Fixings into Tile Grout (& Onto Tile) that Don't Damage Tile

[MartinHK]

Hey There,

It would be great to get your input on a problem I have:

I'm building a temporary stud wall (actually a new room, 2 walls, 3m long each) in an apartment with concrete floors and ceilings, the floor is tiled with ceramic tiles with 2mm grout lines (black tiles with white grout) . In a few years the room will have to be dismantled again and so for the attachment of the U-Track to the floor, I'm seeking a way to do it that doesn't damage the tile (or does the minimum visible damage) in the long term.

The ceiling track will naturally be attached to the ceiling by a structurally sound method (e..g. sufficiently sized Concrete screws).

Methods considered and rejected:
Electric & Pneumatic, Concrete nail guns - Don't have one and don't want to buy one, besides the ones trialed couldn't penetrate the concrete reliably (even without the addition of 1mm of galvanised steel track). The ones that can (Gas and gunpowder) , use fatter nails (4mm, and a lot of force) that will likely break the tiles? Hilti have an electric version that uses 3mm nails, but it's overkill (and massively expensive) for one small job.

So now I'm kinda settling on Silicon and a 3mm SDS drill bit (no plugs). (FYI I'm not too concerned about the time each fixing takes - there won't be many) .

Does anyone have any great ideas about how to fix screws (or more specifically, the type of screw) into a 3mm hole? The smallest diameter concrete screws appear to be 4.7mm (4mm hole).

Have thought about chemical anchors, but:
1) Haven't yet found any in Hong Kong where I'm based (and the job starts tomorrow)
2) 3mm is a small hole that will be filled almost entirely by whatever screw is used.

Maybe araldite for the holes (well cleaned out) or epoxy crack filler? - Maybe less effective than epoxy anchors but at least it's available here.
What about an adhesive to glue the track to the floor that will be removeable in a few years time? Something stronger than Silicone?

I realise that structurally this ain't going to be an ideal solution, but it's either this or nothing.

Any other suggestions?

Many many hanks

[dewaltdisney]

As this is just a partition wall I think I would rely on silicone as glue on the floor plate, a good thick bead. I feel the side wall, and maybe the ceiling fixings will suffice for the main wall support tying it square. As you will live there presumably you will know not to barge arse into it but silicone really does hold firm. On removal, you will need to cut the silicone so a thick bead will help.

DWD

[Grendel]

Even before I read dwd's response that idea came to mind. To be fair you could even do it without the silicon . I have in the past come across partition walls effectively hung from the structure above it with no connection to the floor at all.

[Razor]

Silicone is good but expanding foam is better. We often secure studwork with it when underfloor heating stops us fixing through the floor.

If you leave a 10mm gap you’ll be able to cut it out with a wire when you want to get rid of it

[MartinHK]

So to update what I did:

I used a 2mm conventional drill bit for metal (actually 3 of them for around 15 holes into the grout - naturally they don't last long) and finished off the holes to more depth with 20mm self-cutting wafer-head screws (for metal). And of course a healthy dose of silicone onto the alcohol cleaned track and floor.

The screws worked well, they tightened down the track hard so that the silicone was mostly squeezed out from under it. I'd say there was about a 25% -30% failure rate on the holes (a drill bit broke off inside, or a screw did, or the hole rounded out and the screw didn't tighten.

But overall success and the wall feels as safe as, well houses....

[MartinHK]

Silicone is good but expanding foam is better. We often secure studwork with it when underfloor heating stops us fixing through the floor.

If you leave a 10mm gap you’ll be able to cut it out with a wire when you want to get rid of it

Good to k now for future, though as it may well be me who has to return the room to it's original state in future, I wouldn't be too keen on foam - Having to get that off the tiles (which have a light texture) will be bad enough with silicone, I think foam might be a bridge too far?

[Razor]

Glad you got it sorted. Thanks for the update.

For anyone reading this in the future this is great stuff for removing old foam especially used with scotch rite.

https://www.toolstation.com/soudal-pu-f ... lsrc=aw.ds