How To Install Subfloor Porcelain Floor Tile

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

How to install subfloor porcelain floor tile. You ll see how to complete each step and work the required tools such as trowels manual snap cutter wet saw and tile nipper. This is not my favorite way to install tile but it can be done as long as the existing tile and subfloor are in good condition and the old tile is thoroughly cleaned and scuffed up with sandpaper to allow the new mortar to grip. 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. 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.

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. This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints. 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. Watch our how to install ceramic and porcelain floor tile videos and learn the steps needed for a successful installation.

Planning and patience along with these tips will help ensure that you install the quality of finished flooring you are looking for. Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor. Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile. I m often asked by homeowners if it s possible to lay down new tile over an existing tile floor.

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.