How To Lay Ceramic Tile On Plywood Floor

We have our large kitchen and hallway that was originally covered by 12 x 12 ceramic tiles on top of 3 8th inch plywood.

How to lay ceramic tile on plywood floor. 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. Laying tile to veneer plywood risks loosening and unbonding the veneer creating an unstable base for the tile. The floor tiles became loose cracked and ugly looking over about 2 decades of use. A flexing subfloor results in cracked tiles and grout and a lot of headaches.

Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile. Laying tile over a plywood subfloor can be a bit tricky but if you take the time to prepare the sub floor properly you can enjoy a new tile floor that will last for a lifetime. Install ceramic tile over a subfloor that s no less than 1 1 8 inches thick. With this patented new technique ron s friend shows us how to build a strong base and then prepare it using the tavy thin skin system so that the tile is as strong.

Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor. 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. Using a tape measure or digital laser tape measure the room from one wall to the opposite wall and note the distance. The number of tiles you will need will depend on the size of the tile you wish to lay as well as the tile pattern you will like on the floor.

A thinner subfloor will cause the floor to flex due to the weight of the tile. Thin set was used instead of glue or adhesive.