How to tile over a marble fireplace overcoming problems with tile over a marble fireplace.
Tiling over marble floor.
Subfloor preparation is similar cement board underlayment installed over a sturdy plywood subfloor is the best base for marble tiles just as it is with ceramic tile.
Buy a latex modified thin set one brand is flexbond and mix it in small batches to keep it from skinning over.
To lay tile over tile.
Being that it is marble a precious rock you may want to remove carefully and bag it up for possible later use in a wall or a tumbled shower pan.
Playing it really safe.
Tiling over an uneven surface will give you less than stellar results so level out any globs of dried grout with a sander and secure loose tiles with fresh.
Tiles are glued down with a thin set adhesive a mortar based product that now is the standard for ceramic and stone tile products.
But it is fraught with future dangers including adhesive failure liability from falls caused by popping grout lines needing to re do the entire project and so on.
I would recommend first scarifying the surface of the marble.
If you follow the three part strategy above your tiles will probably stay put but if.
Use the belt sander to scratch the entire area of the cultured marble where you will be installing the tile.
It is a wall not a floor.
Complete adhesive coverage is critical on large tiles 12 in.
Or larger and even more important when you re tiling over tile.
Clean floor clean the floor to remove any grease or dirt.
Covering the cultured marble walls is not a good idea.
Layout tile layout the tile pattern on the floor by popping chalk lines to use in aligning the tile.
Answer answer as long as the existing marble floor is structurally sound and well bonded to its substrate without excessive deflection you can bond over the marble.
Back to business as usual.
Others prefer to use a larger notched trowel 1 2 x 1 2 in to apply the thin set.
Some installers prefer to flatback each tile with the flat edge of the trowel before applying the tile to the combed thin set.
How to apply tile to cultured marble step 1.
Use the vacuum to completely clean all of the dust and particles from the cultured marble surface where you will.
Tile over existing marble.
The marble surface is likely polished or honed and it might have a sealer on it or contaminates from pass use.
Clearly you have a lower initial cost by doing an overlay.
One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to tiling is can you tile over cultured marble in the bathroom there are two sides to this question.
Prepare the surface for installation.
Cut door jambs use a jamb saw or handsaw and spacer block to cut door jambs to the proper height.
Technically it can be done but in practice it is avoided.