Local machinists: I need a 10' straightedge.

If you are willing to pay for the service why not call your local tile installing place and see if they will send someone out to tell you if you are ok and what to do if not. Ask the professionals.

Could also ask for an estimate for them to install it just so you know the price to do it. Probably same cost or more than the tile itself but you never know.
 
Is this some kinda super special environment for some reason or is this just a basic home improvement project?

This is just for remodeling my basement. Nothing super special.

Can you just pull a string tight across it and measure? Or a laser.

I could. I think I'll try this first as it's cheap enough to use a chalk line to find the major problem spots first.

I use a length of 3" Aluminum channel for a straight edge for jobs like yours. It's available from heavy hardware suppliers. The AA profile has straight walled flanges. I just finished laying a patio using a 12' length.

Thanks for this suggestion! I'll call around and see where I can find this locally.

I was at Lowe’s today and they sell a 6 foot ruler/straight edge. Could buy two of those and clamp them together. And with the inch marks you can measure your variance more easily.
If I did this, wouldn't the weight of the clamp cause flexing/sagging in the middle?

You can buy a 8’ level from just about any big box store that should be plenty good for a tile job.
I’ve laid hundreds of square feet of tile and really never worried about if the subfloor was level or not to a 1/8”. If the floor isn’t sound and wavey then that’s another story. Tiles 12x12 and under can take deviation like that. Larger ones not so much. Butter the back of the tiles and do you typical notch trowel should be good. Thinking of it I wonder how many floors are that level?

My tiles will be 12x24, so I am a little more concerned than I would be if they were 12x12.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned leveling compound. Just poor it on and presto, instant flat floor for tile. At least that's the way I understand it.

Only catch is that leveling compound is quite pricy for using across my entire basement level. I'd like to only deal with the problem spots if possible.

This is a great site..don't care what questions someone asks there's a bunch of really smart people that take time to answer..not common in today's world
Agreed! This is my first post here and I'm pleasantly surprised at how many useful and helpful answers I got within the span of a few hours!
 
Based on what I'm reading, it looks like having a 10' straightedge machined is not really practical and that there are other alternatives that I should (and will) try first. Thank you everyone for your responses! I'll post back here with a picture of my finished floor when I'm done (hoping by the end of this month).
 
"If I did this, wouldn't the weight of the clamp cause flexing/sagging in the middle?"

I have some 2 inch clamps and was thinking of those which I don't think would be a problem. Otherwise you could temporarily clamp them and drill two 1/4 inch holes in the 1/4 inch aluminum they are made of and put in two nuts and bolts.

Tiling is something that is not that difficult and really rewarding to do yourself.

Great site indeed.
 
Stephen, I did wood floors for more than 30 years. We used 4" wide MDF baseboard for our long straight edges. Plenty accurate for floor work
Dave
 
My Dad made one many years ago. I believe it was a 1x8. He tapered the ends to about 3". He planed the bottom until it was true, using a taut string as a reference.
 
I don't get that level specification. I mean, if it's for a floor, who cares if it's not perfectly flat. 1/4" (or even 1/2") over 10 feet wouldn't be noticeable. Am I wrong?
 
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I'm thinking the idea is to avoid humps or dips in the surface that could lead to pressure points and subsequent cracking of a large tile. Level is likely not the consideration as much as flatness is. Not so much of a concern with small tiles that will conform, but with large ones I can see wanting a pretty flat substrate.

-frank
 
I'm thinking the idea is to avoid humps or dips in the surface that could lead to pressure points and subsequent cracking of a large tile. Level is likely not the consideration as much as flatness is. Not so much of a concern with small tiles that will conform, but with large ones I can see wanting a pretty flat substrate.

-frank
I agree with what Frank said. Most important are the high spots as localized lows can be easily compensated for with additional cement. High spots, on the other hand, could cause insufficient cement or a pivot point which could result in breaking a tile.

A short straight edge would be sufficient to locate and address these issues. A 4 ft. level should work for this purpose. High spots can be ground down with a masonry wheel in an angle grinder ot a cold chisel and hammer.

I have a rotating laser level and it is great for establishing levels around a perimeter but it would be tedious trying to high localized highs and lows. If the floor is fairly level overall, a quick preliminary check would be to run some water with a small amount of detergent as a wetting agent on it. high and low spots will quickly be spotted. Once spotted, mark the areas with markers for any needed corrections.
 
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