790 Ok then what's the question
@@20somthingrealestate wasnt really a question it was a statement that sometimes that stuff will not work out unless the homeowner is willing to incur quite a bit more cost rather than using some half-inch Fiber rock with plenty of screws and thinset underneath
Well it was a question because it started with "what do you do". But if you meant that to be rhetorical and you encounter this situation and you choose to cut corners for a customer because they don't want to be realistic well that's something your business will have to shoulder if something goes wrong. Maybe if they're family and they're fully informed but most businesses would simply turn down the work. It's a matter of ethics and warranty - you certainly aren't going to get support from your suppliers and if it goes bad the customer usually isn't going to admit fault even if they were informed. The "real world " is full of people trying to save a buck or simply not caring but that doesn't change the standards of building.
I literally just saw the guy and started watching 😯
@Mark Oliver he is so handsome dont you think??💗
Sal says this is not waterproof because of the holes. Along the edge of my curbless shower I intend to extend the waterproofing from the pan for 6" or so.
I've done a lot of tile work, but have never used Ditra or the Strata Mat. I definitely like what I see and want to try it. One thing I wonder about though is remodeling in future years. I've taken up old tile in properties I've bought and taken up the old backer board and gotten back to a smooth, clean subfloor. What happens with this years from now? How would you ever be able to update it without a tremendous amount of work after putting mortar directly on the subfloor? If you have any experience with this let me know. Thanks!
I don't know the answer, but that's a very valuable question. Wish these guys would answer some of the questions here.
thats why i like hardie w as few screws as possible... easy demo
I thought with a wood subfloor home you needed durock or hardibacker on the floor to prevent movement and the tiles don’t crack or pop up? How does this work?
Is this okay to be used like that in a wet location? StrataMat has air vents which negate the waterproofing aspect
I like your videos BUT I'd love to see the final product of all the jobs you demo too though
I'm looking at that huge crack where the curb meets the floor that you didn't waterproof over plywood and I'm thinking this is certain to soften and fail with water exposure at the curb. Also your camera guy is doing his best, bless his heart. 🤣
My original floor in the master bathroom was laid in 87. It was straight over plywood. There was no water damage under it when I pulled the tile. Multiple owners and 25 years later.
🙄 relax weirdo
Can I use the hardibacker with hydro guard on a wood subfloor if so which side should go up ? Red or grey … thx !
"0:30 Has these little air vents that allow the air to come up and breath" From where? There is a SOLID piece of plywood underneath! If you don't want any trouble and work in the future spend more time now and do it right, hardiebacker is the only way to go.
So it's not waterproof?
is it going to be a pain to remove it and all the thinset on the wood subfloor for another style tiles? i would thiink hardiebacker would be much easier to remove then thinset.
donjt think thje matt yopu were working on is mud down but a good tip imo is work your way backwards out of the room with your back towards the door so you arent walking all over your matt you installed , your knees hands or anything will put little dips in the floor. i let this stuff setup fpr an hour or so untill i step on it. great vid though we use strata matt all the time,
I have a question can you use this type of tile for the Shower bathroom floor---> Butterfly Bay Pinwheel Basket Weave 9.25 in. x 13.75 in. x 8 mm Honed Travertine Mosaic Wall/Floor Tile
Did you set the piece you were kneeling on done the day before or just before you set this one?
good point otherwise his knees and feet would leave indentations everywhere... no bueno
MADS 707 He’s probably kneeling on a piece of Wonderboard! lol
Woa. Did you just wipe adhesive down an open toilet flange?
I’m sure this product does an amazing job but as someone who renovate bathrooms pretty frequently I would hate to have to remove this product especially since you are attaching it directly to the substrate plywood .
Just did this job with a demolition hammer.
How is this any different than Durock which also has mortar underneath of it?
In case of removing old tiles and stubborn thinset, I replace the subfloor. Cut out the old subfloor with a small plunger circular saw as close to the perimeter as possible and drop in new subfloor.
@@leapinglizard3021 Sounds easy. what about the hundreds of screws?
