Schluter's DITRA flooring works

About ten years ago I was finishing my basement and installed an amazing floating subfloor system called DRIcore. Premade floating subfloors are a great solution if you are considering finishing your basement, minimizing height and maximizing water protection and simplicity.

We wanted to install this beautiful travertine product we purchased in the bathroom. Unfortunately you can't bond stone like travertine to wood floors, let alone to a floating floor, as it can crack with the flexing of the wood surface.

However I was determined to get this flooring down. With a little research I came across a new product by Schluter called DITRA. This membrane worked to separate the wood floor from the stone allowing some flexing.

I concrete screwed the subfloor down so it was no longer floating in the bathroom. This is not recommended by the manufacturer and will probably void the warranty on the subfloor in the bathroom. I then added a 1/2" sheet of plywood over top and screwed that to the subfloor. I then finished with the DITRA and then travertine.

The travertine had no bevel and was basically a square corner, so it was an advanced product but luckily installed well across the small room. After that it was just a matter of grouting and then sealing the stone.

So did it crack? No. Never. Not even in the grout. To date this solution worked. As you might expect the manufacturers may not warranty an irregular installation like this. You'll need to research that. However it did work and held up to years of use, so for some it might be worth the risk.