"crabshell" wrote in message
...
I've taken on a lot of projects thinking "how hard can that be" only to
get
into some quagmires...

I'm thinking about doing my own porcelain tile installation. The room is
220 sq ft with a concrete floor. The concrete still has some thick tar-
like residue from an old carpet install. The concrete is generally level
however there are a couple of places (3' x 1' max) up against the wall
where the original cement didn't fill to make a perfectly smooth / level
surface (it was formerly a breezeway -- it's not a real foundation -- just
poured concrete comparable to a garage floor).

1) How clean does the floor have to be?


You want the thinset to stick to the existing concrete so it has to be
relatively clean free of foreign material and oil.

2) If I use self leveling compound, will that fill the spaces in the
cement
that are not smooth?

It doesn't have to be smooth like a garage floor or level but it does have
to be flat. I place a flat aluminum bar on the floor to see where the low
and high spots are. Low spots fill, high spots grind - within 1/8" over 5'
or somesuch. The thinset will cover minor imperfections as long as its
relatively flat. The larger the tile the more attention needed to get it
flat.


3) How hard can it be? I'm detail oriented so I have no fear of doing
precise work. I just want the floor to look perfectly smooth and
professional when it's all said and done.


Not hard to make it look nice, difficult to have it perfect. 220sf is a
large starter project. Home Depot and Lowe's have the how to demos and the
guy will answer questions and help you select the right material and tools
for the project. Hometime has some good how to tapes/DVD and here is the
site for tiles: http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projects/ctile.htm



Thanks for any advice or insight.