Can You Lay Tile On Plywood Sub Floor

The area to be tiled is 5x7.

Can you lay tile on plywood sub floor.

Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor. Laying tile over a plywood subfloor can be tricky but if you prepare the sub floor properly your tile floor will last for a lifetime. The best method is to refasten the subfloor then add a layer of plywood. Uncoupling membranes aren t recommended for tiles smaller than 2 inches square and should not be used when covering old hardwood flooring due to adhesion problems.

Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints. Plywood must be protected from liquids since this material is highly susceptible to moisture. I have been reading as much as i can about laying tile but i am still confused.

However tiling onto plywood floors is still acceptable under british standards. Tile can be installed over a plywood substrate and it is actually a fantastic way to make sure you don t have deflection in your floor. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.

A 3 4 inch plywood subfloor on a joist structure with 24 inch spacing needs the extra thickness of cementboard or the floor will flex and the tiles will crack. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. Try laying tile over 1 2 durock or hardie and see what happens when the joists are 19 2 or 24 on center. It is important to observe the installation technology otherwise the coating will not be used for long. Hope you didn t like your beautiful new tile floor.

My dad who has layed tile several times said i could tile directly over this floor but i have. 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. Under british standards bs 5385 part 1 plywood has now been excluded as a suitable substrate material for the direct fixing of wall tiles therefore when tiling on to walls a tile backer board is required. Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood.

The surface is now clean and flat.