Basement half tiled, solution prior to stand on it?

[Hasted]

So, I am handy in certain areas, and pretty clueless in others.

I am making a stand here soon (handy!) to put down in my basement. The room is just a weird extra room with carpet (NOT tacked in or anything. Just perfectly cut to size with stuff on it from previous owner).

I removed the carpet this week expecting to find bare concrete. Nah. Randomly a section of tile, broken tiles stuck down, and also bare concrete. The trifecta of randomness! Unfortunately, the bare area is where the back of the stand will run so that area needed to be level...

Now, I am trying to decide what to do to remedy this (NOT HANDY!).

1. Tile the small 8" or so section with zero tiling experience and hope it goes well? I am unsure if I have enough tile to cover it all. I have some larger 1' squares, but that would also require cutting? Oh man.

2. Rip up the 2 rows of tiles in that area to give myself just over 2 foot of bare concrete. Stand is 4' x 2' so it would fit then. But, is this as easy as I hope it is? I have some tools, but not sure how "stuck" that crap is. THEN, add something I saw like shower liner stuff to create a waterproof barrier since it will be the low point and any leak would get stuck there?

3. Other? Fill the spot with something else? Use more duct tape? Flamethrower? Magic?


On a separate note, I plan to line the walls you see with a black plastic wall panel you find in utility rooms and bathrooms sometimes. That should be water proof enough not to be destroyed.

Incoming pics from phone, one sec:

 

[sp1187]

if it was me, and I'm not a tile guy either, I'd rip it. hit up your local Lowes, Home Depot, DIY place and they should be able to advise you how to remove it.

 

[John08007]

What is your ultimate goal? I've removed tile. The difficulty depends on how they attached it. If they used morter(Grey or white) then it would be more difficult. If they used tile mastic(white non sandy) then it will be easier. I've used a chipping hammer, you can also use a chisel with a hammer. You need to get under it. It will break and pieces fly everywhere. You must wear eye protection, you don't want to be hit by a sliver of tile.

 

[Bryknicks]

If you're not handy enough to remove the tile I would just use self leveling concrete to fill in the void where the tile is missing. Cheap and easy to do

 

[LJLKRL05]

What is your ultimate goal? I've removed tile. The difficulty depends on how they attached it. If they used morter(Grey or white) then it would be more difficult. If they used tile mastic(white non sandy) then it will be easier. I've used a chipping hammer, you can also use a chisel with a hammer. You need to get under it. It will break and pieces fly everywhere. You must wear eye protection, you don't want to be hit by a sliver of tile.

This ^
If the tile comes up easily, it will likely leave thinset behind on the concrete. If it were me, I would tile the area that needs it. Much less a pain in the butt for that small area

 

[Silent]

#3 above is pretty funny from OP

 

[saturn13]

You can remove, tile open area, or if you want a differwnt look cmpletely you can tie or fill the ooen area and then put down a floating floor, they have the stuff made out of Vinyl, waterproof and looks like wood.

 

[Hasted]

If you're not handy enough to remove the tile I would just use self leveling concrete to fill in the void where the tile is missing. Cheap and easy to do

This seems like the easiest method I see?

Anyone see a reason not to do this? Just going to have a stand slapped over it.

.. put down a floating floor, they have the stuff made out of Vinyl, waterproof and looks like wood.

I know I have magic listed under #3, but I actually don't know the spell to make floors float.

What is your ultimate goal?

To have a level surface for my tank stand. Essentially it.

If it were me, I would tile the area that needs it. Much less a pain in the butt for that small area

Would you choose this over the self leveling concrete that was also suggested?

 

[John08007]

This seems like the easiest method I see?

Anyone see a reason not to do this? Just going to have a stand slapped over it.



I know I have magic listed under #3, but I actually don't know the spell to make floors float.



To have a level surface for my tank stand. Essentially it.



Would you choose this over the self leveling concrete that was also suggested?

The self leveling cement that you are referring to is typically sold in the flooring dept of big box stores. It mixes into a pancake like consistency and flows to even out

 

[saturn13]

Those tiles, Don't look exactly flat, can't tell if they'd be an issue for and out of level once your stand is in place.

 

[Hasted]

Those tiles, Don't look exactly flat, can't tell if they'd be an issue for and out of level once your stand is in place.

