Schluter®-DITRA Over Wood in a Bathroom (Part 1) - by Home Repair Tutor

Before we jump in, let me explain what we're going to do here. We will show you how to install Schluter DITRA on ply

wood

. So in this video you will get all the tips and tricks you need to do it yourself. And at the end, we have a really interesting offer for you if you are going to remodel your

bathroom

. So stay tuned until the end because I think you're going to really like what we have to tell you. Alright, let's dive into the

tutor

ial right now. We will go ahead and install the tile underlayment over a

wood

subfloor.

Since using this process, it not only makes the floor waterproof, but it is considerably faster and easier. And the technology behind this product ensures that your tile will not be subject to the expansion and contraction of the wood you are refinishing over. Now, there are some things you should consider before installing any tile and knowing what the joint spacing is and knowing the thickness of the wood you are going to apply it on. Ideally, if it is plywood, it should be at least ¾” thick. Now there are some engineering specifications. If you are laying 24” on center and you are using stone, you will have to thicken that subfloor so it deflects.

But in a typical installation, if you are using porcelain tile, ¾” subfloor or standard 16” center joint, this product will be perfect for you. It makes it very easy. It's called Schluter DITRA. And basically this is just an uncoupling membrane that I adhere directly to the plywood, and then the tile will be installed on top of it. Fix this to the floor and then fix the tile to it. And the idea - there's a lot of theory and technology and engineering put into this product - but the basics are that this separates the layer of plywood from the slab and allows the normal expansion and contraction of that wood to not transfer through the slab.

That's why it's better than laying a cement board. Nowadays, if you put down cement board, you'll almost want to put it on top of it. But not only does this help maintain that expansion and contraction transfer, it's also waterproof. I mean, what's better than that? I mean, if the toilet overflows or the kids splash a lot in the bathtub, having this waterproof product gives you confidence and peace of mind, and it won't ruin anything underneath. There are too many times I open a toilet and see the wood completely rotted around that entire area. Now, it probably has to do with a lot of toilet leaks, but if you use a product like this, that will prevent that from happening.

So there are many advantages to doing so. For me personally, it is very easy and light. I can cut it with a knife. I won't inhale dust when cutting that entire concrete board. I don't have to ruin anything; I'm just watering it down. That is why it is a very easy product to install. So there are a couple of components that go along with it. It is the membrane itself and they come in rolls of different sizes. For this small

bathroom

area, you can probably get a 50 square foot roll and you'll be fine. Comes with the KERDI Band.

This is the exact same thing we used around the edge of the tub to waterproof the KERDI board joints. So you want to place this over any seams in the corners of the room and wrap it around the wall to have a nice, waterproof, airtight floor. And you want to use KERDI Fix. This is mainly to fill the space between the tub and DITRA. Then we will show you how to install it. And then I would say one of the very important aspects of this is using the proper notched trowel. Schluter makes a paddle specifically for DITRA.

There are 1164; It is basically a 3/16” square notched trowel. This will ensure that the subfloor adheres to the proper thickness. And another great advantage is that if you use the correct notched trowel, you will not only get a nice, flat surface, but you can also immediately install tiles on top if you wish or try installing the tiles directly. the same day you install the subfloor. With most other products you simply won't have the time to do this, especially if you use cement board. It will take you half a day to install it. And by the time you start making the mosaics, it's usually about time you want to get to work.

So we'll go ahead and leave this. It's a great product and we'll show you how easy and simple it is to do it yourself. So the first thing you should do is just dry it. And the general rule of thumb is to basically try to keep a ¾” gap between the edge of the floor and the DITRA. And Schulter recommends this (and this is especially important to honor his warranty): you want to have an expansion joint between the edge of the floor and the DITRA itself. So when you're dry testing, keep that in mind; and that applies to all areas.

Also against the bathtub. Maintain a ¾” space between the tub and the DITRA. Now I'm going to make a rough cut before applying the skim coat. Okay, so the first thing you should do after dry installing the first piece is to make sure the surface is completely clean. Grab any drywall mud that may be stuck to the floor. Anything that could compromise the thin layer that will adhere to the real plywood. So make sure your surface is clean and dust-proof. I mean, dust can prevent that thin layer from sticking to the plywood. And what you want to do to apply DITRA to your wood subfloor is use a modified adhesive.

