Ceramic Tile Over Plywood Floor

The tile industry recommends a sub floor of at least 1 1 4 thick.

Ceramic tile over plywood floor.

As the plywood or osb expands the ceramic won t. Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile. Plywood underlayment is a thin plywood material that is most commonly used under resilient flooring materials such as vinyl and linoleum sheets and tiles. The floor tiles became loose cracked and ugly looking over about 2 decades of use.

To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. It can also be used under hardwood laminate and carpet but this is much less common these days because subflooring is typically smooth enough for these materials many of which are installed with a different type of underlayment or pad. 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. Thin set was used instead of glue or adhesive.

Chipboard cushioned vinyl flooring particle boards of any type oriented strand board osb interior grade plywood tongue and groove planking and hardwood floors are unsuitable substrates for direct installation of ceramic tile. Keep in mind when building up the thickness of your sub floor to overlap the seams of the different layers of plywood as this will also help stiffen the 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. Installing over wood.

If there is too much deflection in your sub floor then tiles may pop loose over time. A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood. Now the entire flooring of ceramic tiles needs to be torn out and replaced. But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation.

Ceramic tile doesn t expand contract nearly as much.