Thread: Kitchen make over, have some questions

You get a better finish if you tile later, after the kitchen is put in. Usually u have to put packers under the kickers to level it out and then you'll see a gap if it's done after the tiles are already in

because your floor is of two different materials you will have to first level off the lower floor to the higher floor then cover the lot with ac sheeting ,otherwise you will be creating a stress point at the junction of the two floors which with movement will crack tiles ,and before anyone jumps in and says that the adhesive will fix this ,tile adhesive is only good for 2 to 3 mm of movement at 10mm thick ,we are talking about a line of fracture here

Originally Posted by Damo182

We are looking to re do our kitchen, basically completely rip out all of the old and replace with new. Also we are going to remove a wall or too.

Here is my plans, in order of the way i plan to do things. there is a few things i am not sure about, so help is much appreciated.

First thing, completed remove old kitchen

Remove non load bearing wall

Remove all existing tiles, splashbacks etc

Hopefully we do not have to move plumbing or electricity, but if so it will probably be done now

So far, so good.

Re paint the kitchen

You will likely have damage from the demo, may need some new gyprock or render.

Install cabinets etc

Re tile the floor - This is not what i am sure about, should this be done before we do the cabinets, cost for us is a big factor and i really cant see the point in tiling under something no one will ever see, Is there an advantage to doing it before the cabinets

As others said, tile after to hide gaps. Also if you ever change your mind, you can get the tile up.

We are yet to decide on the tiles, however this is something we think that quality is worth the money, any ideas on approx cost of different tiles, and different types (also GF hates grout, any tiles that dont have this, terrazzo?)

People who want tile floors, bench tops, etc. are not permitted to hate grout.

The floor is half concrete slab half yellow tongue particle board, i was planning on screwing cement sheets onto the particleboard, which will hopefully be level with the concrete slab. If its not what can i do?

As Arms said, first level off floor, then one type of underlayment throughout. You want to "disconnect" the sub-flooring from the tile to the extent possible. I will "jump in" and say that adhesive does not do a good job of "fixing" anything--other views to the contrary notwithstanding.

Install all appliances


On a side note we are looking at installing a flat pack, Ikea seems good, any other supplies recommended for Sydney?

Is flatpacks a good way to save money?

Any comments are appreciated

Kitchen cabinet types can speak further. I have no experience with flat pack cabinets. Good luck.

only if you buy a good product with backup in english (think about it )

Whats the best way of leveling the two floors? it is about a 6-8mm difference.

Sorry i dont quite understand the "disconnect thing"?

Thanks heaps for the replies

by disconnect ,this means that the layer of ac sheeting is floating (for want of a better term) above the two different floors below ,fitting ac sheeting to level up the lower floor to the upper floor is the way to go ,but must be full coverage and stagger the joins around so that you are not creating your own weak point in the tiled floor ,remember that tiles are a lot more expensive than ac sheet

Originally Posted by Damo182

Whats the best way of leveling the two floors? it is about a 6-8mm difference.

Sorry i dont quite understand the "disconnect thing"?

Thanks heaps for the replies

Okay, you have several options:

• Fill the low side using self-leveling compound until it meets the level of the concrete. I like this for a smaller area, but could be a PITA if the area is large;
• Build up the low side with sheets of "outdoor-rated" plywood to match the level of the concrete (this is my preferred method);
• Then, place a layer of underlayment across the entire (now level) surface and lay your tiles on that (you can use cementitious backer boards or, as I like to use, Ditra (a 1/8 inch membrane underlayment--the tile place will know what it is);

The "disconnect" mentioned simply refers to keeping any movement of the sub-floor (in your case, particle board) separated from the tile, so the tile won't move with the wood--which results in cracked grout lines or gaps between tiles. HTH

Whats the best way of leveling the two floors? it is about a 6-8mm difference.

Which floor is the lower one ?

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Originally Posted by juan

Which floor is the lower one ?

The particleboard is lower

build up the particle board side. A great shame it wasn't built to the same height initially.... can it be easily lifted and relaid with packers underneath to bring it to the same level? That'd probably be the easiest I rection.

I just pulled up some particle board that had been leveled out with the adjacent timber flooring for the purposes of tiling, they had used some sort of black tar type stuff to level it... was a pita to get it off the boards where they had overlapped it a bit... seemed to work well for the purpose of the tiles tho...

The "disconnect" mentioned simply refers to keeping any movement of the sub-floor (in your case, particle board) separated from the tile, so the tile won't move with the wood--which results in cracked grout lines or gaps between tiles. HTH

didnt i say that ?????????
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Originally Posted by arms

The "disconnect" mentioned simply refers to keeping any movement of the sub-floor (in your case, particle board) separated from the tile, so the tile won't move with the wood--which results in cracked grout lines or gaps between tiles. HTH

didnt i say that ?????????
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Yes, you did. And you were typing it as I was typing mine, you fast-fingered devil! By the time it posted, your reply was already there. But darned if I was gonna delete mine after all that work.