Can I Lay Floor Tiles On Plywood

Walk across the floor to learn whether any areas feel soft underfoot and secure them with screws.

Can i lay floor tiles on plywood. For the best results when tiling onto plywood floors follow these instructions. Loose areas on an existing plywood subfloor can cause peel and stick tiles to lift over time. 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 however tiling onto plywood floors is still acceptable under british standards. To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile.

A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. 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. Ceramic tile doesn t expand contract nearly as much.

Installing over wood. As the plywood or osb expands the ceramic won t. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width. It is set into a bed of thin set that hardens like concrete and the tile itself shatters like glass during removal.

Chipboard cushioned vinyl flooring particle boards of any type oriented strand board osb interior grade plywood tongue and groove planking and hardwood floors are unsuitable substrates for direct installation of ceramic tile. This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to. Regular seasonal humidity shifts are significant enough to make the average 10 x 10 wood subfloor floor expand or contract as much as 1 2. But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation.

Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile. Try laying tile over 1 2 durock or hardie and see what happens when the joists are 19 2 or 24 on center. 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. The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Hope you didn t like your beautiful new tile floor. Ceramic tile is a tough flooring surface that is as hard to remove as it is to damage after it is in place. Taking out ceramic tile is dirty process that sends broken chips and concrete dust flying throughout the house.