Ceramic Tile Directly On Subfloor

I can home from work last night to find that the contractor began tiling in the master bathroom and is applying the ceramic tiles directly to the existing subfloor.

Ceramic tile directly on subfloor.

The subfloor is 3 4 inch plywood. A poor ceramic installation will delaminate from the subfloor split at the grout lines or worse crack directly across the tile. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material. 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.

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 existing vinyl. One question that folks new to ceramic tile frequently ask is whether they can lay the ceramic directly on top of a plywood or osb subfloor using a thinset cement or liquid nails to glue down the tile to the wood. Is this floor strong enough to prevent cracks in the ceramic tile.

1 2 or try that schluter product. 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. I am thinking of installing a ceramic tile floor in my kitchen. No matter how firm the subfloor.

Planning and patience along with these tips will help ensure that you install the quality of finished flooring you are looking for. The floor consists of 2 x 10 southern yellow pine floor joists 16 inches on center. While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. However if you can t remove the old surface or otherwise decide to install over it lay a backer board with thin set over the old surface to serve as your new subfloor material.

My knowledge isn t vast but i would see this as a huge problem. By the way use a mortar that is enhanced with latex. Osb panels provide an excellent base for many types of finished flooring including ceramic tiles if careful attention to the construction and preparation of the subfloor is paid in order to avoid costly callbacks. You can have the best mortar in the world but you re getting movement and moisture coming up and it will definitely pop those tiles every time.

Always follow the manufacturer s installation. Installing ceramic tile over vinyl or linoleum surfaces can be more complicated than expected and probably should be avoided whenever possible. Ceramic tiles on wood subfloors bathrooms ceramic tile text. You need a backer.

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