Porcelain Tile Underlayment On Concrete

However the slab must be flat perfectly level and not at risk of settling or heaving.

Porcelain tile underlayment on concrete.

A concrete slab makes a good underlayment for ceramic tiles since it s similar to the solid mortar bases that used to be the standard for ceramic tile installation. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. However you re not out of the woods. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are.

This tile is composed of sand which is fired at high temperature and pressure. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. Do i need to put any type of underlayment or vapor barrier underneath it. I m putting ceramic tile flooring in my kitchen and live on a 10 year old ground level concrete slab.

Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout. If your concrete is over 15 years old it has had time. The subfloor the underlayment and the surface tile you walk on. If your concrete is relatively new under 15 years old you will need an anti fracture membrane such as schluter ditra between your concrete and your tile.

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. Installing tile directly on concrete. Since it isn t porous porcelain tile is more water resistant and harder than ceramic but it is harder to cut. There are various types of tile underlayment but all serve to smooth out uneven.

A tile floor consists of three individual layers.