How To Install Subfloor Porcelain Floor Tile

Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile.

How to install subfloor porcelain floor tile.

Planning and patience along with these tips will help ensure that you install the quality of finished flooring you are looking for. 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. 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. 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.

Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor. Always follow the manufacturer s installation. 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. You ll see how to complete each step and work the required tools such as trowels manual snap cutter wet saw and tile nipper.

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. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. Watch our how to install ceramic and porcelain floor tile videos and learn the steps needed for a successful installation. A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood.

This is not my favorite way to install tile but it can be done as long as the existing tile and subfloor are in good condition and the old tile is thoroughly cleaned and scuffed up with sandpaper to allow the new mortar to grip.