Polished Gray Large-Format Floor in a Wheat Ridge Dining Room
About This Project
This open dining and living area in a Wheat Ridge home received a large-format, 24x48-inch polished gray marble-look porcelain floor. The Wheat Ridge slab had a gradual settlement dip of about 3/4 inch over the dining area, which is well outside the tolerance for large-format tile. We poured self-leveling compound in two applications to bring the surface within specification before any tile was set.
The polished surface on large-format tile is unforgiving about lippage, the height difference between adjacent tiles. Even a 1/32-inch difference is visible when light hits a polished surface at a low angle. We used a lippage-control tile leveling system during installation, which involves small clips placed between tiles and wedges that lock them at a consistent height while the thinset cures. This is a step that adds time but is the only reliable way to achieve the flat, mirror-like result the homeowner wanted.
What We Did
Slab assessment; two-pour self-leveling compound to correct 3/4-inch settlement dip
Center-out layout planning; chalk lines snapped to establish reference
Medium-bed mortar with full back-butter; lippage-control clip system used throughout
Grouted with tight-joint unsanded grout; sealer applied; perimeter caulk at walls
