How To Install Tile Flooring Over Concrete Slab

To properly install tile over concrete the bathroom slab floor needs to be smooth and level.

How to install tile flooring over concrete slab. Step 1 preparing the concrete. Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job. 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. Tile can contribute thermal mass to a passive solar house and to christa campbell it would make a more appealing finish floor than concrete.

This article discusses and compares the properties of ceramic floor tile granite tile marble tile natural stone and agglomerate floor tiles. But larger cracks especially those that are higher on one side than the other may telegraph through the tile and cause it to crack. Any cracks in the surface of the slab need to be repaired before you begin as well. Small cracks caused by shrinkage usually do not present a problem.

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

Installing ceramic tiles over concrete can help to create a more inviting indoor or outdoor living space. 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.