Tile Over Hardwood Subfloor

This prepares and seals the surface for the.

Tile over hardwood subfloor.

First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. A couple options considered are. If your wood subfloor is smooth and even you can progress to step 3. Cut the backerboard to fit the edges.

Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood. However if it s still somewhat rough bumpy or. 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. If so make sure the floor is solid and well sealed.

Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. Trowel on a thin layer of thinset mortar over the. You shouldn t tile directly over hardwood flooring since it can expand contract and cup due to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.

Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. Install 1 4 inch cork by thin setting it to the concrete pad then installing the heating system by fastening it to. 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. Uncoupling membranes aren t recommended for tiles smaller than 2 inches square and should not be used when covering old hardwood flooring due to adhesion problems.

Still you may need to tile directly over an existing hardwood floor for instance to avoid raising the floor level significantly relative to an adjacent floor. Tape off any affected vents with painter s tape. 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. If installing over an appropriate wood surface sand the wood to make it smoother and remember that the installation will work better over a subfloor at least 1 1 8 inches thick.

Lay down a vapour barrier overtop the concrete pad then fasten 3 4 inch plywood using a ramset to the concrete pad. 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. Floor tiles usually should be laid over a strong underlayment of cement board or treated plywood. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself.

How to tile on a wooden floor 1. 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. Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room. Roll on a layer of latex primer sealer.