How long concrete cure before tiling

We understand from the PCA Portland Cement Association and the ACI American Concrete Institute that many variables affect the length of time a slab needs to cure and the length of time during which curling can be expected. Some of the more common variables are:.

You can see that it is not possible to definitively state how long the concrete should cure before tiling. Although it may not be possible to say for sure, what is a typical period for the concrete to cure?

Many people suggest a minimum cure of 28 days under normal conditions, although most thinset manufacturers say you may get away with 14 days using a premium latex modified thinset. There are risks though to tiling too soon. As the slab continues to cure, it will continue to shrink as it hydrates and the excess moisture evaporates.

Once the plaster was dry I went over it with a mist coat of I have had what I thought was a reputable plumber to fix my boiler and water tank, as the boiler would only fire up sometimes and Hi, I have dug out a void in the garden for a shed foundation and raked it level. I'm keen to get going right away with the Ask a tradesman. Liked Liked 9. Liked 8. Like 8. Liked 7. Liked 6. Like 5. Hope this helps! Thanks again Julia.

Last edited by Lone Julia; at AM. Hello Julia, I suggest that you remove the wood. It can swell and contract with temperature and humidity variations, causing stress under your tile that might lead to it's failure. With the wood removed, fill the void with concrete to make it level.

Then use Ditra over the whole floor to protect the tile from any movement the cold-joints might allow. Hi Shaughnn, I guess you are an early riser like me. I'm very disappointed to learn I have to remove the frames. If I do remove them what should I use to fill the channels that are left--I'd like something that maybe dries quicker than normal concrete so that I don't have to extend my drying time yet one more week? Thanks, julia.

It is kind of expensive, but you could use self-leveling-concrete to fill the areas where the wood is now. To save some money, you might be able to fill it up part way with gravel, but I'd let a pro make that determination. You would also need primer in that slot. You can tile depending on the brand you use - check the spec sheet hours after you pour the stuff.

HD sells one brand. My unprofessional opinion. Definately cheaper to use regular concrete, but you'd have to wait much longer in comparison. If that slab is in a garage, it may not be level enough to use SLC.

I'd use concrete. And pulling those boards out will come out without too much hassle using the technique Shaughnn described initially. Welcome, Julia. Don't know exactly what y'all poured over that existing concrete floor, but if it was a regular concrete mix, like a psi mix from a redimix company, and poured pretty wet as I would suspect you would try to do with a thin layer like that, and probably without any reinforcement or bonding agent, I can guarantee you're gonna have cracks in the new floor.

And they'll be worse if you're not keeping the new concrete wet or haven't been, beinashow it's past tense by now. I know you think you're in a hurry for it to "dry," but that's the last thing you want it to do at this stage. You want it to "cure," and it'll do that best if kept damp.

And you really must remove those form boards. I'm suspecting you'll not be anywhere close to flat there where the boards are, so I'd recommend you dress up the edges after you remove the boards and then just fill the gaps with some deck mud, or even just mix up some Quikrete and put it in there.

You're gonna hafta use some kinda membrane over the whole thing, anyway. I'm thinking those forms are all real close to the walls, so Tileguytodd's concerns might not be quite so worrysome if you're using large tiles. You're cold joints will just be under the edge of the tile nearly against the wall, so you shouldn't have a lot of problem with them I don't think.