I what to put tile over my laminate countertop. Is there a speical thinset or sheathing I need to install first? Or should I remove the old laminate?jlaadams@cableone.net
removing the laminate will give you the highest % chance of success.. if you choose to go over it, rough it up with a belt sander, clean it real good and use a high powered modified thinset, bt that I mean one with a higher content of polymers or latex in it.
Posts: 163 | Location: Ocean Grove, NJ | Registered: 25 January 2005
You can definitely go ever the existing laminate top as long as it does not have grease or oil on its surface. You must clean it well and as TileguyBob says, you need to rough the surface up with a low grit sandpaper. You need to use a very high end latex modified thinset such as TEC SUPER FLEX You can read about the thinset and all approved substrates on their website.
Tommy
Posts: 14 | Location: Florida | Registered: 15 October 2008
Thank you so much. I am a hurricane Katrina survivor and trying to repair what I paid contractors to do. I was ripped off for about $20,000 so I have to do it myself. I learn as I go and do as I can (money wise) Thank God for this web site. I wish I had found it sooner.
First things first, your tile will only stick as well as what your are sticking it to. That being said, I think everyone has seen a laminate counter delaminating or peeling off of it's sub base, so don't tile over it. Even installing a backerboard over it will not help.
Secondly, if you only peel the laminate off the particle board it is adhered to, you are left with a very poor substrate to try to install tile over, again even if you install backerboard over it. The reason being that the product laminates are adhered to cannot stand up to the moisture content of tile adhesives. They will fall apart, maybe not tomorrow but soon. As for a (liquid) self leveling cement, you still run into the same problems of moisture attacking the subtop.
Your only solution is to remove ALL of the existing counter top, and replace that with a new (exterior grade)plywood subtop, follow that with a cement backerboard both screwed and adhered with an adhesive approved by that backerboard manufacturer.
For other information you can check this site Ciciliot
