Can You Lay Ceramic Tile Over Plywood Floor

A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood.

Can you lay ceramic tile over plywood floor. 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. However we highly recommend removing existing flooring. In some cases you can also install carpet tiles over existing wood tile or vinyl flooring so long as the existing flooring is no more than an inch thick. In fact pros do it all the time.

Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile. Ceramic tile doesn t expand contract nearly as much. Hope you didn t like your beautiful new tile floor. You shouldn t do it.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Try laying tile over 1 2 durock or hardie and see what happens when the joists are 19 2 or 24 on center. Carpet tiles can adhere to concrete plywood or particleboard subfloors. 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. Use a patented technique to guarantee success laying tile over a plywood subfloor can be a bit tricky but if you take the time to prepare the sub floor properly you can enjoy a new tile floor that will last for a lifetime.

But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation. 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.