Ceramic Tile Directly On Subfloor

I am thinking of installing a ceramic tile floor in my kitchen.

Ceramic tile directly on subfloor.

Installing over existing vinyl. Installing ceramic tile over vinyl or linoleum surfaces can be more complicated than expected and probably should be avoided whenever possible. A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood. Osb panels provide an excellent base for many types of finished flooring including ceramic tiles if careful attention to the construction and preparation of the subfloor is paid in order to avoid costly callbacks.

Always follow the manufacturer s installation. Mike i think your popping tiles is directly related to the sub floor. While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. Ceramic tiles on wood subfloors bathrooms ceramic tile text.

No matter how firm the subfloor. 1 2 or try that schluter product. 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. You need a backer.

I can home from work last night to find that the contractor began tiling in the master bathroom and is applying the ceramic tiles directly to the existing subfloor. You can have the best mortar in the world but you re getting movement and moisture coming up and it will definitely pop those tiles every time. One question that folks new to ceramic tile frequently ask is whether they can lay the ceramic directly on top of a plywood or osb subfloor using a thinset cement or liquid nails to glue down the tile to the wood. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material.

My knowledge isn t vast but i would see this as a huge problem. 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. The subfloor is 3 4 inch plywood. By the way use a mortar that is enhanced with latex.

However if you can t remove the old surface or otherwise decide to install over it lay a backer board with thin set over the old surface to serve as your new subfloor material. Planning and patience along with these tips will help ensure that you install the quality of finished flooring you are looking for. The floor consists of 2 x 10 southern yellow pine floor joists 16 inches on center. A poor ceramic installation will delaminate from the subfloor split at the grout lines or worse crack directly across the tile.

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.