How To Lay Tile Over Cement Floor

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.

How to lay tile over cement floor.

This will help prevent cracking of tiles. How to prepare for laying tile over a concrete floor. Installing tile directly on concrete. Whenever you re laying tile on a wood subfloor you need to first install cement backerboard to prevent leaks and water damage.

Before you begin to lay the tile over your concrete slab make sure the concrete is properly prepared. Measure a 2 foot section of tile. Opt to cut sheets of ditra membrane to fit the area you are tiling. Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job.

Use a chalk line to mark your starting point on the concrete floor. Lay several porcelain tiles in a row using spacers to simulate joints. You can purchase it in sheets or in liquid form. Lay the tiles into the mortar and using the spacers make sure you are running even with the chalk line.

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. Use spacers for accuracy. Check the distance between tiles and note the location of the. Never install new tiles over existing tiles or onto an unprotected wood or plywood floor.

Installing over wood. Chipboard cushioned vinyl flooring particle boards of any type oriented strand board osb interior grade plywood tongue and groove planking and hardwood floors are unsuitable substrates for direct installation of ceramic tile. Dry fit the tiles on floor. Now that you have a reference point you can be sure that the first row of tiles will be properly aligned.

Then use a square tool to check that the lines are perpendicular to one another. Purchase an anti fracture membrane to lay over your leveled concrete. Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water. Once a tile is set try to avoid touching it again.

Test how it will look like by laying the tile without adhesive. Step 1 preparing the concrete. To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. One of the first steps in refinishing a basement or turning a garage.