How To Lay Tile Over A Wood Floor

Cut the backerboard to fit the edges of the room with a carbide tipped scoring tool.

How to lay tile over a wood floor.

To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. Make sure that the existing floor covering and the subfloor and any possible underlayment are sturdy enough for the installation of the vinyl flooring. 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. While most floor tile these days is installed onto a layer of cement board or similar backerboard it is possible to lay tile directly over plywood.

But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation. Floor tiles usually should be laid over a strong underlayment of cement board or treated plywood. Check out the basics below to get started. 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.

Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. For flooring use intervening sheets of plywood. Sturdy and solid. Lay down 1 2 inch thick cement backerboard over the wood subfloor or hardwood.

If so make sure the floor is solid and well sealed. Installing over wood. Still you may need to tile directly over an existing hardwood floor for instance to avoid raising the floor level significantly relative to an adjacent floor. First determine how much tile you will need for the job.

Removing floor coverings helps the installer assess the condition of the subfloor. Although installing tile over a wood floor is slightly more complicated than installing tile directly over concrete the project can be completed with a little bit of work and a few extra steps. I m often asked by homeowners if it s possible to lay down new tile over an existing tile floor. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.