Tile Over Concrete

Step 1 preparing the concrete.

Tile over concrete.

Installing tile directly on concrete. Using an acid based cleaner or deep cleaner of your choice clean the concrete and allow it to dry thoroughly. Often people want to cover a concrete patio or porch with tile and need to know how that differs from indoor tile installation. Before you begin to lay the tile over your concrete slab make sure the concrete is properly prepared.

Once you ve ascertained that the slab is dry and level as possible your best solution to lay tile over concrete with expansion joints is shown below and linked here. Also should the concrete crack the crack can be treated with an anti fracture membrane before it is tiled. 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. The redgard uncoupling mat covers small cracks in the concrete slab and eliminates the worry of installing over those expansion joints.

It can be physically strenuous and messy but it is a home improvement project that will allow you to cut labor costs by doing it yourself. 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. For starters moisture and cracking are bigger concerns outside so you need to apply a waterproofing and crack isolating membrane to the slab before you begin. Clearly the longer you can wait before tiling the less stress that will be applied to the tile by the concrete.

Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. Once finished a porcelain tile installation over concrete will last generations ensuring your investment is beyond a mere one to five year warranty that some floor finishes have. Moreover the concrete serves as extra protection against water absorption and added strength to carry heavier weights that are dropped on or pressed against the tiles. If curling occurs and it often does the concrete can be ground before it is tiled.

Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job.