QUESTION
Do you know if TCNA has a guide/detail or recommendation to install tile directly over a masonry block wall? Or do you have any experience with this type of installation? Please look at the attached picture as reference for a typical masonry block concrete wall.
ANSWER
You will find methods in the TCNA Handbook for Exterior Installation of Tile over Masonry:
- W202E – This method uses thin-set mortar to bond directly to the masonry. This method requires the wall to meet the industry standards of flatness.
- W201 – This method includes a scratch coat and mortar bed before the installation of tile. These extra steps are needed if the wall is not level, flat, and plumb.
As you review both of these methods pay close attention to the paragraphs:
- Recommended Uses
- Limitations
- Membrane Options
- Requirements
Exterior installations of tile can be much more complicated than interior. There are many considerations with this type of installation, such as direct sunlight causing expansion and contraction, rain/water penetrating behind the tile, the type of tile installed, and the mortar and grout used to install.
I would also recommend reviewing the following statements in the NTCA Reference Manual:
- Page 14 – Environmental Exposure Classifications
- Page 74 – Wall Flattening Products
- Page 215 – Bond Failure on Exterior Installation
- Page 244 – Hot Weather Tiling
- Page 290 – Efflorescence
- Page 294 – Latex Migration