Can I tile over painted concrete?

MarcelFt

Hey, new to this site, thanks for taking the time read:

I want to put Mexican tile down on a concrete floor. 1/3rd of the floor is painted, with what I think is epoxy as it's very tough. The rest of the floor has linoleum tiles, which peal up very easy, and under them is a black coating of some kind. The floor is also not level in all areas, and I will need to level it with self leveling compound.

Bud Cline

No.

MarcelFt

Bummer.

So, I looked around, seems like I need to rent a scarifier and grind it off huh? Anything else that may be easier?

Bud Cline

Bonding to paint or trying to bond to paint is problematic, trying to bond to epoxy paint is basically hopeless.

The paint can be sandblasted or shot-blasted or mechanically ground away. Shot-blasting is the more efficient method with less mess. The biggest problem is getting ahold of the equipment to do the work. Shot-blasting is mostly reserved for those in the business of shot-blasting that own their own equipment.


I have had good luck grinding but I'm talking about using a walk-behind grinding machine that I rent from a tool rental company. You rent the machine and buy the grinding stones. There are also machines that use a diamond impregnated disc but the discs clog easily and can't really be cleaned and they are very costly with little bang for the buck. The best-bet is the rotary-type machines (IMO) that use carbide teeth that scrape/grind away the coating. I have had my best luck with this type of machine. A good rental machine to seek out is the EDCO. It is a rotary machine that uses carbide teeth - you buy the teeth and rent the machine.