Tile Over Wood Subfloor

Lay down 1 2 inch thick cement backerboard over the wood subfloor or hardwood.

Tile over wood subfloor.

Lay down a vapour barrier overtop the concrete pad then fasten 3 4 inch plywood using a ramset to the concrete pad. The most current ansi standards for tile installation a108 1999 specifically exclude osb. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. If the tile is being installed in a bathroom consider applying an isolation membrane over your wood subfloor to further protect against expansion and contraction.

Use the right. Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room. Tape over holes and. Place hardiebacker in staggered pattern so no four corners meet.

Tips for laying tile on plywood subfloor for flooring use intervening sheets of plywood. Prepare a wood subfloor for tile a successful tile installation project requires a level surface. Score the surface of the board. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.

The compound must be allowed to dry completely before proceeding with tile installation which can be anywhere from 24 hours to a few days depending on the brand. Trowel out bed of unmodified thinset over wooden subfloor. However there is significant debate in the tile industry regarding the conditions necessary for a long lasting successful installation. Thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile.

If you find hollows and valleys you must fill them with a self leveling underlayment. Splits and knots create weak spots that flex and lead to cracking tile. Cut the backerboard to fit the edges of the room with a carbide tipped scoring tool. According to backer board manufacturers and tile setters installing backer board directly over an old solid wood subfloor is risky for a couple of reasons.

If water seeps through the tile installation to the underlayment it will not cause the wood to swell as happens with interior grade plywood. A couple options considered are. Tape joints with alkali resistant cement. Fasten hardiebacker 1 4 board with corrosion resistant screws or galvanized roofing nails 8 inches apart.

When used as an underlayment the plywood sheets are laid over the osb or plywood subfloor for a two layer base. Use thinset with a higher latex content. This is not to say that tile cannot be installed reliably over an osb subfloor.