What Do You Use Under Ceramic Tile To Fill

Never lay tile over these materials.

What do you use under ceramic tile to fill. Some subfloors are wholly incompatible with tile flooring and must be removed and replaced with a proper underlayment. If you find low spots more than 1 4 in. Subfloors incompatible with ceramic tile. While you can tile over drywall walls the paper covering on drywall can tear destabilizing the tile.

When the old floor material is a still strong ceramic tile surface though you can place the new covering over the tiles as long as you create a smooth surface beforehand. After the tile has been sanded clean and remove all particles and dust before applying a floor leveler product to fill in grout lines and level the surface completely for the new tile application. Cover the tape with thin set mortar and level it with a straight edge. Squeeze some of the caulking into the void between the vinyl tiles.

If you re working with an existing tile wall you have two choices. With a floor leveling compound the smooth subsurface is easy to create. So before you tile check the floor with a 4 ft. Remove the tile and prepare the wall according to the corresponding instructions above or tile over the existing tile.

All that s required is spreading the compound over the prepared tiles. Repair any loose or cracked tiles. Deep screed thinset over them to create a flat surface. For really bad floors.

However you re not out of the woods. There is one school of thought that believes that if the vinyl tile is a full bond installation not peel and stick and is in good shape then ceramic tile can be laid over it under the same conditions as for full bond sheet vinyl. Use a thin set product to install ceramic tile over existing tiles. Opinions differ on whether or not ceramic tile can be laid over vinyl composite tiles.

Allow the thin set to dry before proceeding usually a day. Then cover the tape with another layer of thin set and level. You push and pry to get each tile flush with its neighbors and you still end up with lippage edges that protrude above adjoining tiles usually at corners. It is recommended to sand the floor using 80 grit sandpaper.

To do so make sure all of the tiles are intact and secure. If you use non adhesive tape you ll want to first fill the gaps with mortar before setting the tape in the mortar. Tile floors are beautiful durable and a fairly diy friendly option but for tile s good looks to really last it s vital to start with what you can t see the ideal underlayment. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout.