Can Backerboard Be Install Over Plywood Flooring

This provides the tile with a proper.

Can backerboard be install over plywood flooring. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. 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. But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation. A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood.

Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water. Never install new tiles over existing tiles or onto an unprotected wood or plywood floor. Ardex liquid backer board is an example of a self leveler that doesn t need reinforcement. Cement board is used for most floor tile and has all but replaced plywood and drywall backer materials for wall tile applications in wet areas like showers and tub surrounds.

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. According to backer board manufacturers and tile setters installing backer board directly over an old solid wood subfloor is risky for a couple of reasons. Installation of cement backerboard is always preceded by application of thinset mortar which fills low spots in the subfloor and anchors the backer board sheets. This guide will teach you how to properly lay cement backerboard and use mortar to secure and level your subfloor before installing tile.

When you come up against plywood subfloors in the bathroom or other areas of the home a cement based backer board must be installed on top of the wood. There are a very limited number of them that are ok for going over a wood subfloor with no additional reinforcement. Cement board forms a durable stable base for tile and it has no organic materials unlike drywall greenboard or plywood so it is not prone to mold rot shrinkage or decomposition due to moisture. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.

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. And screw the cement backer board down with special screws that countersink into the backer board such as backer on screws available at the home depot.