How To Install Porcelain Tile Floor Over Concrete Slab

I want to lay porcelain tile on a concrete slab at grade.

How to install porcelain tile floor over concrete slab.

Tile can contribute thermal mass to a passive solar house and to christa campbell it would make a more appealing finish floor than concrete. Do you have any advice. Tom meehan a tile installer and owner of cape cod tileworks in harwich massachusetts replies. Cracks in a concrete slab are a problem that i run into frequently.

The slap has various areas of high moisture from i assume water under the slab. I d like to install a tile floor over the slab but i m worried that the tile will crack. How to lay porcelain tile over a concrete floor. Absolutely yes there are methods to re tile over existing porcelain floor tile properly that would leave you with final surface having as much integrity as the homes structure foundation subfloor allows although removal of existing tile should allow you to expose the cracking grout issue hopefully remedy then instal fresh tile would be the prefered right way but wether cost issues labor.

Concrete provides one of the most stable working platforms in the world and is the preferred foundation layer for a ceramic or porcelain tile. But larger cracks especially those that are higher on one side than the other may telegraph through the tile and cause it to crack. The floor has had leveler applied throughout. What can i do to allow me to lay this tile.

The wet spots appear as dark areas. In some cases i ve seen cracks. Porcelain tile can be installed in a variety of different applications and can provide you with a beautiful floor. Installing tile directly on concrete.

Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. Ceramic and porcelain tile are so frequently installed at or above grade level on a cement board underlayment or directly on plywood that it almost seems novel to install tile directly on concrete. Small cracks caused by shrinkage usually do not present a problem. Although tile can be placed directly over a concrete slab products such as schluter s ditra are designed to separate or uncouple the tile from any potential movement in the substrate and protect the tile and grout from cracking.

Porcelain tile is also extremely durable and can stand up to a lot of traffic. Here are 7 steps to help you install tile on an exterior concrete slab surface like on your home s patio or porch. As long as the concrete slab is clean flat and free of active cracks you can lay title directly on the concrete floor using thin set adhesive.