Installing tile on a concrete slab


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Old 01-07-07, 06:35 AM
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Installing tile on a concrete slab

I am planning to install ceramic tile in my kitchen which currently has a vinyl floor. Can the tile be installed directly on the concrete? I am somwhat resistant to putting Durarock down as I am afraid the adhesvie may not hold and it would also raise the floor level.

Any susggestions?
 
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Old 01-07-07, 08:02 AM
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The first thing you need to do here is remove the vinyl and scrape any adhesive down to the bare concrete as best as possible. You cannot put durock or any other cement board over a concrete slab. The cement board underlayments are made to go over framed plywood or osb subfloors. You can install the tile directly to the concrete slab. The concrete slab needs to be clean, and free of any sealers or paints. It also has to be crack free for the most part. A few hairline cracks in the slab will probably be ok, providing one side of the crack is not raised up higher than the other side. If some hairline cracks are present, its a real good idea to use an uncoulpling membrane such as ditra over the slab, as this will isolate any further movement of the slab from transferring though to the tile which can cause cracks in the tile and loose cracked grout.
 
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Old 01-07-07, 05:54 PM
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Was wondering the same thing. But my question goes one further, can the tile be installed directly over the vinyl (sp?)?
 
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Old 01-07-07, 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by gusbus
Was wondering the same thing. But my question goes one further, can the tile be installed directly over the vinyl (sp?)?
Yes, but, it's not recommended for various reasons.

You do not want to lay tile over vinyl or lenolium if that floor is coming up anywhere. You want a solid surface to lay tile.

I would recommend getting a heat gun (not a hair dryer), floor scraper (available at Home Depot type places), and pull that old floor up.

It is a pain to do sometimes, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Sometimes you will get lucky and the whole floor will pull up without to much effort.

If you do choose to lay over another flooring, make sure it is clean! You want the thinset to adhere to a good surface.

If it's for a kitchen, you have to take into account the new height if you lay over the old floor. Some people forget this, then they have to cut their countertop in order to get the dishwasher out.

If you currently do not have a concrete slab, it's a whole other ball game. Let us know if you are not on a slab.
 
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Old 01-08-07, 04:15 AM
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Take a look at this thread:
http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=43570
 
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Old 01-08-07, 06:07 AM
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The vinyl needs to be removed. Read this also.

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=152521
 

Last edited by HeresJohnny; 01-08-07 at 07:03 AM.
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Old 01-08-07, 06:13 AM
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Absolutely! Get that vinyl outa there. That's big problems!
 
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Old 03-22-07, 08:27 AM
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tile over concrete

I have the same problem and most of the answers come back, remove the old covering. My problem then becomes, how clean must the concrete be. There is still residual glue and I'am sure I cannot get it all up. Also to complicate the installation it is in a screened in porch that is unheated or cooled. Will this be a problem for ceramic tile?
 
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Old 03-22-07, 02:01 PM
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You will never get a slab perfectly clean without a concrete sander. Some residual adhesive is ok. The thinset will go right over this. You just dont want to have large areas of old adhesive even the thinset may set fine over it.

I used a floor scraper, a HEAT gun, and some adhesive remover paste, all from Home Depot to take up my adhesive. It does take time, but it will come up.
 
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Old 03-23-07, 03:30 AM
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OKC,
Thanks for the tip, looks like I'm going to rip my vinyl up this evening!
 
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Old 03-23-07, 04:53 AM
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Just an FYI- You might find that Popeye can't even get that vinyl up with a hand scraper. HD and some rental shops rent an electric version that works pretty good. It's quite a bit faster and a LOT less elbow grease.

Joe
 
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Old 03-23-07, 07:08 PM
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Can't find the "new thread"button

I must be the only one but I can't find the new thread button on the web pages. The administrator keeps trying to tell me but I still don't see it. Does anyone know where it is?
 
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Old 03-23-07, 07:19 PM
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Copy and paste this and look at the red circle.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h178/normanmj/thread.jpg
 
 

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