Can You Lay Tile On Plywood Subfloor

Today s homeowner serves cookies to analyze traffic and better serve you.

Can you lay tile on plywood subfloor. The go to product is 1 2 in. Read on to find out more. 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. The best method is to refasten the subfloor then add a layer of plywood.

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. There are two materials commonly used for laying ceramic on plywood or osb that are applied before the tile. Additionally a steps must be taken to ensure that a concrete floor will create a solid bond. Concrete board concrete board also called backer boardcomes in 1 4 and 1 2 thicknesses and is usually sold in 4 x 6 sheets.

Test by sprinkling water on various areas of the subfloor. As with a wooden subfloor a concrete subfloor must be level for successful tile installation. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself. Don t lay tiles on a concrete slab with cracks that appear to be spreading or irregularities that prevent you from leveling it.

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. For residential use one form of underlayment the tile council of north america s handbook allows is plywood over joists that are 16 in. Void free underlayment grade panels which both stiffen the existing floor and provide uniform support to prevent cracks in the tile above. But there are a few important considerations to take into account when tiling over a wood subfloor.

Walk across the floor to learn whether any areas feel soft underfoot and secure them with screws. Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. Loose areas on an existing plywood subfloor can cause peel and stick tiles to lift over time. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.

The use of a plywood subfloor topped by cement backer board has made tiling much easier today than when i started my remodeling career. To prepare your concrete subfloor make sure that it can accept water penetration.