Micro concrete on tiles

Almost all of them!
Indeed, all ceramic, stoneware, mosaic and faux wood tiles that have been glued down can be covered with micro concrete.
If the tiles have not been glued down, but have been sealed in place, you’ll need to check their adhesion beforehand with the help of a qualified Marius Aurenti professional.

If the tiles are old and very porous, extra care is required.
This applies, for example, to terracotta or porous limestone coverings… These surfaces have generally been previously treated with waxes or oils.
As they are difficult to remove, they will require more extensive sanding.
If the waxes or oils have penetrated too deeply, it may not be possible to apply micro concrete over tiles.
In the latter case, a professional will be needed for a proper diagnosis.

The advantage of using micro concrete over tiles is that it eliminates all the joints between the different tiles.

This doesn’t mean, however, that if there are expansion or separation joints in the house, they can be covered.
In fact, this will allow the screeds and slabs underneath, and sometimes the walls too, to continue to work in line with ground movements and temperature.
A few joints may still be necessary when laying micro concrete over tiles, but the elimination of joints between tiles is truly spectacular.

At Marius Aurenti, waxed concrete over tiles is considered a surface-intensive process.
The minimum thickness of waxed concrete must therefore be 2 mm.
To this must be added the thickness of the epoxy mortar, which will depend on the level to be levelled.
If the substrate is flat, this mortar will be 1 or 2 mm thick.
The waxed concrete will be 2 to 3 mm higher than the existing tiles.

Marius Aurenti considers the application of micro concrete over tiles to be surface-intensive.
For this reason, the minimum thickness of micro concrete must be 2 mm.
To this must be added the thickness of the epoxy mortar, which will depend on the level to be made up.
If the substrate is flat, this mortar will be 1 or 2 mm thick.
The waxed concrete will be 2 to 3 mm higher than the existing tiles.

Renovation work on a tiled floor is a little more extensive than waxed concrete on a new surface.
As explained in the protocol on this same page, this will require prior sanding, followed by the application of an epoxy mortar.
Generally speaking, a job of this type will take between 5 and 7 days to complete, with a further three days drying time for light use and a few days more for intensive use or in a bathroom.

The concept of price in the realization of a micro concrete on tiles is not an easy one to tackle, but here are several aspects that will influence the final price that an expert craftsman will offer you:

– Access to the job site will influence the price, since in big cities it’s more complicated to carry out jobs than in the countryside or small towns.
– The size of the job will strongly determine the price, as a small site often requires just as many steps, and therefore more round-trips in proportion to the surface completed.
– Differences in labor costs between countries will make it impossible to generalize a price.
– The presence of many different surfaces, several small rooms, niches and curves all have an impact on the final price of the project.

After a technical discussion with the Marius Aurenti teams, who will be able to give you a price range based on your surface area, we advise you to have the price specified by estimates drawn up by trained experts.
Prices don’t vary enormously on the same site, depending on the number of craftsmen consulted.
However, this will enable you to refine your budget.

It’s a classic Marius Aurenti micro concrete over tile in the bathroom!
Several jobs are carried out every week in this type of configuration.
Unlike a floor, in a bathroom you’ll need to cover vertical tiles, which is also possible with micro concrete.

Similarly, if in doubt, a liquid waterproofing system can be added prior to the installation of micro concrete in a bathroom renovation if the quality of the waterproofing cannot be verified beforehand.

Marius Aurenti’s micro concrete is therefore compatible with horizontal and vertical surfaces in dry rooms, as well as in wet rooms with the use of Liquid Waterproofing Systems (LWS).

At Marius Aurenti, we consider this surface to be far too dangerous, as there have been problems with the porosity of the joints over time and with adhesion, making this type of work far too risky for a professional.
Experience has also shown us that very few exterior paving slabs meet the standards expected by DTU 13.3.
There are therefore two solutions for people with outdoor tiling: either remove the tiling and return to the slab to lay micro concrete over it, if the substrate is of good quality.

Creating waxed concrete on tiles is surely the most complex exercise in millimetric waxed concrete.
There are packages available so that a professional or an experienced amateur can create his or her own waxed concrete with the help of our tutorials and documentation.
We recommend starting with a small area for someone who is not experienced and, for larger projects, giving preference to a qualified expert.

You need the standard tools for applying micro concrete, plus special tools for sanding and applying epoxy mortar.
Here is the list of tools for micro concrete:
– American knife
– Smoothing machine or stainless steel, plastic 200mm or perfect liss 35 cm centimetres
– Ideally a double-bladed mixer, or at least a single-bladed mixer
– 30 kg scale with 5 g accuracy ideal or small kitchen scale for small surfaces
– Empty 5- and 30-liter buckets
– Yellow and purple soft masking tape (paint)
– Protective tarpaulin
– Water for rinsing equipment and green brite tape for scrubbing!
– Gloves, mask (dust or vapor fffp2 for venis), coveralls, goggles, safety shoes
– Orbital sander and special 40 and 60 grit discs
– Monobrush for floor surfaces with special 40 and 60 grain discs
– Small and large rolls and sleeves
– 2 mm stainless steel rod for clean stops
– Auxiliary heating
– Extension cords
– Paper towel roll
And for epoxy mortar
– Diamond surfacer with
– 6mm notched comb

Marius Aurenti micro concrete is guaranteed crack-free for 15 years.
The substrate is not important.
It is important to check the substrate for cracks beforehand during the substrate diagnosis.
A fiberglass interlining may be recommended by an expert craftsman when making the epoxy mortar.

The advantage of using micro concrete over tiles is that it eliminates all the joints between the different tiles.

This doesn’t mean, however, that if there are expansion or separation joints in the house, they can be covered.
In fact, this will allow the screeds and slabs underneath, and sometimes the walls too, to continue to work in line with ground movements and temperature.
A few joints may still be necessary when creating micro concrete over tiled floors, but this eliminates the need for tile joints and some of the silicone sealants that darken over time and need to be replaced once a year.

After all these years of expertise, here are the floors considered at risk, on which it is not advisable to apply millimetric micro concrete:

• Tiled terrace
• Readitional terracotta
• Tomettes
• Sealed porous stones
• Tile laid on a flat slab
• Bonded or sealed tiles with moisture levels above 4% or significant moisture variations between joints
• Tiles glued to screed
• Glued tiles on wooden panels or other wooden structures
• Tiles bonded to other tiles
• Bonded or sealed tiled floor with delamination over more than 10% of the surface or areas that sound hollow
• Tiles laid on foam or polystyrene foam panels on the floor
• Cracked tiles

Applying micro concrete over tiles to mask existing defects runs the risk of these problems reappearing under the new covering.
Waxed micro concrete should not be used simply to cover up defects.