How do I prepare this floor for tiling??

Question

It's a small bathroom floor that I want to tile. We had to rip out the existing carpet when we recently had a leak, and I do not want carpet in there again. But, it looks like the former owners glued the carpet down. The floor is rather "bumpy" from the glue lines that are on it. Otherwise, it's a concrete floor. I don't know how to prepare the floor for laying tile, which is what I would like to do to the floor to finish it.

Answer 1

I can't believe all these answers, I'm only going to give you this advise, go to Home depot and sign up for the tile course. They'll have all your answers for you plus, they'll tell you what to buy that's the best. Take their advise.

Answer 2

Sigh, don't listen to the other answers...they are all wrong. There is no need to install backer board or cement board over a cement floor.

You only need to clean the glue from your cement with a scraper. It doesn't need to be perfect, but relatively smooth. Smooth enough that tiles laid on the floor will not rock back and forth over the remaining residue.

Remove the glue and clean the loose debris from the floor. Put down the tile cement with a trowel and set your tiles. Grout, seal, and done.

Again, there is no need to put cement or backer board down on a cement floor. Worst case you may have to level the floor if there are significant undulations....but backer board and cement board will not fix this either. Only a flat mortar bed will.

The person that suggested to use plywood was just screwing with you or trying to earn ask points 2 at a time.

Answer 3

scrape the floor to get rid of some of the residue left by the carpet and the glue, sweep it out and lay your tile. since it is a concrete floor you don't have to put a tile backer board or plywood those are only used for wood floors so that if the floor gives the tile and grout won't pop loose.

Answer 4

Djh and lost in yonkers are both right I would just recomend using a modified thinset mortar for better adhesion and flexural strength required if your using porcelain tile anyway and an improvement in mortar for ceramic.One more thing the painters probably weren't taught what a drop cloth is so you need to wet the floor and scrape that off as best you can also then your ready to set.

Answer 5

You shoudl use a sparkling vct glue below the self stick tiles, they have a bent to shift and pass which will leaves gaps. you may purchase the glue at domicile depot or lowe's. this is made by utilizing Henry's and you trowel it out and whilst it dries sparkling you stick the tiles it in. determine you degree and be attentive to the place you're gonna initiate.

Answer 6

We just installed a ceramic floor and were told to get the hard backer board...which we got from Lowes...and put down first. They sell special screws you need to purchase with it that go on your drill gun. It is a very hard cement type board that will give you a nice even finish and level things out for your floor board, or cement flooring, before putting your tile down. Good luck! : )

Answer 7

Don't put down plywood - get tile backer board - (tile section in any home improvement store) it will smooth the surface and keep the sub floor from wetness or mold that could get throught the grout.

Answer 8

i am 99% positive that you put a tile backer on the cement floor, then you would put the tile on the backer

Answer 9

i agree with djh i am a tiler,the only time 2 use ply wood on concrete is if half of your floor is wood.if your floor will get wet use water resistant grout.

Answer 10

lay a peice of ply wood on the current stripped floor. That should do the trick.