Installing Tile When You Only Have Sub Flooring

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.

Installing tile when you only have sub flooring.

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. Installing tiles will typically cause a slight irritation if you try to remove the dishwasher after the fact because the added height of the ceramic will snag the feet of the dishwasher. 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. Many other types of floor coverings such as laminate or luxury vinyl tile have more flex and are.

Begin by measuring the room and finding its center. Tile floors are heavy and tile is a hard material. The most skillfully laid tile floor or wall can be ruined with a base that is not dimensionally stable. It will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load.

When installing tile having a solid and tight substrate that will not shift expand or contract is all important. Once the subfloor and carpet tiles have rested you can start the installation process. With the plywood in place install the backer board as you normally would. This means that your finished floor will be 3 8 inch 10mm taller that the adjoining wood floor.

If you use 1 2 inch underlayment and 3 8 inch tile with 1 8 inch of setting material your tile floor will have a total of 1 inch 26mm of thickness. The only obstable is if you have a dishwasher. However under the cabinets is purely by choice. To avoid building up the floor too high you can use 1 4 in thick backer board instead of 1 2 in.

Laying tile on plywood. A plywood subfloor must be structurally sound and able to support the installation. Have the necessary tools for this diy project lined up before you start you ll save time and frustration. Cement backer board can provide a solid flat surface to install tiles on if you have a wood subfloor.

No matter how firm the subfloor. Required tools for this project. 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.