They seem to be other than the right side where all that random extra goop is. I can probably get that taken care of pretty easily, though. I should probably double check tonight, though.

 

[LJLKRL05]

Would you choose this over the self leveling concrete that was also suggested?

Probably not, as long as you get it level with the tile it should be fine

 

[dbowman5]

So, I am handy in certain areas, and pretty clueless in others.

I am making a stand here soon (handy!) to put down in my basement. The room is just a weird extra room with carpet (NOT tacked in or anything. Just perfectly cut to size with stuff on it from previous owner).

I removed the carpet this week expecting to find bare concrete. Nah. Randomly a section of tile, broken tiles stuck down, and also bare concrete. The trifecta of randomness! Unfortunately, the bare area is where the back of the stand will run so that area needed to be level...

Now, I am trying to decide what to do to remedy this (NOT HANDY!).

1. Tile the small 8" or so section with zero tiling experience and hope it goes well? I am unsure if I have enough tile to cover it all. I have some larger 1' squares, but that would also require cutting? Oh man.

2. Rip up the 2 rows of tiles in that area to give myself just over 2 foot of bare concrete. Stand is 4' x 2' so it would fit then. But, is this as easy as I hope it is? I have some tools, but not sure how "stuck" that crap is. THEN, add something I saw like shower liner stuff to create a waterproof barrier since it will be the low point and any leak would get stuck there?

3. Other? Fill the spot with something else? Use more duct tape? Flamethrower? Magic?


On a separate note, I plan to line the walls you see with a black plastic wall panel you find in utility rooms and bathrooms sometimes. That should be water proof enough not to be destroyed.

Incoming pics from phone, one sec:

You said that you were building a stand. have you thought of making the bottom of the stand conform with the floor?
if it is going to be in a designated place, the bottom does not have to be level, the tank does. the primary problem i would be concerned with is keeping the wall studs and base 2x4s dry. if you do not waterproof the floor and the walls they will absorb moisture and become mold factories.

 

[G Santana]

I have laid and taken up alot of tile, it really isn't difficult to pull the tile.

I have a hammer drill which makes quick work of a tile floor, I'm sure Home Depot rents them, or a hammer and chisel and a little muscle.
Again not very difficult. With a hammer drill that would take about 30 minutes to pull up tops.

Always use eye protection, it's like flying glass chips when the start flying
Good luck.

 

[hllb]

Personally, I'd be ripping the tile up. But we are handy and have done it before. The tile doesn't look like it was installed well (hence all the goop all over it - probably installed poorly and the tile cracked and that was their patch) and I'd feel better removing that.

 

[TDEcoral]

If you ever want to do something different with the floor in the future, using self-leveling cement will probably be more of a headache to remove than the tiles that are currently there. If it were me, I'd finish the floor with a similar tile or I would remove tiles to fit the footprint of the tank. If you have the skills to build a stand, then you can figure out how to deal with tile. Just watch a bunch of YouTube vids and get to it!

 

[Hasted]

Ok, going back and forth I "think" I have decided to:

Rip up 2 rows of tiles giving me just over 2' for the stand. Tiles aren't placed well it seems. Uneven on both sides. This is essentially a small storage room that we can't utilize, so looks are irrelevant.

Lay down shower floor liner going up a couple inches on each wall. This should create a water barrier to the studs and such.

Oatey 5 ft. x 6 ft. PVC Shower Pan Liner Roll with 2-Pack of Corner Dams 41620 - The Home Depot

Oatey PVC Shower Pan Liner is an economical, flexible liner designed for use in tile showers and other concealed waterproofing applications. It's made of 40 mil thick, flexible PVC sheet and marked in

www.homedepot.com

Cover the walls (at least bottom 4') with black plastic wall panel. I think black will look better and be less blinding than the white they offer. Should be easy to clean and won't be damaged from salt.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-ft-Embossed-Black-Wall-Panel/4774069

Just need to figure out if I need a piece of plywood on the walls first before mounting this wall panel. I would assume so, but then that would be a place to soak up water if spilled... so not sure if it is ideal. Maybe plywood first then shower liner? I will do some research on that.


This turned out not to be the easiest method I think... Oh well.

Any issues with this plan?