You don't "have it all wrong" like that dude says.
Questions please:
I see that you are stepping and kneeling on the floor membrane. How soon can you walk on it?
What would be cool is to see how the work holds up as this is what tiling is REALLY all about: customer satisfaction, permanent and solid, low maintenance and high performance application to floors and walls. How did this floor hold up? Anything new you suggest? Thanks!
I was exposed to massive amounts of silica dust without knowing or protection while drilling holes for housing and blowing out the holes with compressed air now I am trying to get a Whole Lung lavage to SAVE MY LIFE and remove the silica dust in my lungs before it's too late please spread awareness about a possible hope for removing the silica dust from lungs before it causes fatal damage.
Study on Chinese Herbal Kombucha for treatment of Silicosis : www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3760100/#:~:text=These%20preliminary%20results%20indicate%20that,silicosis%20and%20other%20pneumoconiosis%20diseases.
Had I saw this before I would have posted it. Hope you're good
Dang man, hope you're doing okay
I’ll keep using hardiboard. It’s ridged and adds structure to my tile floors.
Out of curiosity, how long do you warranty your tile work?
Don't see how hardiboard adds structure as it has little strength...bends & breaks easily.
@@MrGarymola hardiboard's structure comes from using thinset under it and over it. When you add tile over the top of it, it becomes one solid sheet of substrate to walk on. If you only look at the material before it's installed I could see how that would not seem very strong but you're missing the rest of the picture.
When you compare hardi to ditra or stratimat, hardi is going to provide more structural support when installed.
@@RELAXnRENOVATE ...don't think thinset would add enough to the strength...if you are relying on that for strength it would make more sense to beef up the subfloor if there are issues with give under any load...I have seen grout crack many times over the top of hardiboard & cement board...I suppose one of the problems is overweight people or rolling heavy things across the floor.
@@MrGarymola my point is that hardi adds more support than plastic uncoupling mat. That’s it.
I’m not relying on that for structural support.
As for why those observed floors failed, I can’t speculate. When installed correctly over a sound sub floor it won’t crack.
I prefer hardibacker on my floors but I've used the ditra and I hate the way it curls up at the ends .
Hello Isaac. Can you do a video on how you would lay large tiles on a wood floor? And how would you ensure there isn't too much bounce in the floor, to cause cracks.
Yeah, I'd love to see a large floor with large tiles after a year with this 'flex' underlayment 😂😂
If you have flex in your subfloor and you're expecting your underlayment to take it up you shouldn't be tiling it. Add perpendicular laid layer of subfloor or address the framing issues. I've used 3/8 ply over dimensional lumber subfloors and it was solid. You may need thicker. Assess each situation independently.
@@20somthingrealestate Did you use 1/2" cement board on top of this? From what I have researched, the results say that you need at least 1 1/8" subfloor thickness under tile. I honestly can't find if this is code or just a best practice. Any insight ?
@@georgekirby5992 3/4 +3/8 is 1 1/8 although it's not ply it was stiff. It's best practice as 3/4 is going to surpass standard load requirements on traditional framing so that's what you're going to find in most residential construction. The framing will also make a difference. If I had an issue with a floor I'd add perpendicular sheets of ply and use an uncoupling membrane. Using cement board just to hope that it adds enough stability to the floor? No. The subfloor should already be stable.
@@20somthingrealestate I misunderstood your first post. When you said you used 3/8 ply over dimensional lumber subfloor, I assumed you meant 3/8 ply over dimensional joists.
I know cement board doesn't really add strength, but I just am trying to find code that dictates the overall thickness requirement. I used 23/32 ply on 16" center 2x12" joists that span 12' so my calculated flex is ok. My only question would be why I am required (if I am) to use 1/2 cement board instead of 1/4 inch just to reach the 1 1/8 thickness "requirement".
Great vid. How would this system do if you are doing small pattern mosaic tile on the floor. Seems like it would be hard to keep that and penny tiles level.
