Tile On Cement Slab

Before you begin to lay the tile over your concrete slab make sure the concrete is properly prepared.

Tile on cement slab.

Lay a set of tiles along the lines without adhesive to dry fit a row. Shift the tiles as needed to reduce the number of tiles that need to be cut for the edges of the wall. The concrete should be properly cured be level to 1 4 inch in 10 feet and have a steel trowel or fine broom finish. 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.

Tiles can be applied directly to a clean smooth concrete slab with a latex portland cement mortar. Snap chalk lines on the floor to indicate where you plan to start laying full tiles. 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. Plan the layout so there are full sized tiles in front of the bathtub and in.

Use a carpenter s square to help. Dry fit the ceramic tiles on the floor. Mix thinset according. But larger cracks especially those that are higher on one side than the other may telegraph through the tile and cause it to crack.

Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job. Small cracks caused by shrinkage usually do not present a problem. 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. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material.