Brewhouse tile flooring

Hey all,

I am building a brew shed in my back yard ~148 sq ft, and intend on tiling the floor. I already built in a 1-2* slope on the floor towards a trough I built in the structure, so drainage is not an issue. While i'm certain I could get away with 12" porcelain tiles I've got a concern about them cracking if i drop an empty keg on them or something along those lines. I also am having a difficult time getting accurate ratings on the tile available at the HD/Lowes and what their coefficient of friction is on the tiles they have in store.

Intent is to have a strong tile that isn't slippery when wet...and as always without breaking the bank.

I intend to put the tile down with thinset, i suppose I should put down backer board, do it right the first time and all that, especially since this is outside. the flooring is 2x6 joists 16" on center with 3/4" OSB

Any recommendations on tile?

cheers,
-Matt

Quarry tile is non slip, and used in lots of commercial kitchens. It is pretty tough and resilient. I think you can order it at most home improvement stores.

I've been laying tile for 15 yrs. Porcelain is what you want. It's more dense than ceramic and will resist cracking with temp changes. And yes backer board. As far as the keg drop goes, just about any will break with enough impact. The thicker the better. Most porcelains in say 18X18 size will be plenty thick and will not crack unless really pounded. Some smaller tiles will also be thick as well, depending on the manufacturer. The only full proof covering will be vinyl, available in tile and wood strip. The wood strip is amazingly resilient and looks good too, will resist water and messes. As long as you aren't pressure washing it all the time or something like that. Good luck.

appanooserapids said:

Quarry tile is non slip, and used in lots of commercial kitchens. It is pretty tough and resilient. I think you can order it at most home improvement stores.

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I second this. You can't mess this stuff up. I holds up to salt, paint, acids, agressive solvents, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I can't imagine a tile breaking. I've surely dropped some heavy junk on plenty of it. I'm yet to crack a tile.

Great thanks, Quarry tiles is what i've been looking at online, i just hadn't managed to find them at HD in store. these are all 1/2" thick, seems pretty substantial compared to most kitchen/bath tiles i've had experience with. Will I be able to cut with my standard tile saw?

I'd love to be able to do 18x18 tiles, fewer to lay, fewer to grout. I'll see if I can't find some quarry tiles that large. I've also seen them listed as abrasive and regular, but no difference listed. I don't want something that will be porous.

Mellman said:

the flooring is 2x6 joists 16" on center with 3/4" OSB

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I have found that OSB can flex more than ply... I would use a backer board to strengthen things up. OSB also is not water proof and your grout and thin set can be penetrated by water. I would use a water proof backer similar to the stuff used in bathroom tile jobs.

My husband said he used a diamond blade to cut them. Maybe the abrasive ones are the ones with the non-slip nibs on them - that is what we have.

Mellman said:

the flooring is 2x6 joists 16" on center with 3/4" OSB-Matt

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What is the span of your floor joists? 2x6 10' long will deflect a lot more than 2x6 6' long. I would not lay tile even with backer board on my shed floor 2x6 16" centers with 3/4 CDX 10' span. It just flexes to much for tile If The span was 5' i may consider it.

Just my 2 cents.

2X6 joist I think are only rated for a 8-10 ft span on 16" centers any more = no good. But if the case is 8' then 3/4 ply plus 1/4 or 1/2" backer on top. I would use 1/2" if it were mine. this is what we do in standard homes. Except their usually 2X8 on 12' spans. Haven't had very many problems in over 15 yrs doing it.

why not just go with commercial VCT? easy to clean, cheap, and will hold up to moderate flexing.

autobaun70 said:

why not just go with commercial VCT? easy to clean, cheap, and will hold up to moderate flexing.

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hadn't even considered it - this is why i've asked for some suggestions. Tile is great but something like this surely seems easier to deal with.

EDIT: ah ok this could be a problem - from a manufacturers website:

During the service life of the floor the temperature should never fall below
55°F (13°C). The performance of the flooring material and adhesives can be
adversely affected below this minimum temperature.

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sanch said:

What is the span of your floor joists? 2x6 10' long will deflect a lot more than 2x6 6' long. I would not lay tile even with backer board on my shed floor 2x6 16" centers with 3/4 CDX 10' span. It just flexes to much for tile If The span was 5' i may consider it.

