Ceramic Tile Over Plywood

Ceramic tile doesn t expand contract nearly as much.

Ceramic tile over plywood.

A single sheet of 3 4 inch plywood is normally not adequate as a. 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. 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. A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood.

Installing over wood. The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time. If possible you should always use concrete board underlayments rather than plywood. To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile.

No matter how firm the subfloor. Regular seasonal humidity shifts are significant enough to make the average 10 x 10 wood subfloor floor expand or contract as much as 1 2. For wall installations plywood is overkill beneath the concrete or fiber board which is designed in five eighths inch material for wall settings. On a plywood subfloor you need either a layer of cement backer board or an underlayment membrane like custom building products wonderboard and redgard between the subfloor.

The preferred method for tile installations is to use a sheet of underlayment. 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. The subfloor should be made of. Plywood and osb expand and contract with humidity and temperature much more than ceramic tile.

As the plywood or osb expands the ceramic won t. A glass of water can detect deflection that s otherwise hard to see with your eye. Before laying tile over any plywood subfloor it s important to make sure that the floor itself is free from excessive deflection or bending which can pop grout joints and loosen or crack tiles.