Inhospitable Concrete Slab Patio

Tile installation can transform an old, worn out backyard patio into a welcoming exterior living space. That’s exactly what Beyond Stone Solutions accomplished for homeowners in Tempe, Arizona. They contacted us because the concrete slab just outside the back door was covered in holes, lumps of thinset, and cracks. Although they made use of the space, it was not living up to its potential.

Since porcelain is a low-maintenance, easy-to-clean material, the homeowners selected beautiful 12×24 porcelain tiles with a natural stone pattern for their new patio tile installation.

Concrete Slab Preparation and New Tile Installation

Preparing this concrete slab for tile was a multistep process. Our goal was to make it a flat surface suitable for tile installation.

First, we removed old thinset that remained from a previous installation.

In certain places, the surface of the slab was elevated. We used a heavy duty concrete grinding machine to flatten out these areas. In other areas, there were what industry professionals call “bird baths.” We use this term, because of the indented, bowl-like shape in the surface. To fill in these areas, we used flowable hydraulic cement underlayment.

To inhibit the cracks from traveling from the substrate through the new tile, we used an anti-fracture membrane. We used a trowel to apply modified thinset and then affixed the membrane sheet on top.

We used a straight layout for the tile, following industry standards to ensure the best possible adhesion.

The homeowners were very excited to use their beautiful new patio.

To learn more, visit our Exterior services page or our Tile services page.