I have two tiling jobs.

1. Floor tiling over a porch floor which is a smooth level concrete surface.

2. Floor tiling over a kitchen floor composed of wood floor boards covered by hardboard. The existing lino will be removed.

Which adhesive and grout should I use for ceramic or stone tiles ? I've heard of latex milk but don't know whether it's suitable. I don't want to raise the height of the kitchen floor more than is necessary.

worry less about the adhesive at the mo and concentrate more on what you are fixing the tiles to. hardboard is a non starter in tiling m8 unless you mean hardiebackerboard or similar

tel

Tel's right mate.

Harboard is a no go.

If the floor boards are in a good condition and screwed to the joists well then just overboard with backer board or ply. I'd opt for backer board myself.

Then just use a nice flexi cement addy. ( remember to prime if u use ply)

The porch you can use a non flex unless its Anhydrate. Some makes of non flex addy don't recommend you use on it Anhydarte.

Thanks for the replies. The concrete floor in the porch shows signs of damp after rain, though only in small areas. Is there a special adhesive for this situation ?

Originally Posted by davidmarsh

Thanks for the replies. The concrete floor in the porch shows signs of damp after rain, though only in small areas. Is there a special adhesive for this situation ?

Id sort the leak out before tiling. Best solution all round!!

The damp rises through hairline cracks in the concrete which cannot be seen when dry. I'm advised that sealants won't provide a complete barrier to damp. There is a possibility of effluorescence or that sulphates in the evaporate could debond the tiles. PVA sealants are not recommended for BAL products because there is a risk of emulsification. I'm trying to find a reliable DPM available in my area - Coventry. RIW do sell a product but they only have retailers in Birmingham and I don't have transport. The product costs over £50 and needs a primer. The area of floor is less than 2 m sq. and I don't want to spend that much to protect £30 worth of tiles.

Is there a retailer in Coventry selling a reliable DPM ?

You have little choice but to spend money to sort your damp problem if you want your tiles to stay down. maybe another solution would be a decoupling membrane...these allow the substrate to "breath" while isolating the tiled surface from lateral movement of the substrate. Not a cheap option but easy to use and should do the job.