We have a covered porch that had an in/out carpet on it. After removing the carpet the underlayment is pressure treated 3/4″ plywood.
I would like to install 12 x 12 slate tile around the front door.
What I’m looking for is installation ideas. Should they go down in thinset like indoor ceramic or a mastic glue troweled on ?
I’ve been on a jobsite everyday for the last 20+ years but have never seen an outdoor tile installed on a substrate.
Any suggestions ??
Replies
I would put down 1/2" of cement board (Durock) first. Plywood moves too much with seasonal moisture changes. I'm not sure if you should set the cemant board in a thin-set mortar for this application or not. I guess I probably would.
But you definitely want to tape the seams with fiber glass mesh and then trowel on a thin coat of thinset over the mesh. Then set your tile in thinset, not mastic.
Consider thinsetting Schleuter Ditra to the plywood and then thinsetting tile to the Ditra.