On May 15, 12:41 pm, crabshell wrote:
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?

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

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.

Thanks for any advice or insight.

The pro's will tell you it is a slam dunk but as amateur who has done
a couple of jobs now all I can say is that it is a royal pain in the
knees!

Probably the best advice I can give you is to not mix up too much
thinset at a time. You will not work as fast as the professional and
if you mix too much it will get too thick to work with before you can
use it. Take your time and use spacers to position the tiles. Don't
try to get too fancy with a pattern either.