I want to put tile down in my basement. It is going to be my 15year old son’s swinging bachelor pad. The concrete slab is about 16 years old. It’s dry and stable. It has had carpet on it all this time.
Any suggestions on how to prep it. I Want to do this one time.
Thanks
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Replies
One gotcha with tile in the basement is condensation. When warm moist air hits cold basement tile, condensation can be bad, and things can get slippery. Concrete tends to absorb some moisture, and the insulative carpet tends to minimize condensation (and absorb the rest). Tile leaves the water on the surface, which it is worse for condensation problems.
Just something to consider...
In terms of comfort, the stuff is cold underfoot.
As for preparation, you need to clean the bejeezus out of it and perhaps even etch the surface to give the thinset mortar something to "bite" into. Also take a long straightedge and check for flatness and humps or valleys that will show a lot more with tile than the carpet did. You don't say what kind of tile but with the larger units you'll want the floor as flat as possible to avoid lippage due to any uneveness in the slab's surface.
All that said, I agree with Snow - if I were a "swinging 15 year old", I think I'd prefer carpet to tile in my "pad". (grin)
Dennis in Bellevue WA
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if I were a "swinging 15 year old", I think I'd prefer carpet to tile in my "pad". (grin)
also makes it much easier for him to sneek in and out...and for the parents to sleep.
We did a basement for a women last winter and she tiled the entire thing, we put a deck on the house this summer and she mentioned how she can hear every hard step or dropped what ever on the floor.