Subfloor Preparation For Tile

A plywood subfloor must be structurally sound and able to support the installation.

Subfloor preparation for tile.

For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material. In addition uncoupling tile membranes prevent moisture from infiltrating surfaces below. You can repair cracked and damaged concrete with mortar and by using a grinder to flatten out ridges and bumps. A tight unmoving bond between mortar and subfloor causes cracking.

Yes tile is great over slabs and in areas where moisture is present. Wood building materials contract and expand at different rates from natural humidity and exposure. It will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials.

Proper preparation of the subfloor is critical to the success of your ceramic tile installation. In general the procedure for preliminary preparation of the subfloor involves the following steps. However installing tile over a plywood floor is never recommended. The subfloor must be free of moisture damage including rot and sponginess and must be securely fastened to the joists and squeak free don t lay tiles on a concrete slab with cracks that appear to be spreading or irregularities that prevent you from leveling it.

An uncoupling membrane does exactly what the name says. It uncouples or releases the bond between plywood and tile mortar allowing each surface to move independently of each other. 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. Tile floors are heavy and tile is a hard material.

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. In this video learn how to prepare a wood or concrete subfloor for tile including such steps as checking for dips installing backerboard applying primer and thinset pouring liquid underlayment and when to use osb or exterior grade plywood. These are some broad guidelines to ensure your subfloor is prepared for tiles but there can be other variables we didn t delve into in this post. As with subfloor preparation making sure it is clean and free of any debris and adhesives is vital to ensuring the tile going over it will effectively bond to it.

Product when people think of flooring for bathrooms and basements the subfloor has to be considered. If the subfloor flexes you can usually add more plywood and if it s moisture damaged you can replace the damaged sections. Laying tile on plywood.