Ceramic Tile Over Plywood

A single sheet of 3 4 inch plywood is normally not adequate as a.

Ceramic tile over plywood.

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. Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile. Lay down a vapour barrier overtop the concrete pad then fasten 3 4 inch plywood using a ramset to the concrete pad through the vapor barrier then install the heating system to the plywood followed by applying the self leveling mortar over top the heating system and plywood and finally installing the tiles over top that. 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.

The preferred method for tile installations is to use a sheet of underlayment. Before laying tile over any plywood subfloor it s important to make sure that the floor itself is free from excessive deflection or bending which can pop grout joints and loosen or crack tiles. The subfloor should be made of. If possible you should always use concrete board underlayments rather than plywood.

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. Installing over wood. On a plywood subfloor you need either a layer of cement backer board or an underlayment membrane like custom building products wonderboard and redgard between the subfloor. Ceramic tile doesn t expand contract nearly as much.

A glass of water can detect deflection that s otherwise hard to see with your eye. For wall installations plywood is overkill beneath the concrete or fiber board which is designed in five eighths inch material for wall settings. 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. The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time.

Installation of ceramic tile over plywood substrates with latex portland cement mortar tb22 all wooden flooring when placed over conventional floor joist or other systems should be of a design and thickness so as to maintain a substrate deflection not to exceed 1 360th of span including live and dead loads. To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. No matter how firm the subfloor.