Tile installation

[BigFred2004]

I'm putting tile in my basement bathroom. Can I glue the tiles directly to the cement (the basement is dry) or do I need to put some sort of underlayment down like cement board? Is there a special adhesive for this, rather than the standard mastic or mortar? Also, for installing a tile backsplash, I assume I just need to scuff sand the paint behind the cooktop to remove the sheen, and use a standard mastic for adhesion. True? Thanks.

[Unregistered]

I'm putting tile in my basement bathroom. Can I glue the tiles directly to the cement (the basement is dry) or do I need to put some sort of underlayment down like cement board? Is there a special adhesive for this, rather than the standard mastic or mortar? Also, for installing a tile backsplash, I assume I just need to scuff sand the paint behind the cooktop to remove the sheen, and use a standard mastic for adhesion. True? Thanks.
Sorry this response is so long after you posted your thread but I hope it's still of some use. Yes you can mortar your tile directly to your concrete floor and you don't need an underlayment. Just make sure your concrete floor has nothing on it that would prevent the mortar from adhereing to the concrete, such as oil or paint. As for the back splash, you got it.