I'm re-modeling a bathroom.

I have discovered that the bathroom floor is made up of what looks like concrete with a ceramic layer on top, the ceramic layer being approximately 0.05 to 0.1" thick. The ceramic layer is textured to look like 1" square tiles.

I think that the concrete is about 0.375" thick and is laid on a sub-floor of plywood.

I have a photograph of it but I don't know how, or whether it is possible, to post it here.

Has anyone ever come across this kind of surfacing before?

If so:-

How do you get it up?

Can you get it up without damaging the plywood sub-floor?

Thanks.

First, welcome to the pool. I know you will get the answers you need.

When you have a possible moisture situation you always put down (several trade names) cement board under floors and on walls. Especially shower walls. This is especially true under ceramic or stone tiles.

If these tiles were put directly on wood, the expansion and contraction would break the bond between the wood and the hard tile plus the possibility of wood rot from this moisture. I speak from first hand knowledge. The previous home owner I own did just that. Now I have tiles cracking and coming loose.

Most likely your’s is glued and or nailed to the wood sub-floor. I don’t know of a way to get it off if it is glued with out somewhat damaging the wood underlayment.

If you're planning on putting ceramic tiles back down, it should be OK to damage the wood a little. You can always use a floor leveling compound then replace the cement board.

Thanks for the welcome and for the information.

I should perhaps add: -

The top ceramic(?) layer does not appear to be separate tiles but rather a hard sheet textured to look like tiling.

The concrete layer seems too pale to be cement board, which is usually a darker gray and seems usually to include fiberglass mesh.

All of which may signify nothing. It could be pale cement board and, since I have not really cut into it, I don't know whether there is fiberglass mesh in there or not.

A thin layer of tiling material on top of cement board is certainly a possibility. -Thanks