st.ryder64
Member
Strap in, this'll take some explanation.
We have a split level home, with a mudroom off the garage that's a concrete slab. It was previously finished half with carpeting and half with 2 layers of vinyl tiles. We've removed the tiles and carpeting, as we want to lay down 18" ceramic tile. The concrete that was under the tile has a couple different issues. I'm not convinced it's 100% level, or at least level enough for large ceramic tile. So I'm thinking of applying self-leveling compound throughout the room to whatever thickness gets me what I need. First questions:
1. Will the self-leveling compound bond to the concrete that has the old tile thinset residue?
2. Do I need any kind of waterproofing layer anywhere in this equation? The room has always been perfectly dry, but I've read some things about tiling right over a concrete slab.
Moving on, as we leave this room, heading into the main part of the house, we have 4 steps going up to the next level. I'd like to continue an uncarpeted path through the house to the front door on this level, since this is a main traffic area and the carpet takes a beating. I know I can't install the ceramic tile on those stairs, and once I get to the next level, we're on standard wood subflooring anyway. I'm not interested in building up that flooring for ceramic tile, since it would create all kinds of different heights to the other flooring, weird stair riser heights, etc. So I found a groutable vinyl tile which perfectly matches the ceramic chosen for the lower level. More questions:
3. Is the grout used for vinyl tile more flexible than that used for ceramic? Because if it's not, it'll all just crack anyway without the floor being reinforced, and I'm back to square one.
We have a split level home, with a mudroom off the garage that's a concrete slab. It was previously finished half with carpeting and half with 2 layers of vinyl tiles. We've removed the tiles and carpeting, as we want to lay down 18" ceramic tile. The concrete that was under the tile has a couple different issues. I'm not convinced it's 100% level, or at least level enough for large ceramic tile. So I'm thinking of applying self-leveling compound throughout the room to whatever thickness gets me what I need. First questions:
1. Will the self-leveling compound bond to the concrete that has the old tile thinset residue?
2. Do I need any kind of waterproofing layer anywhere in this equation? The room has always been perfectly dry, but I've read some things about tiling right over a concrete slab.
Moving on, as we leave this room, heading into the main part of the house, we have 4 steps going up to the next level. I'd like to continue an uncarpeted path through the house to the front door on this level, since this is a main traffic area and the carpet takes a beating. I know I can't install the ceramic tile on those stairs, and once I get to the next level, we're on standard wood subflooring anyway. I'm not interested in building up that flooring for ceramic tile, since it would create all kinds of different heights to the other flooring, weird stair riser heights, etc. So I found a groutable vinyl tile which perfectly matches the ceramic chosen for the lower level. More questions:
3. Is the grout used for vinyl tile more flexible than that used for ceramic? Because if it's not, it'll all just crack anyway without the floor being reinforced, and I'm back to square one.
