How To Install Ceramic Tile On Subfloor

The safest most prudent course is to install tile on top of a cement backerboard such as durock wonderboard or hardiebacker.

How to install ceramic tile on subfloor.

Laying tile over a plywood subfloor can be tricky but if you prepare the sub floor properly your tile floor will last for a lifetime. Osb panels provide an excellent base for many types of finished flooring including ceramic tiles if careful attention to the construction and preparation of the subfloor is paid in order to avoid costly callbacks. Cement backer board can provide a solid flat surface to install tiles on if you have a wood subfloor. Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile.

I have a question about ceramic tile installation. A plywood subfloor must be structurally sound and able to support the installation. Most tile manufacturers recommend installing a cement backer board instead of any other type of. Install ceramic tile over a subfloor that s no less than 1 1 8 inches thick.

The kitchen has linoleum. Chipboard cushioned vinyl flooring particle boards of any type oriented strand board osb interior grade plywood tongue and groove planking and hardwood floors are unsuitable substrates for direct installation of ceramic tile. Preparing a subfloor is an essential step for installing floor tile it provides a level surface that will allow the tiles to properly stay in place. To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile.

This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints. A flexing subfloor results in cracked tiles and grout and a lot of headaches. Plywood substrate alternatives. My subfloor is 1 12 boards laid diagonal to the floor joists which are on 16 in centers i might add this is over a basement i want to do the entry way to the kitchen and kitchen floor.

Tile floors are heavy and tile is a hard material. Installing over wood. This guide will show you how to prepare your subfloor for a tile installation project to ensure that it s fit to support ceramic or porcelain tile. It will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load.

Backerboard does not shrink or expand when it comes into contact with water mortar and grout both contain water. Cement backerboard is made for tiling. A thinner subfloor will cause the floor to flex due to the weight of the tile.