Just my 2 cents.

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my largest span is probably 4'. I have cinder block supporting two places along the 2x10 section in addition to the ends for foundation, plus the boards are sitting on packed pea gravel, but i don't count that as support since its not a solid base gravel.

+1 for the VCT, or racedeck or something that could be used in a garage. I think the tile would be fine, (just keep extra in case you ever have to replace pieces), but if you have any nasty spills, i would think the grout would turn ugly in a hurry...

the recommended temperature for the vct is more for maintaining the cosmetics of it. I know of plenty of people who have it in their unheated garage with no problems at all. Go with a "dirty" looking color and don't look back.

Commercial grade Lino would be a great choice.
On a shed floor, you'll have nothing but problems with any ceramic/porcelin products.

I don't know if there is anyone in your area who does it (It's what I do),
But Fiberglass is a great option. We normally fiberglass decks but we've also glassed the floors behind alot of bars and they either tile over it,
or just leave it the way it is. It can also be done with different colors and with or without a non skid finish.

sanch said:

What is the span of your floor joists? 2x6 10' long will deflect a lot more than 2x6 6' long. I would not lay tile even with backer board on my shed floor 2x6 16" centers with 3/4 CDX 10' span. It just flexes to much for tile If The span was 5' i may consider it.

Just my 2 cents.

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+1 The 2 X 6 floor joists @ 16" spacing will flex excessively. The tile and grout won't flex much at all. You can expect some cracks to develop sooner or later and probably sooner.

Personally in a brew shed that has a drain and where the floor will often get wet, I'd stay away from tile. Too slippery for my tastes. And not to mention that if you use a pale grout, any spilled beer will stain the grout.

I'd go with rubberized traction vinyl, like you see at the end of sidewalks (those are yellow). Sure, you won't win the Parade of Homes, but it'll be safe to work on, easy to clean, and tough as nails. No need to worry about putting a keg or even a carboy on there.

Similar to this, but the round dots have raised smaller dots: http://www.americanfloormats.com/radial-runner-mats/

M_C

Misplaced_Canuck said:

Personally in a brew shed that has a drain and where the floor will often get wet, I'd stay away from tile. Too slippery for my tastes. And not to mention that if you use a pale grout, any spilled beer will stain the grout.

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I agree, trying to keep the grout clean will be a tough job.

I would rather just have a concrete floor...

Monster Mash said:

I agree, trying to keep the grout clean will be a tough job.

I would rather just have a concrete floor...

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This is the best suggestion I've seen so far. You can finish it to a non-skid surface without much trouble. You could pour a concrete floor over the OSB if you already have it built. Maybe look into lightweight concrete as it won't be structural and it would be a lesser load on the 2 x 6 joists.

I still vote quarry tile. I haven't been impressed by anything else that's come up. Anyway, where do we stand? Have you made a choice and we're all just pissing into the wind?

itsme6582 said:

I still vote quarry tile. I haven't been impressed by anything else that's come up. Anyway, where do we stand? Have you made a choice and we're all just pissing into the wind?

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Nope no decisions made, i have a while before i decide, still need to finish the other half of the roof and all the siding. It'll be several weeks before I decide, as I need to get the rest of the shed plumbed and electrical run.

I'm honestly shocked at how many anti-tile comments there are. The stuff doesn't seem that slippery when wet, and there are a solid number of micro-brews i've seen that have quarry tile. With a dark tile and a dark grout, as well as sealing the grout it doesn't seem to be that big of a risk.

I know several others on here have tiled the floor in an outbuilding, wonder if they've had cracking issues.

The VCT stuff is interesting but I can just see that tile separating at the seams and peeling up, or water getting between it and the subfloor and having mold/mildew problems.

If correctly installed, good VCT is tuff shate. You can buff it, use an auto scrubber on it, submerge it in water... It is commercial in every sense.

You can also use a sealer on the floor. I just did my 1,000 square foot garage/brew place/man cave with it.

I have to tell you that PBW does an amazing job cleaning the quarry tile and grout, which I found out by accident. :

This was in our commercial kitchen, where I spilled some used PBW out of a carboy. If you let it set for about 5 or 10 minutes, it just eliminates dirt and grease. Of course our kitchen staff wants all my used PBW now, to make floor cleaning easier.