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My kitchen bleeds into a laundry area and the tiles in that section are cracked. I've got a bunch of matching tiles under the house, but whoever built this place thought that setting tiles into wet cement was the way to do it. There's no grout. The underfloor is a concrete slab on some black plastic sitting on top of floorboards. It's super not-up-to-spec, but I guess things were different back in 1970.
You can see the lip the tile made in the cement when they pressed it in. I also don't know what they expected the floor drain to be doing, since it's higher than the edge of the tiles - water just sits in between the tiles until I towel it up. Awesome design.
I've tried knocking out tiles with a chisel and then just seating new ones on some tile adhesive, and grouting around them with black grout, but they stick up higher than those around them, and have cracked again anyway, because I think the cement underneath isn't terribly level. The black grout just dries then flakes off the concrete.
I wondered about pouring something like a white resin over the whole thing just so it's level, and so I don't have to look at these ugly tiles. I also wondered about pulling them all up and then somehow levelling the cement so I can chuck down some of those floated vinyl boads. I don't know how resin works, the floor itself is only 'eyeball-level', and I don't know how to level set concrete either, so these are on the backburner.
I'm looking for budget-friendly suggestions.
Hi @frumbert,
You've definitely given it a solid crack (pun fully intended), and honestly, you're on the right track thinking about pulling everything up and starting fresh, especially since the existing setup isn't up to spec and the patch jobs haven't held up.
Given that the tiles are cracking again after being reinstalled, and that the substrate is uneven cement over a plastic membrane on top of floorboards, it’s likely that the entire base is shifting just enough to keep cracking those rigid tiles. If the tiles come up fairly easily, your best bet is to go ahead and chisel them all up. Once they’re removed, use a self-levelling compound over the exposed surface. This stuff is made for situations like yours — it flows into the low spots, evens everything out, and leaves you with a smooth, level surface to work on.
If you’re considering laying hybrid flooring over it later, this method will give you the stable, flat base you need. You may need to raise your floor drain slightly using a riser if it ends up being too low compared to the new finished height, but those are relatively easy to install for a plumber.
Pouring resin as a surface finish might seem appealing for a quick cover-up, but it’s costly, difficult to DIY well (especially on an uneven surface), and doesn’t solve the underlying issues, especially if movement or moisture is still present. Vinyl plank or hybrid floating flooring is a better budget-friendly option and will also look a lot neater long term.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
No, just the self-levelling compound @frumbert, which is very similar to a screed. You'd bring it right up to the edges of the room. Then you could add a skirting board to neaten the joint between the wall and floor.
Mitchell
