Flooring Tile - Outdoor Tiling

I just bought my first house and am interested in fixing it up from a HUD home to a really nice little place.

I have a screened in porch that leads to the front door. Currently, there is a concrete floor that has been painted but looks really poor. After pressure washing it this weekend, I've decided I would like to put tile out there along with some chairs to make somewhat of a "sitting room".

My questions are:

1.) Is it possible to put ceramic tile on a floor that will see rain coming in through the screens

2.) Is there a certain type of tile/grout that I will need to use?

3.) Any other nuances or precautions to take when tiling an outdoor space?

Thanks.

Yes its possible. Porcelain is the best choice. Youll need to remove all the paint from the slab mechanically (scraping, grinding). No chemicals, as they can affect the bond of the setting materials.

What part of the country do you live in? Freeze and thaw conditions? What condition is the slab in? Is the slab pitched to shed water?

Yes its possible. Porcelain is the best choice. Youll need to remove all the paint from the slab mechanically (scraping, grinding). No chemicals, as they can affect the bond of the setting materials.

What part of the country do you live in? Freeze and thaw conditions? What condition is the slab in? Is the slab pitched to shed water?

I live in Atlanta, GA which generally has a mild climate. We rarely see snow or ice. The slab is fairly level as far as I can tell although after pressure washing the space, only a few minor pools of water developed.

This paint is unlikely to scrape off. It has been ground into the concrete for probably 30+ years. Is it absolutely necessary to take the paint off, or would a clean surface suffice? If so, what would one use to grind the paint off?

Thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, I have to agree about the paint, it has to go. If it remains, your new floor will be depending on the bond of paint to concrete for it's bond to the floor and this normally doesn't work for long. The paint will eventually let go and then problems develop. A wire brush on a drill sometimes works, but a grinder is what I normally use. It makes an awful mess, but is quite effective. When you're finished and all the paint is gone, level out the few low spots you found when the floor was wet and puddled with a self leveling compound. Use a good six or eight foot straight edge to find any high spots and grind them down. Unlike laminates where an unflat floor will actually cause the material to fail, tile can be installed on a floor that isn't flat and it will still adhere and last, but it will be an ugly floor with lots of lippage and be more difficult to install. In the final analysis, this is your home and you can do as you please. But, as professionals in the field, it's our job to advise and said advice comes from years of experience and training.

I agree with Smokey about the paint situation.

You mentioned that the floor will see water. How does that water drain now? If you can afford extra height, you could put a mud bed over the slab. Minimum thickness would be 1 1/4". You could pitch the mud bed to shet water in the direction you want it to flow. Then install a waterproofing membrane over the bed and then the tile. This would add probably 1 3/4" or more total height to the floor. I dont know if you can afford that height though.

Thanks for the informative responses.

I have not lived in the house more than about two weeks now and come to think of it, I haven't ever actually seen rain pool up on the porch floor. It is likely that the overhang protects the porch from seeing much direct rain - probably only when the wind blows rain from the side. There is a space between the screen door and the concrete slab that water could drain out through. I don't know that there is much of a grade to the slab, however.

So that settles it. I will remove the paint from the floor and the powerwash it again. Then I will fill in any low spots and move towards tiling. Thanks.

I was talking to a friend the other day who has experience in remodeling homes and he recommended that rather than tiling directly onto the concrete, I should drill hardiplank backer board to the concrete and then tile over that. What do you guys think about this option?

Thanks.

Your friend is giving you very bad advice. Hardi board is for tile. The hardi plank is manufactured for something else and I don't know what it is. Hardi backer is also not to be used in exterior applications. All CBU's cement backer units call for them to be bedded in thinset when used on floors and mechanically fastened. John Hardi stipulates not to use Hardi over concrete. As a matter of fact all CBU manufacturers state the same thing. Both HeresJohnny and Smokey49 are giving you very sound advice. If you need some more clarification on the CBU uses then I suggest you check their site personally.
Jim

Tile pro is correct, no hardi on concrete. Why would you do that any how? the purpose for backer board is to compensate for expansion and contraction differences between wood and tile. Concrete and tile have the same expansion and contraction rates which means the backer is not needed. If I were going to do anything, I would add an anti-fracture membrane, such as Redgard, to try to keep any potential cracks in the slab from telegraphing through the tile, but that's about it.

Thanks for the responses. This is excellent information to guide my choices.