"Re-surfacing" a ceramic tile patio???

[coachrick]

Apologies in advance as I realize this isn't about a garage floor; but I'm thinking some here may have faced a similar de-lemon.
Our townhouse patio(~150sq ft) was finished in (apparently) interior ceramic tile 12 years ago when built. It's a brick red color that builds heat mightily when the sun hits it(full western exposure in central Texas!!!) and it has started to flake in some spots(exposing the "natural" core of the tiles...white). It is truly ugly where this has happened(mostly on the vertical face; but some on the horizontal surface). DW is NOT happy about the appearance of the chipped areas and we are both interested in cutting down on the heat build-up that occurs April-October...it's like a fireplace during those months...at least 10 degrees hotter than the ambient temp(we've installed a vertical shade that helps as the sun gets lower in the later afternoon; but it can do only so much).

My main question would be the efficacy of etching(again) the surface in order to apply one of the various "re-store" products in order to have a fresh, lighter colored floor that "shouldn't" build up heat so much AND avoid the catastrophe that would result from removing the existing tile and putting down another surface(like a thin stone or Z-Brick type of product). Even if the "re-surfacer" only lasted a couple of years before needing a re-coat or touch-up, I think it would be worth it. The alternatives are in the $1000-2000 range and I'm hoping to spend 10% of that for a DIY finish.

I've etched the tile once to cut down on slipping and I'm hoping that another etching effort will render the tile rough enough to accept something like "Granite Grip" from Behr, "Restore" by Rustoleum or similar. I used Olympic "Rescue It" to good effect three years ago on our tiny front porch; BUT it was barely finished concrete that I used muriatic acid on to accept the new material. Here's a shot of the patio getting hammered by the "winter" sun...

I'm hoping I can etch/acid wash the tiles enough to get some "tooth" for the new surface to bite. Any thoughts from those in the know??? Thanks !!!

 

[coachrick]

Well, dang! 60 views and no replies

I guess I WAS a little wordy; but I wanted to give the necessary info in case folks had experienced anything like my project.

As it turns out, this project will take a back seat to a new gas range and microwave installation(and budget hit). I still hope to address the patio re-surface before summer arrives here around the beginning of April!!!

Thanks for any input!!!

 

[Bob P1]

I think the old tile would peel up rather easy, sounds like starting from scratch is the way to go here.

 

[KenC]

I think the old tile would peel up rather easy, sounds like starting from scratch is the way to go here.

I second that! Only 150sqft shouldn't take a lot of time to get it back to concrete. then grind,stain, tile etc. May need grinding if not retileing to get all the remnants of the thinset.

I had a crew take the tile up in a kitchen and dining area in PHX, took 3 of them about 3 hours to get it ready to retile! Hammers and scapers only.

 

[coachrick]

I think the old tile would peel up rather easy, sounds like starting from scratch is the way to go here.

I second that! Only 150sqft shouldn't take a lot of time to get it back to concrete. then grind,stain, tile etc. May need grinding if not retileing to get all the remnants of the thinset.

I had a crew take the tile up in a kitchen and dining area in PHX, took 3 of them about 3 hours to get it ready to retile! Hammers and scapers only.

Wow, guys! Thanks a LOT !!!
You're not going to let me take the easy way out are you? I was sure trying to avoid dealing with all that debris, dust, haul-away(in a condo). What's down there is pretty stable, so it's not like it's falling apart and MUST be replaced. It's primarily a cosmetic challenge...until I rent an impact chisel !!! Then, it's taking on a life of its own!!! Still hoping for a "liquid" solution!

 

[48RON54]

Well, you could always try the idea you have proposed and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, you hate it and rip the floor up like the other guys are advising. Also, you could contract out to have someone else do the work and some of those companies will finance it so it's not one big hit to the wallet. I did that with carpet and tile some years back.

 

[coachrick]

Well, you could always try the idea you have proposed and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, you hate it and rip the floor up like the other guys are advising. Also, you could contract out to have someone else do the work and some of those companies will finance it so it's not one big hit to the wallet. I did that with carpet and tile some years back.

That's true...wouldn't hurt to give it a try, I reckon.

Yeah, the busted microwave project went from DIY for the cost of the unit to one swipe of the credit card and someone ELSE will deliver, install and haul away a microwave AND new gas range Seemed like a good idea at the time!

