How To Install Ceramic Tile Under Plywood Subfloor
Mix your thinset according to the instructions on the bag.
How to install ceramic tile under plywood subfloor. Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood. In my experience tile applied directly to plywood will be a short lived installation and more likely to encourage rot in areas near a tub or shower. Need to install a subfloor. It should be completely covered with thin set.
Secondly i would never tile directly over the plywood as this video seems to imply is acceptable. Install the sheets one at a time. Once you have filled the space place the sheet down onto the thinset. Lay the tile flat and then with mild pressure slide the tile 1 4 inch back against the thin set ridges then slide it back into place.
Bc plywood over the old subfloor using construction adhesive and driving 1 1 4 in. I ll either use 1 4 inch cement backerboard or a proprietary product like schluter ditra. Lift one sheet leave the rest in place and spread thinset directly onto the subfloor filling the area left by the sheet use a 1 4 x 1 4 notch trowel. You can have 5 8 osb and 19 2 oc joists and it still works.
Install a cement based backer board following the manufacturer s instructions. Use a polymer modified thin set a type of mortar to attach the backer board to the subfloor. Planning and patience along with these tips will help ensure that you install the quality of finished flooring you are looking for. 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.
Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. Put the first test tile onto the thin set bed. The coach demonstrates how to install a 3 8 plywood subfloor in a bathroom. Always follow the manufacturer s installation.
Add a layer of 1 2 in. This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to cracking. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself. With the plywood in place install the backer board as you normally would.
The plywood adds stiffness and stability to the floor. There are tile companies that actually use 3 4 exterior rated plywood as their standard substrate with a quality modified thinset.