How to Lay Porcelain Tile Over a Brick Floor
Porcelain floor tiles require a strong, immobile backing to prevent any movement that could crack or loosen the tiles. An existing brick floor makes a fine underlayment, as long as the surface is flat and not mounded. Even the flattest brick floor is likely to have some gaps and cracks in it if it's old, so make sure to properly prepare it with liquid leveler, which is a watery form of cement. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Floor cleaner
- Mop
- Liquid floor leveler
- Chalk snapline
- Thin-set mortar
- Notched trowel
- Porcelain floor tiles
- Tile spacers
- Tile cutter
- Grout
- Grout float
- Sponge
Instructions
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1
Thoroughly mop the brick floor with floor cleaner. Let it dry completely.
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2
Pour liquid floor level over any areas of the brick that have cracks, dips or gaps, letting the leveler fill them in and even it out with the surrounding floor.
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3
Divide the floor into four quadrants by snapping two intersecting lines with your chalk snapline. The intersection should be right in the middle of the floor.
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4
Spread thin-set mortar over the intersection, using a notched trowel and covering a few square feet. You should be able to see the chalk lines through the mortar.
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5
Press the first porcelain tile into the mortar at the intersection so that it's bordered by the two lines on two adjacent sides of the tile. Press more tiles in around the first one, putting spacers between them as you lay them.
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Spread additional mortar and lay more tiles, working your way out along the lines toward the walls. Put spacers between all of the tiles. Cut the tiles at the ends with a tile cutter, as needed, and set them with the cut sides facing the walls.
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7
Let the mortar set for 12 hours. Pull out the spacers. Spread grout over the floor in sections of a few square feet at a time, pressing it into the lines with a grout float then wipe up the excess grout with a damp sponge. Do this over the whole floor. Let it set for 48 hours.
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