I'm looking to replace an old carpet in my finished basement with tile. I've removed the carpet and found a surface with some peeling paint, which I've read needs to be removed since the thinset for the tiles needs to bond to a solid surface.
I've tried attacking a small area with an angle grinder with a sanding attachment and a coarse grit sanding disc, and I've found that there seem to be a number of layers on top of the slab:
It looks like there are at least two layers of paint, and then the green layer is pretty resistant to coming off. Below that there is this red, which I thought at first was maybe some weird color of cement, but if I really leave the grinder there it seems to get through to gritty looking concrete.
What do I need to do here to be able to tile on top of this? It seems like the green / red layers are very well adhered and I wouldn't be worried about them coming up, but they also will not absorb any water, so I'm not sure if the thinset would bond?
Best Answer
Putting tile over a painted surface can be risky. Sure looks like removing all that paint would be a chore and maybe hazardous (lead based paint if pre 1978). We have put tile over such surfaces by roughing it a bit and putting a scratch coat of "floor patch and leveler" over the entire surface. This is a good bonding agent on stable subfloors.
Another very good alternative is to use one of the new no-mortar interlocking tile products. These are tiles mounted on an interlocking plastic base that just snap together. They are very quick and easy to install. There are several different brands, tile material and backer types available. There is an article about these type of tiles, on Good Housekeeping.
Google "no mortar tile". Lots of articles on the subject