Floor prep questions for Ceramic Tile

[yangster]

Hi guys, I painted my floor about 8 yrs ago with a garage floor paint from HD. Of course the areas under the tires flaked off from the heat. Other than than, it still looks pretty good. I'm looking to put down some ceramic/porcelain tiles. The question is: Do I need to re-etch the floor or can I just clean? My concern is whether the mortar will stick to the floor.

 

[Jabberwalk]

I would grind that thing. Etching wont take off the old coating. You might be able to rent a buffer and throw some sandpaper on it- The Box store kits generally come up pretty easy

 

[DJFaninTN]

yep, I'd grind it down first and then make sure you use a really good latex modified thinset

 

[yangster]

any suggestions on on grinder??

 

[Jabberwalk]

You can find a local company that should be able to do a 1 step grind for about .50/ft . Or check your local rental stores. If the coating is not down that great, try 16 grit sand paper on a buffer. The goal is to but a nice random scratch in the floor so your mortar will have something to bite into.

 

[DaMaN]

I have an unpainted floor and was thinking of doing the same. wold using tiles be inadvisable in a cold weather area (NJ)?

I just scored a great deal on a couple of pallets of tiles locally and was thinking of installing ceramic tiles in my itty bitty 12X17 garage (More like a tool shed space).