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How to lay 600x600 Porcelain tiles on imperfect floor?

atmatic
Getting Established

How to lay 600x600 Porcelain tiles on imperfect floor?

Hi all, as a separate question again from my other posts.

 

I have (finally) finished lifting up all of the old ceramic tiles (Hallway, Kitchen, Dining, Living, and Laundry) on concrete slab flooring and has tried my best to remove the tile mortar by using a grinding cup with an angle grinder.

attached picture below:
floor tiling.jpg

 

I have tried my best to make sure that I don't remove the actual concrete floor, but only the mortar, but there has been some "deep" slopes that are not too far in between. Majority of the floor is flat to the touch.

 

Assumingly, I believe the flooring itself is relatively levelled.

 

Can I get away of not using self leveling compound and put tiles above it? Hoping that the adhesive will fill the small imperfections, but would definitely use a primer prior to.

 

Is this the ideal primer? https://www.bunnings.com.au/sika-5l-sikafloor-08-adhesive-primer_p0271849

 

And also what adhesive should I use on 600x600 porcelain tiles?


I will be using levelling systems, ideally from DTA. The kitchen would be removed as well, so new kitchen will be above tiling.

 

May I ask as well what "height" trim should I use on a 9.5mm thick tile. Assumingly the tile and the adhesive would be 15mm from the floor...?

 

Thank you all in advance.

Edit:

Changed title to not be confusing.

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: [?] Laying 600x600 Porcelain tiles

Hi @atmatic 

 

The best way to tell if your floor is level is to use a Trojan 1800mm Box Level or similar. What's important is that the spirit level has to be long so that you can spot straight away where the low level of the floor is. I suggest using an Empire Red Fine Marker Pen on the concrete floor to mark where the low spot begins and ends.

 

I propose working in a grid pattern working from left to right to make sure you cover the entire flooring area. However, if the dip in the floor is not that severe, you should be able to get away without having to use self-levelling compound. 

 

In regards to the primer, using Sika 5L Sikafloor-08 Adhesive Primer is an excellent choice. There are a number of choices when it comes to tile trim. But I also suggest considering looking at flooring transition trims if you are meeting up with flooring that is not at the same level. I suggest visiting your local store so that you can see what level you'll be needing.   

 

A lot of tilers use Dunlop 15kg Floorfix Tile Adhesive when they are tiling over concrete surfaces. But if you are looking for adhesive that is tolerant of minimal movement, I also suggest looking at Dunlop 20kg Trade Resaflex.

 

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

 

Eric

 

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