Ceramic Tile on basement concrete (with some cracks)

[clare]

Do you KNOW it'd still dry? If the outer perimeter drain was done properly the inner drain would not be required

[bob haller]

its still dry today, i am friends with the son ogf the new owners.

however it intially was dry till the 100 year storm the water came up from under the basement floor

[clare]

And in that situation you will likely STILL get water in the basement

[Building-Inspector]

Now for the BEST solution.

You got a 60 year old shack with cracks in the basement floor. In brief, you own a pile of decaying rubbish, which you call a "house". It's junk. It's not worth spending another cent on it.

Set the place on fire, burn it to the ground. Collect the insurance money. Have a bulldozer remove everything including the faulty basement floor.

Build a new home on that lot, with a new basement slab. Then install your ceramic bathroom in the new house basement, or better yet, just make the new house bigger and put an extra bathroom on the main floor. You'll be glad you did! This might even save your failing marriage....

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

Why not do it to the manufacturers instructions? Geez, you want all your research and decisions done by others then you are going to do what you damn well please...

[Tekkie®]

bob haller posted for all of us...

Bob, get the story straight. He doesn't have a water problem. He has cracked concrete he wants to tile over. He has a drain, don't go off on your usual tangent...

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

cracks). Thoughts?

Ditra is the best IMHO.

[bob haller]

the OP needs to tape some heavy plastic over at least 2 places on his floor. seal all edges, then wait at least a month or 2 to see if any moisture is trapped under the plastic.

the op is going to have to install a decoupling membrame, then a tile floor......

that combo will act as a sealer.

look i installed a tile floor over a floor that I had just spent 8 grand, within 6 months the water reappeared, the nice new tile floor was ruined, plus there was no choice, a interior french drain HAD to be installed...........

i got the degree, it was expensive

[clare]

Thats 2 belts and a pair of suspenders - - -

[TomR]

Interesting. From the product description, it looks like the OP could use the membrane on top of the painted floor and would not need to worry about trying to remove the paint. That might solve two problems -- the crack issue and the need/desire to remove the paint first.

[TomR]

Just a thought...., Have you considered any options other than ceramic tile floor -- such as Allure TrafficMaster vinyl floor tiles with GripStrip technology?

I recently put one down in a kitchen. It is a floating floor system -- meaning the floor does not attach to the subfloor below. It comes in various styles that can look like tile, or look like hardwood flooring, etc. The tiles that I put down were 12" x 24", and I picked a pattern that does not have borders. The style and color that I picked worked for what I needed, but it may not be the look that you want. Also, the style that I chose was a lower price per square foot than some of the other styles. But, the point is that it is a floating floor system that goes right over a painted floor. And, it is an all vinyl flooring so moisture is not an issue -- even though you do not appear to have any moisture/wetness issue. And, if you check out the samples in the store (Home Depot), you'll see that the flooring is fairly rigid so you could fill the crack in your basement, smooth it out, put the vinyl flooring on top, and the very minor underlying floor defects will not project through and be seen on the finished floor. That would eliminate the need to remove the paint and eliminate the need for any type of membrane. And, it was easy to install.

Here is the product that I picked, but there are many style and pattern choices available:

[TomR]

P.S. Here is another more "tile-like" looking pattern (but with a border, which I did not want). And, these come in 12" x 36" strips which are larger so it takes less time to install the flooring:

[clare]

You don't get it - the OP has not reported a moisture (or water) problem.

The expensive degree may not be worth the paper it was written on - the internal drain may not bhave actually been the solution. Installing a good decoupling membrane may have also solved your problem. Your problem was related toa "once in 100 years" meteorlogical occurrence.

[clare]

Definitely a lot easier and cheaper to install than ceramic/porcelain, and more forgiving.

[TomR]

That's true. It is easier to install, less expensive, and it has a slight amount of flex etc. so it will just float on top of the old floor and won't crack.