So make sure that everything you buy or are thinking of buying will be modified. That's what you want to adhere to the subfloor. And to prevent that skim layer from drying out immediately from the plywood, because plywood is mostly wood, I mean, it's obviously wood, but it's dry. And as soon as you put that skim on, you don't want it to absorb the moisture from the skim too quickly. So just grab a damp sponge; It doesn't have to be soaked. We will simply clean the subfloor in the areas where you will place this DITRA. So this will also remove the dust.

Just do a quick check before installing DITRA. Well, when I mixed this thin layer, I left it very loose. He wants to fall off the pallet. If you want to try to apply the maximum amount of water to your thin layer, he says you can do that because you want it to be very thick. Just allowing this to spread and being able to adhere it to the DITRA properly. So I'm going to put a bunch here. The first step, like any tiling, is to firm up the adhesive on the soft surface. So, just take the flat surface of your trowel and just push it into the plywood.

I usually just do one area at arm's length to get that full area. A little more. So just bring that layer down and try to comb everything in the same direction. And then, make sure you have that ¼” reveal. I just have a regular grout trowel that I use to apply pressure to it and get it into place. The first time you do it, I mean you'll feel it. If you use the right lodged trowel and just do what I did, you'll get quick coverage. You can see about 80% of this covered and that's what you're looking for.

So make sure you have good coverage. We said 80% coverage in the video, but try to film at 100% if you can. That just ensures that the DITRA is fully integrated into the slim assembly. Okay, so with the proper lodged trowel, using your DITRA trowel, you'll be able to walk on this later. It won't bleed. Sometimes if you kneel a little, you can do it in some areas. But if you use the right lodged trowel, it won't sink too much. And obviously, for fairly level floors, they should be walked on immediately afterwards. Do the same in… as you continue.

You might be wondering what Steve is doing here. He is pounding the nails loose. It's always a good idea to do that. Okay, so you just want to match this against the other DITRA piece as close as you can; It doesn't have to be perfect. But stick with that ¼” space around the room here. He’s a little tight around the corner here, so I’m just going to pull out some DITRA to get that ¼” reveal. And again, you can take something away from this and make sure you get the right amount of coverage. Actually, I think we have a blind spot right there.

So I want to make sure I have…. Then you can also use whatever you have left. I mean it doesn't have to be a complete piece. You can put together as many pieces as you want. So in this little mockup that we have here, we obviously don't have a toilet flange where we need the toilet. So since this is the mockup and it's just the basic product, we didn't put it here. But really that's as simple as cutting around that flange, keeping the same ¼” opening around the flange. And then you can use KERDI Fix to go around the toilet flange and it will keep everything waterproof up to the toilet flange.

Now, obviously, I mean, this is waterproof to some extent. If your toilet overflows, there are obviously areas around where the bolts connect and everything that water can go down and under the pipe. So this doesn't necessarily mean being able to shower in this room, but it will prevent most of the water from splashing out of the tub and some basic water issues from being absorbed into the plywood. Alright. This is how to install Schluter DITRA over a wood subfloor. This is actually a video

part

1 of 2. You can watch the second video right here and it will show you how to completely waterproof DITRA in a bathroom.

Now this is what I wanted to tell you. We have a series of free videos for you if you are starting a bathroom remodel. You can check it out right here and we'll show you how to demo a bathroom, install a new tub, install plumbing, and much more. Again, look at that right here. But for today, if you have any questions about this

tutor

ial, ask them in the comments. Again, ask them in the comments; We will be more than happy to help you. And as always, you can always click the subscribe button if you want to watch our videos here on YouTube.

They go out every Tuesday. That's all for today. I'll see you in the comments. Take care. Have a good. Believe it or not, it's January in Pittsburgh, but it's 60∞, right Kate? There is no better time to practice softball.