How to Lay Ceramic Tile Over In-Floor Heating
Ceramic tile, due to its ability to conduct and retain heat, is an excellent choice for installation on a radiant-heated floor. It is wonderful to step out of bed on a cold frosty morning and put your bare feet on a warm floor. Ceramic tile floors installed over radiant heat maintain a temperature between 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The heated ceramic tile floor retains long-lasting warmth and takes less energy to keep the floor at a comfortable temperature. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Gypsum mortar
- Trowel
- Straight edge
- Thinset
- Tile spacers
- Level
- Hammer
- Scrap lumber
- Wet saw
- Tile nippers
- Grout
- Grout float
- Sponge
- Bucket
- Grout tool
- Towels
Instructions
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Installing Ceramic Tile
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1
Turn the radiant heating system off for 24 hours before applying the gypsum to the floor. Smooth a layer of lightweight gypsum over the electric heating cables or water tubing, using a trowel. Maintain an even depth of the gypsum and make it as smooth as possible. Use caution to avoid damaging the cabling or tubing. Allow it to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before beginning ceramic tile installation.
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2
Measure an even distance from the starting wall and mark lines on the floor. Use a straight edge or a chalk line to connect the lines.
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3
Spread thinset to an area approximately 3 square feet. Thinset dries quickly, only spread an area that you can comfortably apply tile to in about 15 minutes.
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4
Set the ceramic tile onto the thinset using the drawn line as a guide. Place spacers at the tile corners as you work. Lift one of the tiles periodically to check that the entire back of the tile is coated evenly with mastic. If the tile does not show an even coating, you may need to press harder on the tile or apply additional thinset to the back of the tile to get good adhesion. Tap the tiles by using a hammer and a scrap piece of lumber to set the tiles evenly, and check with a straight edge or level for evenness across the top of the tile. Remove any thinset that squeezes up between the tiles; this removes a lot easier while it is still wet. Excess thinset between the tiles will interfere with the grout.
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5
Apply all full tiles and allow the floor to dry 24 hours, before setting the cut edge tiles. Cut the edge tiles with a wet-saw or nippers. Do not be concerned if the edge of the cut tile that butts the wall is uneven, as the baseboard covers the rough edges. Apply thinset to the back of the cut edge tiles and press into place.
Grouting Ceramic Tile
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6
Remove tile spacers. Spread grout over the ceramic tile, working it into the openings between the tiles. Use a damp grout sponge to remove excess grout from the surface of the tiles, avoid using too much water, because it will affect the quality of the grout. Keep a bucket of clean water handy to rinse the sponge, and change the water when it becomes murky. Use a grout tool to clean and smooth the grout joints.
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7
Allow the grout to dry and wipe the ceramic tile with a dry sponge or towel to remove the grout haze from the tile.
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8
Turn the radiant heat back on. Use a low setting and gradually increase to the preferred heat level.
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Tips & Warnings
Radiant heating installed by professional installers may already have the layer of gypsum applied.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ceramic tile image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
