Tile Over UnEvEn Kitchen Floor????????????????

We're about to start tiling a kitchen floor over stripped bare concrete slab. We're going to be using 18" X 18" tile and we've started noticing that the floor has quite a few uneven spots in it up to 1/4" or so. We've heard about leveling compounds but we're kind of new to this. We already have our cabinets mounted so whatever we use we need to take that into consideration. Not sure what can be put down prior to the tile to level the floor better or if something different can be used to mount the tiles that can take up the uneven floor?

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Reply to
infiniteMPG
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  1. What was on the floor before?

  1. What are these up to 1/4" uneven spots? Are they just small gobs or saucer size or platter size or what? Or is it that an eight foot straight edge reveals that, for example, the slab center is 1/4" higher or lower than the edges?

I ask because *something* was sucessfully put over the high spots before. Gobs can simply be knocked/chiseled off; larger high spots could be ground down. If the floor is smooth but simply higher/lower in the center, just lay the tiles - you won't notice 1/4" from one side of a room to another.

If the 1/4" spots happen to be depressions, don't worry about them at all, the thinset will fill them up. Your only real concern is in getting the edges of each tile flush with each adjacent tile (use a beating board). If a tile happens to bridge two high spots, use more mortar under it. You can tell if a tile is embedded completely by rapping it with your knuckles after the mortar sets up a bit (5-15 minutes)...solid "thunk" sound = set, hollow sound = not enough mortar.

Reply to
dadiOH

Use self leveling concrete, if those spots are large, or even if the whole floor slopes 1/4" from one end to the other. A level floor will make much easier installing cabinets, for example.

We already have our cabinets mounted so whatever we use

Ouch! Are you going to tile around the cabinets? Bad choice, IMO. Will be a PITA to install or service a dishwasher,for example, and hope you'll never have to replace one of the bases. Also, probably you'll have to make more tile cuts to fit the profile of the cabinets.

Again I would use self leveling concrete, and would consider removing the cabinets and covering the whole kitchen floor with tiles .

If there are only a few lower spots you could just use more mortar under the tiles there, but there is a potential risk to leave air pockets if you're not careful.

Reply to
Chris

I don't quite understand - is the floor cracked? Just has dips in the surface of the concrete? How many is "quite a few"? Any deeper than 1/4"? It helps to give advice if we all understand what you are talking about......cabinets are "mounted"? That means "installed"? What is size of room, numberof dips, size of largest?

If the "uneven spots" are globs of adhesive, then we are talking about a different scenario.

We had tile installed by a contractor, 14" porcellain, on slab. When faced with making the tile floor meet the same level as terazzo in adjacent rooms, the contractor simply put the thinset on thicker, so it raised the tile on one edge and sloped ever so slightly. It amounted to making the thinset 1/4" thicker at the joins, but it is absolutely undetectable. I was very apprehensive when contractor proposed doing this, but they did a great job.

The problems I see presented most often about tile are: batches of colored grout turn out to be different colors, grout haze dried on tile, what sealer to use.

Reply to
Norminn

Chris wrote in news:ga4j0l$m0p$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

The floor just needs to be flat, not necessairly level. For all we know both ends at opposide walls are down an inch. Hope not.

I've never used self leveling concrete. I've used those floor levelers in bags. Expensive stuff.

There is also Henry 547 Patch and Skimcoat. Not self leveling but same type of material as the floor leveler I've used. Floor leveler if I recall was much more expensive than the patch & skimcoat. The 25lb bag of patch & skimcoat runs about $22 at the Borg here. One bag covers 40sf at 1/8" thickness.

Not a lot of work time with these products. Maybe 20 min. Depends on actual mixture, temp, humidity, etc. One thing I've done is to make the mix with refrigerated water to extend work time a little. Although mixed with water, setting appears to be chemical and not evaporation. You'll be working with it then suddenly in a few minutes it's no longer workable. About an hour after that it's hard as a rock and you can walk on it no problem. Next day it's light grey.

How does the self leveling concrete compare to this I'm curious?

Reply to
Red Green

And grout up agin 'em, and have a naked grout line.

The advantages of setting cabinets on the finished floor are many, a more finished appearance being one, but maybe a fine point few would notice.

Without knowing the degree of evenness I can't offer a suggestion, but I'd guess a real tilesetter could probably just level it out with thinset as the tile goes down.

Tile on slab is a rather permanent thing, or can be if you remember to dampen the slab first, I'd be sure I've got the tile I can live with for a long, long time. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Oh shit, he said 1/4 inch or so. In that case just level it out with thinset and check it often and wide with 4' or better level. If you get one a little high just beat it down into the mud. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Well, may be not everybody sees a need there, but I would have a strong preference.

I've never used the expensive stuff you mention, so not sure how compares. I am overly simplifying but with SLC you just pour and let it settle. Gravity will keep the surface smooth and at the same level.

Reply to
Chris

Chris wrote in news:ga6usr$igj$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

Not sure if you know any of this but I'd be curious:

How expensive is the self leveling concrete/cement? (bags/buckets? - Coverage?) Where can it be got? What's the thickness range? (the stuff I spoke of was from feather edge to 1".)

Reply to
Red Green

I'll leave those answers to Google. Should work in your area too.

Reply to
Chris

Chris wrote in news:ga9i6l$jfu$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

Thanks :-)

Reply to
Red Green

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