Can You Lay Tile On Plywood Subfloor

If you are working in an interior setting in a dry area where the tile will never come into contact with water you can install the tile directly onto the face of the plywood so long as you use the proper type of thinset.

Can you lay tile on plywood subfloor.

There are two materials commonly used for laying ceramic on plywood or osb that are applied before the tile. To prepare your concrete subfloor make sure that it can accept water penetration. Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood. But there are a few important considerations to take into account when tiling over a wood subfloor.

Additionally a steps must be taken to ensure that a concrete floor will create a solid bond. The go to product is 1 2 in. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. Today s homeowner serves cookies to analyze traffic and better serve you.

Read this article from home improvement expert danny lipford to find out if you need to apply cement backer board before tiling over a plywood subfloor. Don t lay tiles on a concrete slab with cracks that appear to be spreading or irregularities that prevent you from leveling it. Test by sprinkling water on various areas of the subfloor. Void free underlayment grade panels which both stiffen the existing floor and provide uniform support to prevent cracks in the tile above.

While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself. The subfloor must be free of moisture damage including rot and sponginess and must be securely fastened to the joists and squeak free. Read on to find out more. Concrete board concrete board also called backer boardcomes in 1 4 and 1 2 thicknesses and is usually sold in 4 x 6 sheets.

Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. As with a wooden subfloor a concrete subfloor must be level for successful tile installation. It should be fastened to the subfloor using thinset and then screwed down every 10 square. Walk across the floor to learn whether any areas feel soft underfoot and secure them with screws.

The use of a plywood subfloor topped by cement backer board has made tiling much easier today than when i started my remodeling career. For residential use one form of underlayment the tile council of north america s handbook allows is plywood over joists that are 16 in.