Will thinset stick to smooth wall surface?
I’m rebuilding a basement bathroom. 50s era house. Basement wall (in old bath) is block foundation with about 2″ of metal mesh enforced concrete finished to a remarkably smooth surface with a few layers of well applied paint (likely leaded). The wall is smooth as glass. And I mean smooth…yes…as glass. I’d consider pulling the concrete layer off the block, but it’s bonded incredibly well. It would be madness to chisel it off. I’ve cut several shallow grooves into the wall with a circular saw masonry blade, but that creates a dust storm. My thinking is that the grooves will provide some foothold for the thinset. So I guess I have two questions: Will thinset stick to the smooth surface or how do I wet cut with a handheld masonry saw to provide multiple grooves?
Replies
not any less dusty, but I wonder if you could use a wire wheel (cup kind) on a grinder and quickly rough up the surface. Way quicker than grooves.
Strip the paint with a chemical stripper and then apply Custom's MBP. You can apply it with a paint roller. You then apply thinset right to the surface and set tile.