Ceramic Tile Over Cultured Marble

You should use a polymer modified thin set mortar adhesive that meets ansi a118 4 or better yet ansi a118 15 to bond the porcelain tile to the prepared marble surface.

Ceramic tile over cultured marble.

I wouldn t recommend installing tile over the cultured marble. I sanded the cultured marble ledge applied tec double heavy duty ceramic tile adhesive sometimes referred to as mastic and applied a few test tiles. Epoxy is expensive but there aren t any other settings materials that will give you a reliable bond over this plastic surface. If the wallboard is loose or crumbly you ll have to replace it before tile can be installed.

The mastic around the edges of the test tiles hardened and cured fine. Don t do it you ll be back. The plastic also may not be rigid or strong enough to bear the weight of heavier ceramic bathroom tiles. It hasn t been cut from natural stone but it does have the aspects of real marble in many ways.

The tile backsplash can be installed in place of the previous cultured marble splash as long as the wallboard is undamaged. Its high plastic content can mean it s not solidly adhered to the wall beneath. Cultured marble is made up of an acrylic resin into which marble dust has been mixed. After 72 hours however i decided to remove the test tiles to see if the rest of the mastic had also cured.

All of these factors can affect price. Marble can work as a base for tiling but in spite of its similar appearance cultured marble is generally not a good substrate for bathroom tiles. Usually the cultured marble is pretty easy to remove and comes out without much trouble. Colors and sizes are more limited than with tile but the result is a clean and uniform surface.

Make sure the thin set mortar you use is recommended for this application. However marble and glass tiles can be more expensive to purchase and install. Cultured marble is an acrylic composite and so it will require an epoxy setting material after the surface has been roughed up with either a grinder or sandpaper. There are flexible thin set mortars that are recommended for bonding tile over tile too.

The most popular materials for tile shower surrounds are marble ceramic porcelain glass and acrylic. Covering the cultured marble walls is not a good idea. It should be removed and you should install cement board or similar to apply the tile to. On the marble you re better to take it out check the underlying structure vis a vis deflection thinset screw some cbu down then tile.