I need some help building up the base after taking out the old stuff today.
Hear is what I started with. Ugly tile, some missing, and some cracked and missing grout.
At first I thought I could just chip up the tiles and be able to tile directly to the old mortar. This got old real fast and then I started using a hammer drill to chisel off the tiles.
Once I got the tiles off I was still dealing with some leftover tile remains and old trowel grooves. The wife wants the new tile to be flush with the floor like the original so I couldn't just clean it up and go over top. I tried using the hammer chisel to knock down the trowel grooves and other mess, but eventually we decided to see just how far we could go and started knocking it all out.
So here is where I'm at now.
What's the best way to build this back up (it is about 4-6 inches deep) and prepare to install new tile?
I'm no mason, my thought was to fill in all the rough stuff in the firebox with a bunch of cement or concrete until it is level with the sunken wood hearth frame. Then cover that while it's still wet with some 1/2" cement board and screw the cement board down to those planks. that would make it one big piece. Then once it dries pour cement or concrete on top of that to build it up to a level where I can do my tile.
Does that sound reasonable or even close to a good idea?
Should I use a piece of Ditra over top? Also, what tile do you think would look good in here that would be flush with the floor? The fireplace is brick painted in white.
Oh, I also plan to put a woodburning stove insert here eventually. I didn't know if I needed to take the weight into consideration for my tile choice.
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