Ceramic Tile On Concrete Subfloor

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.

Ceramic tile on concrete subfloor.

I m putting ceramic tile flooring in my kitchen and live on a 10 year old ground level concrete slab. Do i need to put any type of underlayment or vapor barrier underneath it. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. Concrete generally expands around ten times as much as ceramic for example.

If ceramic or porcelain tiles are installed on an uneven surface you run the risk of allowing the tiles to crack or loosen. Pour adequate amounts of the solution on the floor then scrub using a brush and let it dry. If the concrete subfloor is not prepared properly problems like ceramic tile cracks can occur. However you re not out of the woods.

Ceramic and porcelain tile are among the most rigid materials for flooring. In our case we had to tile the stair hallway but you can use these techniques to lay ceramic tile on any concrete floor. I ll grant you that the opposite situation tiles moving more than the substrate seems unlikely in your case. They require a subfloor that s designed to account for this without any fluctuation or movement.

In order to install that great new flooring the ceramic tile floor must be removed and the concrete subfloor must be exposed and prepped. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are. Eventually the tiles will delaminate or the grout will crack. First you need to prepare the tsp solution according to the package instructions.

We purchased 8 x8 tiles spacers and thinset making sure their design and color match with the rest of the room. It is very effective in removing dirt oil and grease on concrete surfaces.