Tile Over Hardwood Subfloor

How to tile on a wooden floor 1.

Tile over hardwood subfloor.

Lay down 1 2 inch thick cement backerboard over the wood subfloor or hardwood. Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room. Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself.

If the hardwood flooring is composed of narrow boards with a very smooth flat surface you could leave the flooring in place and screw cement backer board down on top of it before applying the tile. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. This prepares and seals the surface for the. If so make sure the floor is solid and well sealed.

Floor tiles usually should be laid over a strong underlayment of cement board or treated plywood. A 3 4 inch plywood subfloor on a joist structure with 24 inch spacing needs the extra thickness of cementboard or the floor will flex and the tiles will crack. Tape off any affected vents with painter s tape. Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood.

If your wood subfloor is smooth and even you can progress to step 3. How to install vinyl tiles over a wood floor sand the wood floor make sure it s thoroughly clean and dry until it s as smooth and even as possible with no bumps. You shouldn t tile directly over hardwood flooring since it can expand contract and cup due to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity. If the tile is being installed in a bathroom consider applying an isolation membrane over your wood subfloor to further protect against expansion and contraction.

First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. However if it s still somewhat rough bumpy or. Cut the backerboard to fit the edges. Trowel on a thin layer of thinset mortar over the.

Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. Measure the wall. Install 1 4 inch cork by thin setting it to the concrete pad then installing the heating system by fastening it to. Lay down a vapour barrier overtop the concrete pad then fasten 3 4 inch plywood using a ramset to the concrete pad.

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. A couple options considered are. Roll on a layer of latex primer sealer. Apply fiberglass tape to each seam in the backerboard to cover it.