# Ceramic floor tile in the kitchen?



## sjh41395 (Jun 20, 2009)

Please forgive me if what I am about to ask sounds silly.  I simply am absolutely ignorant about this issue but I want some feedback.  My home was built in 1956. The home has had only tile or linoleum since it was built.  We came across some ceramic floor tiles.  There should be enough to tile the small kitchen area, step and landing to the basement.  (Of course I will measure first to be absolutely sure.) Here is my question.  The tiles are 12x12. When I move the boxes around downstairs, they are very,very heavy.  I am afraid they will be too heavy for the floor.  Is the structure of the house strong enough to hold the weight of all those tiles?  I realize the weight will be distributed, but I am so afraid the floor will begin to sag, or the structure is not strong enough to hold the all the added weight.  Can you help with some of my fears?


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## glennjanie (Jun 20, 2009)

Welcome SJH:
Floors are typically designed to hold 125# per square foot and the tile only weighs 1 to 2 pounds per piece. Your floor is probably holding a refrigerator just fine and that's a lot more than 125#psf.
A question is never silly or dumb; you may be asking what 6 others want to know and won't ask. Consider it to be 6 favors. No one here will make fun; its what we're here for.
Glenn


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 20, 2009)

SJH:

If your basement isn't finished, go downstairs and measure the floor joists under your kitchen.  Measure how long they are between supports, how high each one is and how far they are apart (center-to-center).  If the house was built in 1956, it will almost certainly have fir 2X? floor joists.

The problem won't be that your floor won't be strong enough to support the tiling, the problem may be that the floor won't be strong enough not to bend when you walk on the floor, and there-in lies the problem.  If the floor bends when you walk on it, then the bending of the floor may be enough to cause the grout joints to crack in a ceramic tiled floor.  A floor will bend slightly when you walk on it, and it's the amount of bending that's at issue.  Ceramic tiling and grout simply don't have hardly any elasticity at all to accomodate any bending of the floor.  And, of course, the stronger the floor, the less bending you'll have.

So, Glenn is correct in saying that the floor is strong enough to support ceramic tiles.  But, that really shouldn't be the question.  The correct question is whether the floor is strong enough to be SUITABLE for ceramic tiles.


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## sjh41395 (Jun 20, 2009)

Thanks you guys.  My fears about the weight of the tiles has been settled.  Sure appreciate your feedback.  I will check in the basement too.  sjh


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## jacklyn2000 (Sep 27, 2013)

i have the same question regarding porcelain tile floor...my house was built in the early 70's. i want to put this tile (12x12) down in my kitchen which is 11.5 x 22.5...i have 7/16 floor down and i am laying 3/4" adantech and cement backer board over it...my studs are 16" oc...is this ok or will i have issues with it sagging or collapsing later...thank you so much...
lyn


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## nealtw (Sep 27, 2013)

Welcome to the site. By studs i think you mean floor joists and the question will be the size of those joist. 2X8 will be 7.25" high and 2X10 will be 9.25" high and can we assume that they are 11.5 ft long.


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## Drywallinfo (Sep 28, 2013)

Weight of the tile is no concern. Rather, make sure you have proper (level) sub floor. Otherwise, you may see some of those tiles cracking (happened to a neighbor of ours). 

The proper way to tile is with 1/2" durock or hardibacker underneath, but if not this, then at least make sure you have some good quality plywood sub floor underneath.


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## nealtw (Sep 28, 2013)

It's how much that the floor flexes that counts


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## Rusty (Sep 28, 2013)

Check the John Bridge forum. They have a deflection chart.


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