Proper Subfloor For Ceramic Tile

Cement backer board can provide a solid flat surface to install tiles on if you have a wood subfloor.

Proper subfloor for ceramic tile.

Proper preparation of the subfloor is critical to the success of your ceramic tile installation. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material. However you re not out of the woods.

Wood building materials contract and expand at different rates from natural humidity and exposure. 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. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. 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.

Laying tile on plywood. It will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load. With ceramic tile you also need to limit the deflection between joists which is a function of the subfloor thickness and how it is installed. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout.