Installing Tile Shower Floor Over Concrete

Installing tile directly on concrete.

Installing tile shower floor over concrete.

Pre slope is required in order to allow water collected on the shower membrane to drain into the weep holes of your shower drain assembly. Using concrete mix create a 1 4 per foot slope to the shower drain. The ceramic tile floors shown at left were installed atop of an existing ceramic tile floor lower right and over both concrete and solid core plywood the upper floor level. How to lay porcelain tile over a concrete floor.

Today we started the installation process on the curbless shower for the master bathroom. Use a chalk line to mark your starting point on the concrete floor. Remember tile and mortar are not waterproof. Now that you have a reference point you can be sure that the first row of tiles will be properly aligned.

Whether you ll be installing tile over your shower s concrete floor or leaving it bare you will need to use a mixture called deck mud to form the shower s base. Concrete provides one of the most stable working platforms in the world and is the preferred foundation layer for a ceramic or porcelain tile. We share tips and tools that make this a lot easier no matter what your skill level. Deck mud also known as floor mud or dry pack mortar is a simple mixture of sand portland cement and water.

Pour a layer of mortar over top of the shower membrane and form the slope down towards the drain hole. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material. Typical slope for a shower floor is 1 8 to 3 16 inch per foot across. Today s video shares quick tips for how to tile a shower floor.

Installing ceramic tiles over concrete can help to create a more inviting indoor or outdoor living space. It s a little extra work but in the long run we think it. Using an acid based cleaner or deep cleaner of your choice clean the concrete and allow it to dry thoroughly. Ceramic and porcelain tile are so frequently installed at or above grade level on a cement board underlayment or directly on plywood that it almost seems novel to install tile directly on concrete.

Guide to using floor leveling compounds for setting tile. Then use a square tool to check that the lines are perpendicular to one another. The curved floor edge trim and facing were site built by the editor df.