How to Mask Damaged Concrete Basement Walls

Patching the Concrete

• 1

  Clean the area thoroughly, sanding down any protrusions or bumps that might show through the tiles.

• 2

  Ignore small holes and surface cracks as they will be covered up. Larger holes of several inches should be fixed to prevent the covering from being accidentally pushed into the hole.

• 3

  Clean out the hole with a brush or vacuum cleaner.

• 4

  Mix a slurry of Portland cement and water until you have a thick paste. Wet the inside of the hole and force the slurry into it until the hole is filled. There is going to be no stress on the this patch, and it is not load-bearing so it doesn't have to be perfect -- just effective. Let dry for several days.

Hanging the Tile

• 5

  Mark a straight line across the top of the area where you want to cover. Use a carpenter's level to ensure the line is level. If you are covering the entire wall, start the line 6 inches down from the ceiling.

• 6

  Measure the length of the line and divide by the width of the tiles you are using to give you the exact number of tiles across the line. If the number is a fraction, then shorten the line on both sides to give a whole number of tiles.

• 7

  Apply the adhesive in an X-pattern across the back of the first tile, and place it under the left side of the line, even with the line. Continue across the drawn line until the top row of tiles are in place.

• 8

  Place the first tile of the next row snug up against the first row, and start the tile under the halfway point of the first tile in the top row. This ensure that the joints where the top row tiles meet one another will always fall in the middle of the tile under it.

• 9

  Continue to add rows of tile until you reach the floor or the damage is covered, staggering each row so that the joints above it always fall in the middle of the tile below it.