How To Lay Ceramic Tile Over Concrete

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

How to lay ceramic tile over concrete.

Once a tile is set try to avoid touching it again. Dry fit the tiles on floor. Lay several porcelain tiles in a row using spacers to simulate joints. 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.

Opt to cut sheets of ditra membrane to fit the area you are tiling. As you move on to the subsequent rows use the spacers to keep your pattern square. Tile can contribute thermal mass to a passive solar house and to christa campbell it would make a more appealing finish floor than concrete. Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job.

With the proper tools laying a tile floor is a manageable do it yourself project if you want to save costs. And the result is hard wearing and attractive flooring. It may not be the easiest to install but it s not that hard either. Measure a 2 foot section of tile.

This will help prevent cracking of tiles. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. 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. Purchase an anti fracture membrane to lay over your leveled concrete.

You will need to apply thinset to the concrete and smooth the membrane sheets down with a trowel. Step 1 preparing the concrete. You can purchase it in sheets or in liquid form. 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.

Check the distance between tiles and note the location of the.