Can You Install Floor Tile Over Plywood

This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints.

Can you install floor tile over plywood.

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. Laminate flooring which can only be installed using the floating method can be installed over a plywood subfloor over the recommended foam pad. Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor.

To install the concrete board apply tile adhesive to the back then press it down against the plywood. Install concrete board over the plywood. Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile. It is important to observe the installation technology otherwise the coating will not be used for long.

But this assumes that the floor underneath is solid concrete and that there are no cracks in the existing tile indicating underlying problems in the concrete. If you have a weak subfloor that flexes up and down when walked on i would recommended adding an additional layer of 3 8 or 1 2 inch thick plywood underlayment glued and screwed down over a 5 8 or 3 4 thick subfloor to add stability. The basic answer to whether you should lay ceramic directly over plywood or osb is simple. In fact pros do it all the time.

If installing over an appropriate wood surface sand the wood to make it smoother and remember that the installation will work better over a subfloor at least 1 1 8 inches thick. Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile. If your old ceramic tile is worn or dated you can lay new tile right over the old and avoid the huge job of tearing out the old tile. If you must install over such surfaces it is best to install a backer board over the old surface and install the tile on the backer board.

For flooring use intervening sheets of plywood. If you put tile directly on top of plywood it will chip and break. Try laying tile over 1 2 durock or hardie and see what happens when the joists are 19 2 or 24 on center. Most tiles are approved for installation over solid plywood floors but before you can spread the thinset and lay the tiles you have to prepare the plywood to make sure it is compatible with the adhesive.

Plywood must be protected from liquids since this material is highly susceptible to moisture. Tiles on the plywood on the floor fit in the case where there is no possibility to use other materials to align the roughing base. You cannot install tile directly onto plywood because it is not dimensionally stable.