I'm working on tiling my house and have just got to the kitchen.
(approximately 95 sq/ft)

After pulling up the linoleum, I find that the concrete has been
treated with some kind of sealer, so that it repels water.

Hopefully you experts here will be able to give me a word of advice as
to what to do next?

Can I lay my thinset right on top of this sealed surface, or do I have
to treat it in some way?

Your help will be appreciated.

Lewis.

******

Check the thinset instructions for surface prep.

If it has a problem adhering to sealed concrete, I think you could
either
strip the sealer or rough up the surface with some coarse sandpaper to
improve the adhesion.

Maybe try a bit of thinset in an out of sight location ( under the
sink? ) to see how well it will stick do the sealed concrete.

A good polymer modified thinset will stick just fine. If you are really
concerned, paint on a layer of concrete bonding compound or use latex admix
in the thinset (see bag instructions, more expensive thinset already has it
inside). BigBox has about 5 or 6 kinds in the store, you want the third
down from the most expensive (unless you want white)

I used this method on painted concrete with no problems yet.

If the sealer is more like a thick coat of polyurethane which can peel up on
its own, you will want to strip it or score it to expose much of the
underlying concrete. Sanding with a concrete brick works well in this
situation.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm working on tiling my house and have just got to the kitchen.
(approximately 95 sq/ft)

After pulling up the linoleum, I find that the concrete has been
treated with some kind of sealer, so that it repels water.

Hopefully you experts here will be able to give me a word of advice as
to what to do next?

Can I lay my thinset right on top of this sealed surface, or do I have
to treat it in some way?

Your help will be appreciated.

Lewis.

******

A good polymer modified thinset will stick just fine. If you are
really
concerned, paint on a layer of concrete bonding compound or use latex
admix
in the thinset (see bag instructions, more expensive thinset already
has it
inside). BigBox has about 5 or 6 kinds in the store, you want the
third
down from the most expensive (unless you want white)

I used this method on painted concrete with no problems yet.


Thanks for the encouraging news. :-)

I have been using the 'polymer modified' VERSABOND brand in the rest of
the house, with great results, so it looks like I can stick with what I
already have.

Kind regards.

Lewis.

******

try pro red