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Expert Answers
What do I have to do to Install porcelain tile over a Stucco Wall finish?
QUESTION
Hi, I want to install porcelain tile over stucco to get a contemporary clean look but I am not sure how the stucco will hold up the porcelain tiles. I considered sandblasting the stucco or installing chicken wire on the stucco or even installing hardy backer on the stucco. I need your help figuring the best option to start my project. Please let me know.Thank you
ANSWER
ANSWER - First of all you can't install directly to exterior stucco wall without first removing the stucco. Stucco is a weak cementitious material and too weak to bond tile to.You can sandblast or even water blast it off. Be careful with water blasting because you might discover some leaks or cause leaks with too much pressure.
You could put up metal lath and screw to studs and then float a scratch and mortar bed application, which gives you the best surface if you know what you are doing. You could glue and screw Hardibacker board or other exterior tile backer board over the stucco and to the studs. You need to make sure you shim the backer board to be plumb on the wall. You might what to apply a liquid waterproof/crack isolation membrane over the mortar bed or Hardibacker board. The membrane will help minimize potential efflorescence staining. Be sure to properly waterproof and flash all windows and transitions. Use an ASTM C920 silicone sealant at all transitions that is compatible with the other materials.
11 thoughts on “What do I have to do to Install porcelain tile over a Stucco Wall finish?”
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Thank you for the informative answer. I will post notes after installation.
Can you remove 4 x 4 accent tiles from exterior of stucco home safely without damaging the stucco? How do you get the stucco texture after you remove the tiles to match the stucco of the rest of the home?
Depends on how the tile was installed. Often they adhere the tile before they stucco around it. Sometimes they may bond directly to the stucco. Stucco is weak mortar so either way it will likely come off with the tile or there isn’t any stucco under the tile.
You can go to the home centers and buy small kits for patching stucco so you can match the texture. Matching the color might require more effort.
I have a stucco deck and stairs. Can I lay tile on it?
Stucco is a weak cementitious material that is normally applied on exterior vertical walls. So you must have some sort of cementitious material. As long as the cementitious material is structurally sound and absorbing then you should be able to adhere a ceramic porcelain tile or natural stone tile to that surface as long as you properly install it per industry standards and per the installation product manufacturer’s directions.
I have four decorative ceramic tile panels 16″ x 24″ made out of six 8″ x 8″ tiles each that I would like to have installed on the external stucco walls of my house in my courtyard. Can you recommend a contractor in San Diego who knows how to do it properly?
As stated above, you should never adhere tile to stucco. The stucco is too weak to perform well. You can remove the stucco down to the brown mortar bed and then bond to it.
We do offer a free download on our website to help home owners on how to select an installer and how to oversee their work to make sure it is done correctly and will perform as intended. Go to https://ctasc.com/expert-answers-overview/ page to click on the link.
Thank you. Any advice on the best way to remove the stucco down to the brown mortar?
Use a diamond cup wheel grinder disk on a hand grinder.
Best if the grinder is dustless with a vacuum shroud. Or use a construction vacuum to vacuum in the dust as you grind.
I have a thin layer of knockdown stucco over cinder block(newer construction florida home). I want to tile over the stucco. do I need to grind down first? or firr out the wall and put cement board over?
Stucco is considered a weak cementitious material and it is always best to grind it down to the underlying plaster coat. Even if you had a need to put up backer board to plumb the wall, I would still grind off the stucco.