Installing Floor Tile Over Concrete Slab

How to tile a shower over a concrete slab.

Installing floor tile over concrete slab.

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. Alternatively screw rows of treated 1x4s to the concrete 16 in. Tiled shower floors are visually appealing as well as hygienic. The ceramic tile floors shown at left were installed atop of an existing ceramic tile floor lower right and over both concrete and solid core plywood the upper floor level.

Laying floor tile over concrete is not a technically demanding job. How to lay porcelain tile over a concrete floor. 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. Concrete provides one of the most stable working platforms in the world and is the preferred foundation layer for a ceramic or porcelain tile.

Tile floors do not require as much care and cleaning as porcelain or fiberglass. Using an acid based cleaner or deep cleaner of your choice clean the concrete and allow it to dry thoroughly. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. Before you begin to lay the tile over your concrete slab make sure the concrete is properly prepared.

To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. Tile can contribute thermal mass to a passive solar house and to christa campbell it would make a more appealing finish floor than concrete. The curved floor edge trim and facing were site built by the editor df. Installing over wood.

Installing tile directly on concrete. Lay 6 mil polyethylene sheeting over the concrete to minimize moisture migration from the concrete up into the wood flooring. Installing ceramic tiles over concrete can help to create a more inviting indoor or outdoor living space. 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.