 

[coachrick]

And, naturally, it's going to rain FIVE days next week, bringing our drought to an end(we hope). Just hope we can hold off the central Texas summer until mid-April or so!!!

As they often describe the weather in central Texas, it's "Long periods of drought interrupted by flash-flooding". Yep.

 

[coachrick]

Well, ain't this a kick in the head!!!
Came back from a 9-day road trip(weather in Austin was wet for a couple of days, then mid-90s for the week...nothing unusual) to find the tile on the subject patio buckling over roughly a 6x8' area!!!

This patio is as old as the condo...about 12 years and has never done anything like this in the 5 years we've been here!

Pics at this point wouldn't do it justice; but I'll video the removal of the first few tiles as we inspect this strange phenomenon. It's as though we had an earthquake or someone ran a bulldozer into the edge of the patio and pushed until the tiles started popping!!! Dang!!!

Updates to follow! I'm sure glad I didn't go with a complicated/expensive covering for the patio surface now!!! Looks like an overlay or replacement tile/brick will be in order. Too bad it's supposed to be over 100 degrees for the next week or so!!!

 

[Shootinok]

Don't overlay it. It really needs to be removed or it will fail - again.
It's always hard to swallow to the idea of going backwards to go forward, but the substrate is as important as the surface.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[coachrick]

Don't overlay it. It really needs to be removed or it will fail - again.
It's always hard to swallow to the idea of going backwards to go forward, but the substrate is as important as the surface.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

Yes, I meant an overlay in the sense of removing the tile and getting to a solid base; then, perhaps a dyed concrete-type top layer in the 2" range(=/- depending on what we find). A tic-tac-toe pattern of expansion joints, I reckon, as the patio is only about 12 x 13'.

Another option is Holland pavers to blend in with the brick work siding.We've got a good 1/2" extra "depth" available to us to allow for the 1/2 thickness pavers.

 

[Angelfire]

You're right to remove it before putting anything down. Tile can be done outdoors but you'll want to prep well and use a good quality modified thinset and make sure the tile is rated for outdoors! Through body tile is a nice to have in the event you do chip it down the road....

 

[coachrick]

You're right to remove it before putting anything down. Tile can be done outdoors but you'll want to prep well and use a good quality modified thinset and make sure the tile is rated for outdoors! Through body tile is a nice to have in the event you do chip it down the road....

Agreed...
Now, anybody need 150' of soon-to-be-busted up ceramic tile???

 

[coachrick]

Managed to get all tile and 1/2 of the thinset removed. I ground(grinded) the thinset OFF the trowel-finished half of the patio and somewhat smoothed the left-in-place thinset on the much rougher half. Did a vinyl concrete patch on the seam between the two sections and will use a material called Encore Cool! to resurface the slab. I'll lose a bit in height(not a problem) but save on trying to find any sort of tile/stone product that won't build up heat in the afternoon central Texas sun! Looked into Saltillo, ceramic, porcelain, concrete tiles/pavers and apparently nothing would significantly mitigate the heat gain.

For those who remember Kool Deck from the last 5 decades, the Encore Cool! product "should" be similar and more DIY friendly. It "promises" a significant reduction in heat build-up from the sun. Hoping the product arrives Monday and I can clean/etch, powerwash(again) and resurface on Tuesday or Wednesday. Still need to find a suitable stone/tile for the vertical edge/wall of the patio; but we should be walking on a new surface by Thursday!!!

The pic is before I finished removing the tile(by hand with a 3# hammer and a Wonderbar!!!) and took the grinder to the slab. Fun times!!!

https://encorecoatings.com/product/new-cool-pool-deck-coating/

 

[coachrick]

Well, I did manage to finish the project using the Encore Cool! product to help cut down on heat gain. We had a couple of weeks of real heat to give it a test and I'm estimating a good 6 degree reduction in the patio temps in the afternoon. Also, the patio returns to ambient temp before the evening news! This is QUITE a change from the oven-like performance of the fully tiled patio. We wanted a sand-textured surface that would look more like a slab of stone rather than troweled concrete and I think I achieved that.

Again, I apologize for hijacking the "flooring" forum; but thought someone might get some useful info and even some "don'ts" from my experience.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Looks great.

My house in Las Vegas is painted with CoolWall from Texcote which seems to be the same idea - an infrared-reflecting material that cuts down on heat gain from sunlight. It seems to help quite a bit.

https://www.texcote.com/residential/