Attaching Ceramic Tile To Plywood

Use the right type of plywood.

Attaching ceramic tile to plywood.

There are thin set dry set mortars design specifically for adhering ceramic tile to plywood that is designated as an ansi a118 11 thin set mortar. Never install new tiles over existing tiles or onto an unprotected wood or plywood floor. The preferred method for tile installations is to use a sheet of underlayment. For flooring use intervening sheets of plywood.

Use thinset with a higher latex content. Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water. The joists if they re 2x8 newer code and not 2x10 older code must be braced every four feet with cross braces which minimizes independent flexing of each joist and the subfloor above. Then in either case the subfloor should probably be about an.

Fill in all large gaps and holes as these will prevent proper adhesion of the tiles. This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints. Backerboard can double the thickness of an installation which can be troublesome in some locations. Level the surface using a wood filler.

There may be times when you want to bond tile directly to plywood or another wood surface rather than screwing down backerboard first. Tips for laying tile on plywood subfloor. How to glue tile to wood. Tiling onto plywood using a standard tile adhesive can be problematic initially i would make sure that the plywood surrounding the pipe work is secure and that you don t have any movement in it.

This guide will teach you how to properly lay cement backerboard and use mortar to secure and level your subfloor before installing tile. Then i would remove any loose tiles and scrap away any adhesive that is left on the ply and tile you want the ply and tile to be perfectly clean for the next stage. You can bond tile directly to wood with a flexible adhesive. Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile.

For wall installations plywood is overkill beneath the concrete or fiber board which is designed in five eighths inch material for wall settings. Unscrew register covers and save the screws. Remove any obstacles from the installation area. Unscrew switch plate and outlet covers and set aside.

If possible you should always use concrete board underlayments rather than plywood. The silicone or urethane adhesives should work too but the thin set mortars are easier to work with and easier to get full adhesive contact between the tile and its substrate. While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto the plywood subfloor itself. However the floor must be properly reinforced to minimize flexing.