Re-laying ceramic tile over particle board on slab

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JCNelson

JCNelson

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Hi! Wonder what you'd do about this.

Whoever built the addition to my house maybe 30 years ago, over a slab, put a section of ceramic tile flooring, 8 x 4 tiles, by the front door (see photo). About 20 of these tiles eventually got loose and now I'd like to reset them. In pulling off the loose ones and cleaning out the grout, I see they laid the tiles with yellow stuff, I guess mastic and probably asbestos-containing, on a sheet of particle board. Most of this board is sound, but the detail shot shows that a chunk of it stuck to one tile that I pulled up.

Can I get another few years by just laying down more adhesive, putting the tiles back in place and re-grouting and sealing? If I do that, what adhesive should I use?

The house is just an old country frame house that I'll be selling to another frugal guy like me who is happy with clean, safe, and working and doesn't require fancy. I'm afraid to try to pull up the old backer board because it was probably stuck down with asbestos mastic like everything else back in the Asbestos Age of construction. Even if I pulled the remaining tiles off, what replacement covering could I use?

Thanks for ideas!

7060_long_view_tile_floor_section_lo-res.jpg

7061_close_view_tile_floor_section_lo-res.jpg
 
The tile could have gone done on the concrete but he wanted to raise it up to match the rest of the floor. Pull it all out and if need use 1/2" or 1/4" backer board "concrete. Use thin set to stick it down and tile it with the same product. That stuff should never be used there.
 
That floor was installed all wrong, every step. Particle board can not be used under any circumstance, and mastic was a bad move too.

You should remove everything down to the concrete, then after some prep, (depending on the conditions), tile on the concrete or a membrane such as Ditra. Use thin set mortar, nothing pre-mixed.

Installing concrete backer on a slab is another wrong thing to do. Wonder where that came from?

So, those are 8x4" tiles? I gotta get new glasses.

Jaz
 
You can get a few more years by putting mastic or what seems to be vct glue on the floor. Then when you have the funds or the time, go ahead and it it right.
 
Thanks, guys! I knew the pros would tell me how to do it _right_, but then it would be a first-class job in second-class surroundings. A gal at Menard's suggested PL Premium polyurethane construction adhesive, which comes pretty close to aureli's suggestion. Yeah, I KNOW this isn't how it's done by a tiling contractor, but I plan to stick 'em back on as neat and level as possible, grout, and let it go until the whole floor is redone. It won't look worse than before and should act better.

No Jaz, there was no concrete backer. I meant the particle board -- didn't realize "backer board" was the wrong name for it. Also your glasses are fine -- just need to read "8 x 4 tiles" as 8 tiles by 4 tiles!

Clare
 
The old adhesive looks like multipurpose carpet adhesive.
 
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