Tiling front porch with porcelain

[ace061]

I have a small front porch (4' X 5') which consists of brick steps and a concrete top surrounded with brick. I want to tile the porch and the steps with porcelain tile. Presently, the porch (not the brick) is painted. I would like to apply a concrete type mixture to the brick to fill in the mortar joints to make the tile lay flatter. I would also like to use this mixture to fill a couple of low spots on the painted porch. What kind of concrete mixture should I use and do I need to remove the paint from the porch before filling the low spots? Will thinset stick to a concrete mixture? Any help appreciated.

[HayZee518]

think of it like this, paint is just a coating to protect a surface. if you want to bond a concrete skim coat to the concrete then the paint has got to go!. a latex bonding agent is applied and is left to dry, then you apply the concrete patch. quik crete works good.

[pushkins]

I hope the porcelain tiles are rated for exterior use and that they are textured to avoid slipping when wet ?
You can also use thin set (tile glue) to fill the mortar voids.

[Kman]

First thing you want to do is make sure every part of the porch is properly sloped so water will not stand anywhere on it. If it is not, eventually water will get underneath the tile, freeze, and break the tile.

If the porch is properly sloped, you should move on to getting rid of the paint. No chemicals, just scraping and/or grinding. If you're planning on tile over the top side of the brick, you're going to have to add some type of anti-fracture membrane or the tile will crack at the joint between the brick and the concrete.

As mentioned before, using proper materials is a must. Outdoor rated porcelain as well as thinset rated for outdoor use.

[HandymanCincy]

Throwing my concern in on the porcelain as well--generally scratches and stains easily. I suppose these concerns could be reduced with a clear-coat with an anti-slip additive... but having never tried that myself, I'm not sure how that would turn out.