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Stained concrete after removing ceramic tile-Can this be done?

15 years ago

I haven't seen this problem addressed on the forum. Is it possible to scrape up ceramic tile and then stain the concrete underneath? Will there be residue left behind from whatever product was used to apply the ceramic, or can that be sanded off? We are looking at a house with really awful ceramic tile throughout the first floor. I would say it's at least 10 years old. The house is fairly contemporary and I think stained concrete would be perfect- just not sure it is an option. This house is near the top of our budget with just enough left to have the floors done; however, if there will be a lot of hidden expenses to get the job done, Maybe we should keep looking :( Thanks!

Featured Answer

floorman67

15 years ago

it depends on your concrete.

every job is unique, so we have no idea how easy or difficult it will be to remove the thinset, plus the amount of residue that may be left. It also depends how thorough the person(s) is/are who are doing the work and their degree of expertise in this area.

Anotehr consideration is the type of setting bed and type of thiset used (mubbed or thinset, polymer/latex fortified or unfortified regular thinset).

it also depends on your expectations of overall looks as well.

if it was sealed concrete then you have a much better chance of being satisfied with the outcome because the thinset may come up easier than it would on unfinished and/ot rough concrete.

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Comments (6)

mally
15 years ago
I've been talking to a number of companies about just this issue. I have ceramic tile which would have to be removed before applying stain to the underlying concrete. All the companies have stated that, after removing the ceramic tile and scraping off as much of the mastic as possible, they would apply another new thin layer of concrete before staining. So the answer is yes, it definitely is possible. The cost in this area, NE Florida, is about $6/sq ft, for the entire project: tile removal thru staining and sealing.

I would appreciate any comments on this approach, as well as the sealing technique.
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weedyacres & floorguy - thank you for telling me about the electric hammer idea. Lowes doesn't rent tools, so I called my local Home Depot this morning. The guy said that they do rent an electric hammer with a chisel attachment, but it's broken : ( He gave me a number of a Rental store in a neighboring city to give them a try. The rental store said they have a Trozel grinder and it's a walk behind unit. We may eventually go and get something electric to help out with this job, but today we made some progress with our little sledge hammer. My husband tried just pounding on the tile (without using the chisel) and we found that bigger chunks are coming loose. We're careful not to damage the concrete slab. Sometimes, the thinset and the tile crack & come loose together as one unit. Sometimes, the thinset remains. So far, I think about 1/3 of the tile is off. oruboris - you were wise to forwarn about using eye protection! Flying tile chips can be dangerous! Here is a picture of day 2. We worked about 3 hours today.
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curbside
15 years ago
We are in the process of doing this in our kitchen. The c-tile has been up for some time, and my husband just rented a grinder from Home Depot and ground off the thinset. This weekend over Thanksgiving, we are going to knock out the staining project, put the baseboards in, and get ready to paint the room. All this needs to be done before next month, when we have people in town for our wedding.
jeannekay
15 years ago
I used to work in a store that did this. You could still see where the tiles had been or the marks of the thinset but it gave the floor a really cool look and designs throughout which wouldn't have been there on new concrete.
texasfloor
14 years ago
We were able to get up all the mastic from our kitchen with the grinder. It turned out really nice--my husband took it down to the aggregate, so it's really cool looking.
susanlynn2012
14 years ago
Texasfloor, any pictures?

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