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Tired of my tiles Lynette Williams of Cape Town writes
I’d love to redo the floors in my home – I’m tired of the porcelain tiles. I see that cement floors are all the rage; could I give my floors such a treatment without removing the tiles?
Joanne Sykes, marketing manager at Cemcrete, replies Coating over tiles can be done successfully, but it depends on the state of the tiles themselves. If at any stage the tiles were to lift or crack, this would damage the coating(s) applied on top of them.
Tiles such as Slasto and clay should not be coated, but rather removed. It is not recommended to put an actual screed over tiles; rather opt for a decorative overlay system. These decorative overlays are for interior use only; for exterior areas, please consult an expert. Here’s how to go about it:
• Sand the tiles to remove the glazed surface.
• The grout lines must be cleaned so that Cemcrete’s PrimerCote will stick on them. Mix PrimerCote with FlexBond (1:2) and water to a crack-filler consistency and fill the grout lines level with the tiles. Allow to dry.
• Now mix PrimerCote with FlexBond (1:2) and water to a paintable slurry and apply a thin coat over the entire surface. Allow to dry.
• You’ll notice that the grout lines are visible under this layer; it needs to be sealed off prior to applying the cementitious coating. Apply three coats of Concrete Floor Primer, brushing each coat on at right angles to the one before. Allow four hours of drying time between each coat and 12 hours before applying Cemcrete’s CreteCote, a thin skim-on floor coating. Cure and seal the CreteCote as per the product datasheet instructions.
CONTACT cemcrete.co.za