How To Lay Ceramic Tile On Plywood Subfloor

While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor.

How to lay ceramic tile on plywood subfloor.

There are two materials commonly used for laying ceramic on plywood or osb that are applied before the tile. Use the right. Once you have filled the space place the sheet down onto the thinset. No matter how firm the subfloor.

Plywood underlayment in dry locations. Concrete board concrete board also called backer board comes in 1 4 and 1 2 thicknesses and is usually sold in 4 x 6 sheets. Mix your thinset according to the instructions on the bag. Tips for laying tile on plywood subfloor for flooring use intervening sheets of plywood.

If the old subfloor is covered with a thick bed of mortar that s in good condition you can tile over it. Use a polymer modified thin set a type of mortar to attach the backer board to the subfloor. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto. Use a large bucket and.

Use thinset with a higher latex content. If the subfloor is plywood install a layer of cement backer board on top before tiling. The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time. There s a caveat though.

Wet locations such as bathrooms require the addition of a waterproofing layer. Lift one sheet leave the rest in place and spread thinset directly onto the subfloor filling the area left by the sheet use a 1 4 x 1 4 notch trowel. With a trowel scoop out and spread enough mortar on. In residential use the tile council of north america specifically allows ceramic tile to be installed directly over 1 2 in.

Follow the directions on the packaging to properly mix the thin set mortar. Thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile.