How would you go about this?

[Olz]

Customer in a new build has a concrete porch type think, out in the open with a type of brick archway to the front door which is recessed.

The concrete is level with the bottom of the door and slopes away slightly so the water runs away from the door (in theory but everytime it rains he carpet behind the door gets wet).

He wasnt quarry tiles laying so im planning on chisling the concrete away about 20mm below the current height and the thickness of the tile, then putting a new concrete layer on and including a slope away from the door then laying the quarries.

Sound good, any addy and grout recomendations and sealer?

Oli

 

[doug boardley]

it sounds ok in theory Oli, any exterior grade addy should be fine (flexble for freeze/thaw movement) sealer would depend on the tiles used I'd imagine

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Oli - What material is the door made of?
If its wood why not put a new weather bar on, fix a tresh and sealant to stop the water ingress and just tile on top of the concrete that's there with an extra slope.
Quarries don't need sealing.
Any exterior use adhesive would be good.

John.

 

[Olz]

Its one of those metal doors with the wood effect finish mate

 

[user123]

Well, it's probably not a tiler's job, but if it was my house and you are thinking of (and don't mind) chiselling a bit of the concrete away anyhow, I would dig deep enough to make a gravelled drainage line (coarse sand at the bottom), about six inches wide, in front of the door to stop the wind blowing the rain under it and then tile up to that, with the slope as said away from the door...it can look really nice with colour matched aggregate and is not big enough to get in the way...

 

[Alberta Stone]

Sounds like a good plan Oli.
Don't forget to use a densifier on the concrete before you apply anything else to it.
A densifier is based on sodium silicate which reacts with the calcium in concrete making it impervious to water....permanently.

Stuff used to be called water-glass.
But they have redone the chemistry and it is widely in use in North America.
Here is one manufacturer which is one of the better one's:

SEALHARD ™ Concrete Sealer, Densifier, Chemical Hardener for concrete floors - L&M Construction Chemicals

I am sure you can find some in the UK.

 

[Rob Z]

Alberta,

That looks like some interesting stuff....one question, if it makes the concrete impervious to water, will thinset still bond to it for setting the tile? We are always told to check a slab's absorption to ensure a good bond for thinset.

 

[White Room]

What makes me think is the door frame sits on damp course, if you doing a patio it would need to be 150mm below the damp.

I would do what you suggested and remove some concrete.

 

[user123]

What makes me think is the door frame sits on damp course, if you doing a patio it would need to be 150mm below the damp.

I would do what you suggested and remove some concrete.

That's what I thought, too, about the damp course, you should be able to see the black line under the door... It's just that if water ingress is a problem there may be additional reasons, like the house being at the bottom of a hill for example, or the patio + door just really exposed to incoming winds... if you just slope it away from the door, the water will still have to go somewhere, hence the drainage idea...could it not be a potential ice rink in the winter otherwise?

 

[Olz]

The house is a new build toward the top of the slope of the street, the front doors actually about 6 foot + above ground because of how the house is built, its hard to describe but basically if you walked down the side of the house on the path your heads below the front door.

Im gonna go have another look and final measure next week and discuss the options with the customer, the drainage idea seems good though. It would have to go down one side aswell though or the water would get trapped in it and have no where to run off.