Id do a skim coat of thinset and let it dry overnight, then tile on top
Use a self leveling floor product for very small tile. It saves a lot of headaches.
@@B11video You speak the truth
Thanks for sharing! Can this be used over OSB? Or do I need to use backer board first? Thanks for your time.
Can I utilize on shower walls too
don't really understand why so many different methods over in the states, here in australia standard practice for anything wet area is lay fibre cement board first, water proof over the top then direct stick your tile or shower pan. seems practical enough
If you use this how thick doe’s subfloor have to be?
Hmmm. Here in TX, after the catastrophic freeze in Feb. 2021, a lot of people realized the value of a decoupling membrane, which isn't really standard on our usual concrete slab on grade foundations.
I wonder if this could be used on a slab?
Yes, it absolutely can be applied directly onto concrete slab substrate (with thinset in between, of course). The uncoupling benefits are actually greater when using it on concrete rather than wood. Laticrete Strata, Schluter Ditra, and other similar products all detail in there instructions that it can be applied to concrete. I also live in Texas and have been researching this. One additional thing to consider is thermal transfer from the concrete slab foundation to the tile. Assuming that your concrete slab is not insulated from the earth (most homes in Texas are not), you can expect your floors to get cold in the winter. You can mitigate this by installing a thermal barrier first. Ditra Heat Duo has a built in thermal barrier, but it is just a 1/8” fleece sheet material bonded to the bottom side, which only offers an insulation R-value of 0.35. Laticrete recommends installing their 1/4” thick Hydro Ban Board on the floor as a thermal break before installing the uncoupling membrane. Their 1/4” thick Hydro Ban Board offers about 1.125 R-value (4.5 per inch).
The thermal barrier with concrete slab is even more important if you are considering heated floors, because you will lose heat directly to the earth without it (inefficient wasted energy). You can use Strata Heat Mat instead of Strata Mat for heated floors.
@@gabrielo8922
Thanks for this! Appreciate hearing from someone else here in TX. Building codes and specs are so localized... naturally. What works in Amarillo might not work in Kingsville. 👍😁
Can this be used for kitchen floors, 18x18 tiles?
I'm a DIY and I subscribe. Great video. If I use white Strata-Mat instead of a backer board can I install the Ditra peel and sick orange over this for a heated floor ? thanks
I love the Strata mat..I found using grey thinset let's you actually see the full coverage your getting
So whats the most economical but best way to put tile on a conventional foundation house hardie backer or uncoupling membrane? What is considered the right/ longest lasting way
On a tear out what would happen to the subfloor underneath?
Lol the subfloor will be absolutely destroyed by the time you're done scraping off the old thinset. Guaranteed if it's OSB. I know this is an old video, but this is the type of crap that 90% of these videos conveniently fail to mention. Lots of contradictions when you watch the more recent videos
Been using this product for 2 years now. We use a vinyl hand roller to go over it. Faster and more efficient than a float.
Patching over this product is also pretty easy.
Thanks for this instructive video. Appreciated.
I went into a house with shelter and had to patch alot of grout threat was cracking out everywhere.
Isaac, wondering what your preferred grout line size choice is on large format tile like 12 x 24? ...what looks the best in your opinion.
1/6 or 1/8
@@CarlosDiaz-uz4lb Thanks Carlos for responding! I think I'll be using 1/8"
@@mattsawesomeshow Anytime brother and just for a heads up I do have 18 of tile installation experience
What did you use to glue the strat- mat to the sub- flooring ? Can I use regular Mortar ?
In modified thinset.
Damn thats alot of work and material..maybe ill just go with stick on vinyl plank
Ha 😂
if your working with a tile size and wet saw that will allow it, can you make those miter cuts with the saw instead of the grinder? or is there a benefit to the grinder? say to allow for a 47 or 48 degree cut so none of the short point of the tile interferes with the trim? thank you for all the helpful advice too!!!
