Tiling - Floor preparation

[caru]

Hi All,

We are in the middle of re tiling our house. We just finished removing the old tiles and now we were left with adhesive / mortar in most areas.

My tiler said we do not have to remove them completely because they are stick really well to the concrete. He will remove the thick ones though. He will also use self leveling and patch the spots that need patching (cant screed as it will raise the floor and block our door opening)

 

 

 

 

He assured me that this is the right thing to do and wont impact the tiling job.

I am doubtful though so I just want some advise.

Thanks in advance!

Charlie

[redracer01]

Hello @caru 

It is sound advice from your tiler. The glue left behind has petrified and has permanently adhered to your cement floor. You could continue knocking it down with a brickies bolster but it would take a lot of work and a lot of time to perfectly flatten it. If the floor is generally level with a few low spots then using self leveling compound will fix the issue without significantly adding height to the floor. This will then provide you with an ideal base to tile. 

Cheers 

Red

[MitchellMc]

Hi @caru,

To echo @redracer01's response, if the glue/mortar is sound and not crumbling away, it is fine to tile straight over. 

Mitchell

[caru]

Thank you for the feedback!

It is going well and we are happy with the progress