Filling a sunken floor and laying Tile.
! have a sunken living room floor and intend to raise it to the level of adjoining rooms. The floor has porcelain tile on it, is not cracked and has been in place 10 years. The present depth is 4 3/4″ below adjoining rooms. The present plan is to raise the floor with 2×4’s, plywood, hardboard or equivalent and use porcelain tile to finish it off. Is it feasible to leave the existing tile and build up over it?
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I can't comment on whether or not to remove the tile, but this thread may offer a better option for the long term: idea.https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/energy-efficiency-and-durability/22464/raising-sunken-floor
Sammie,
If the existing tile is well adhered, shows no signs of chipping, and is co-planar (with no significant dips or bumps), you should be able to leave it in place. The compressive strength of most floor tiles can easily handle the demands you are about to place on it.
-- Martin Holladay