Tile Floor Subfloor Prep

Cement backer board can provide a solid flat surface to install tiles on if you have a wood subfloor.

Tile floor subfloor prep. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. Eliminating movement and leveling the subfloor prevents premature cracking and breaking of the adhesive and the tiles. However you re not out of the woods.

Peel and stick tile has come a long way since the days when it was a cheap and easy if not very attractive way to give old floors new life. If you don t do it right the floor could crack and buckle. 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.

It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Durable tile floors look sophisticated and are great for wet areas. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are. It will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load.

How to prepare a floor for peel stick tile. Preparing your subfloor for tile in this video learn how to prepare a wood or concrete subfloor for tile including such steps as checking for dips installing backerboard applying primer and thinset pouring liquid underlayment and when to use osb or exterior grade plywood. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material.

After completing the prep work the floor should measure 1 1 4 inch thick. Installing a tile floor is the perfect project for a bathroom renovation. Laying tile on plywood. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout.

A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor. The most important part of a tile floor installation is prepping the subfloor.