Preparation of Concrete Substrates

Before any tile, stone or membrane can be installed, the surface must be clean and free of any grease, wax, oil, dust, dirt and any other material that can act as a bond breaker. The best tile, stone or membrane installation is only as good as its adhesion to the substrate. Therefore, it is very important that the substrate is being carefully cleaned and prepared to assure maximum bonding and finishing tolerances.

Concrete sealers or curing compounds should not be applied to the surface of concrete slabs that are to receive finished flooring, and if the concrete surface has a sealer or curing compound present, it must be removed. Also note that a concrete slab with a very smooth shiny surface, due to over-trowelling, should be mechanically scarified to ensure that the mortar or membrane can achieve a suitable bond to the concrete. Prior to the application of the installation system, the concrete surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any loose particles of plaster, soil, preparation residuals and other foreign material.

Whether the concrete surface is new or old, the subsurface tolerance should be met for thin-set, thick bed (mortar bed) ceramic and stone tile installation. For more information read TechnicalData Sheet TDS-1118.

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