Tiling my fish room... PLEASE HELP, my contractor is an idiot (I think)

[btldreef]

My contractor has put the fear of god in me today...
I was told that an area rug can't go over a freshly tiled room for 6 months, never heard of this before. So with that, I asked, "Well, what about my fish tanks?" And he basically gave me this look as if to say, "Yeah, have fun with that *snicker*"
I was under the impression that if I bought a heavy duty ceramic tile, once the grout dried, I could move in my tanks, is this still correct?
I'm looking to put a 180G, 155, 40, 55, 30, 20, 2 10's and 14 in this room, do I really have to wait? It's on a slab, so I'm not worried about the floor beams handling weight. And they are industrial strength tiles meant to hold heavier weight without cracking.
Am I okay? Can I go slap the $hit out of my contractor for making me worry about nothing or is there an issue here that I have overlooked?

 

[brandonsivek]

Man, honestly, I would take what he said with a very small grain of salt. It is true that grout, like concrete cures over time. But honestly it would take close to 10 years for it to cure completely. I would give it a couple of weeks atleast to let is cure even more.
No area rug on the tile? LMAO Sounds like he was just so proud of his work he didnt want it covered up!

 

[acrylic51]

I tiled the floor of my fishroom for the 240, and was advised by my buddy who lays tile and such for a living not to for a couple months..... He didn't say 6 months though.

 

[btldreef]

I was planning on letting the tiles sit for 10-14 days before the tanks went in.
I just don't want to have a 180 reef filled up and then have a cracked tile and an uneven tank, because I surely would go to jail for murder after what I've been through with getting this house ready (they're 6 months past the original date of completion as of yesterday).
The area rug thing just stunned me. I've never heard of this and thought it was ridiculous. Not that I'm planning on putting a rug in the fish room, but I'm having other rooms tiled with this same tiling....
Any other thoughts before I kill the contractor?

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350844
I tiled the floor of my fishroom for the 240, and was advised by my buddy who lays tile and such for a living not to for a couple months..... He didn't say 6 months though.
I was really hoping you'd chime in on this. I was actually about to PM you.
How long did you wait?
Did you use regular tile or industrial strength tiles?

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350846
Any other thoughts before I kill the contractor?
an iron-clad alibi maybe?

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350849
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350846
Any other thoughts before I kill the contractor?
an iron-clad alibi maybe?

It's a big enough piece of property and they're putting in the sesspools tomorrow, I definitely have some places to hide the body...... Can you tell how much I can't stand this guy?

 

[brandonsivek]

I had to google the whole thing about the area rug concern, and the only thing I could find was that if an area rug has a rubber or vinyl backing, that it can cause permenant yellowing to the tile underneath it.

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrandonSivek http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350853
I had to google the whole thing about the area rug concern, and the only thing I could find was that if an area rug has a rubber or vinyl backing, that it can cause permenant yellowing to the tile underneath it.
This is what I have read, as well as rubbery pads sticking to the sealer. But I can't find anything about weight on new tile. Everything I read, and have been told at Lowe's and Home Depot has said that I need to wait 48 hours and then furniture can go on. So my assumption is that if I wait 10-14 days before putting a tank on it, I should be good? Everyone, cross your fingers, toes and eyes and say a prayer for me!
UGH... I hate new homes! It will be worth it when it is all done though.... at least that's what I'm going to tell myself so that I don't end up in a room with padded walls, LOL

 

[jstdv8]

well, grout is a cementious product which needs water coming in for it to cure properly. if you cover it up with a rug it likley won't cure as well as it would if it had open air to take on moisture from the air as it needs it.
It's just like pouring new concrete, they spray water on it for days afterwards.
Fiber cement siding is painted at the factory on 5 sides of the board with the six being the back staying unpainted, again so it can take on and release moisture as it needs it to stay strong.
Now as far as putting weight on the tiles themselves I can't imagine that the mortar that holds the tile down isnt going to be set up real plenty firm enough in a couple of weeks allthough in reality it too is made of cement and doesnt fully cure for years.
With the tile you chose and how fast mortars set up now days I'd have to say you will be completly fine as far as the tile, however it might crack your grout lines in a couple of spots, I'm not sure about that.
You aren't the first person to put tile down and move in a fishtank into a home that's for sure.

 

[2quills]

Yeah I would be more concerned about the morter under the tiles than the grout. It can take a few months for it to fully cure. The area rug thing I think is just him being a little overly cautious in hopes of him not having to come back and make any warrantied repairs. I've layed at least 2 dozen tiled floors back when I used to renovate but I've never seen anyone put with that much weight on that soon afterwards so it's hard to say. I think you might be able to get away with it after a couple of weeks but it's a bit of a gamble. I would be concerned with any uneveness in the tiles with putting a stand ontop of them where any pressure points could be created it could cause a tile to crack. I think alot really depends on the quality of work he did though as well. In retrospect, it can take up to several years for a concrete slab to completely cure and yet builders construct massive structures on them soon after they're poured. So it's a bit of a crap shoot IMO. I wanna say yes a couple of weeks is fine, but I would wait longer if it's possible.

 

[kzoobenjamin]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3350837
So with that, I asked, "Well, what about my fish tanks?" And he basically gave me this look as if to say, "Yeah, have fun with that *snicker*"
Don't you love it when you ask a serious question and just the "the look"? or better yet when they say "Well, what do you think?". I think that if I knew, I wouldn't have asked you.

 

[jstdv8]

i can't think of what it might be, but if you could have something that didn't look rediculous that would spreadthe weight out over all the tiles underneath the stand instead of just 4 spots like most stands that would be the way to go.

 

[meowzer]

YIKES

 

[btldreef]

Well, the tile is not down yet. I could potentially put the tank in the room and tile around it since it's a concrete slab underneath and it is level. Maybe this is better route. We're only talking about a 10'-12' room, so if I ever got out of the hobby or did a bigger/smaller tank in that space, retiling wouldn't be terribly expensive. I honestly do not want to wait months before I get this tank moved, I can't afford rent in this apartment and living in the new house.
Maybe I will tile around the tank.
Nightmares!

 

[al&burke]

I think that is your best option - I thought from reading your posts it was already tiled. Are your stands metal or wood.

 

[meowzer]

HMMMM...that spounds like a plan.....I always say if I recarpet...I'm carpeting around the tanks

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383278/tiling-my-fish-room-please-help-my-contractor-is-an-idiot-i-think#post_3351117
Well, the tile is not down yet. I could potentially put the tank in the room and tile around it since it's a concrete slab underneath and it is level. Maybe this is better route. We're only talking about a 10'-12' room, so if I ever got out of the hobby or did a bigger/smaller tank in that space, retiling wouldn't be terribly expensive. I honestly do not want to wait months before I get this tank moved, I can't afford rent in this apartment and living in the new house.
Maybe I will tile around the tank.
Nightmares!
Honestly, laying tile is about as simple is spreading peanut butter on bread. If they can leave you with the tiles to fill in the areas if ever you get rid of or move the tanks that might not be a bad idea.

 

[smartorl]

I had a similar issue with timing, only they couldn't get in to tile until my tile came in this week. I needed to be moved in by the 25th of December and wasn't going to pay another month of rent and mortgage. I didn't want to move the tank twice, once was plenty. I ended up having a lady come in and paint a mosaic on the concrete floor. It ties in so much better with the room and I don't have to wait. It is actually one of my favorite rooms in the house!

 

[acrylic51]

I used industrial tile... Honestly I was in such a rush cause everything else was falling into place it was exactly 18 days. My wife keeps track of everything!!!!!