Love your videos....but I respectfully kinda disagree with this advice. I've found that mudded , screwed Hardie board substantially beefs up the floor for a solid substrate for tile. That membrane works when you have almost zero floor flex. Just my .02s. Keep up the great vids!!!
can you use this on walls, use a green drywall board with this strat mat???
Question ? The area where you are kneeling and standing , when was that done ? Can you immediately kneel on it ?? Or if not how long until you can kneel and contribute the work ??
Yes you can get on it right away
I don't get how it breathes when you're covering it with mortar anyway before you tile.
Are you moving away from using Shluter products? I recently bought one of their systems. Now I'm afraid to use it. Lol. I had thought about Laticrete or Wedi. It's just so hard to get where I live and it's pricier to buy online and have it delivered.
Really? Laticrete and Wedi are more expensive than Schluter? I find that hard to believe.
So direct on your 3/4 plywood? Or it was on your other plywood cause I hears it need minimum 1and 1/4 so deflection don't cause damage to tile( jeff renovision)
👍🏻 what do you do at the seems?
Nothing
Well, it’s not a shower
Bizbee const. could you provide info that shows hardiboard adds any structure to subfloor.
if you thin set it down i believe it adds structure
Did you add additional wood subfloor to the existing subfloor? I have a second floor bathroom I need to tile but really don’t want to add additional hight. The current subfloor appears to be 3/4”.
You can check the installation instructions for the membrane. I think 3/4" was fine with 16" joist spacing.
Great product and easy to use , but there is a difference between the laticrete Strata Mat and the Schluter DITRA.
The DITRA is also a waterproofing membrane, the Strata Mat is not!
Thanks for the great video 👍
I was loving the strata mat until you pointed out it's not a waterproofing system. Very important point which was left out. Thank you.
would you recommend using this on concrete floor or not necessary?
Have you laid the the strata heat to see if it is similar in seeing the thin set under the mat. Great info.
Not yet! Soon
strata heat works the same.. you can see the thinset.. great product
@@darby427 Thanks
Question so what do you put under your bathtub to make sure the floor stay dry in case of a water leak?
How come people don't use a crack membrane like noble cis over plywood instead? It's a smooth surface, no waffles, no need to be filling the waffles, you'll spend less thinset. Are crack membranes for concrete only?
No waterproofing on the floor?
There are applications where the hardbacker can be a better choice, where it resolves issue's in a poor conditioned subfloor. That said, it's all about achieving the best end result for durability as well as eye appeal, in a cost-effective manner.
saw demonstration from the Hardy backer manufacture at a trade show in LV Nevada, been using it for the last 15 years never had one tile crack or grout lineThere is a proper spec to install it yes it’s a little more work ,in my opinion for my jobs I’ll stick with hardy backer.
Dude, you got this so wrong. "Which if there's any stresses below the plywood, that mean's that it's not going to transfer up through the tile." Uncoupling membranes will only take Lateral movement, not vertical movement which Hardiebacker would. Calling out Hardi specifically when you are -advertising- using a membrane.
@@christopherbielecki4309 😉👍 awesome stuff. going to look more of this up. especially about the marble. Thanks
@@christopherbielecki4309 well said on your knowledge!!! A lot of it is experience and been there done that , applied knowledge of how science and physics work in the real world , also what I have always been intrigued about is longevity!!! That's why we are dreaming and hoping to build a house out of earth and concrete, rebar in there to of course.... Happy trails to you my friend
Edward, your dream house construction is the norm now in Thailand. The problem here is that they put a mud on the floor and apply a glue on top of the mud bed and same on the tile before laying it down. Grouting is a disaster due they lay the tiles so close to each other. I wish I could receive a procedure how to properly water seal a concrete floor, lay the mud bed and properly seal that so that the shower and wall are considered water proof. Help is appreciated.
canada west uses laticrtete any thing happens we replace it hardy sucks
Not to mention you have to add extra water when applying anything to plywood due to moisture wicking
how does this compare price wise to hardibacker?
I did a bathroom for the first time in my house with this ditra replacing hardiboard, there is one negative to it, it’s not as sound proof as before.