Tile Subfloor Options

Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room.

Tile subfloor options.

You ve probably seen this resilient flooring in health clubs and gyms. Exterior grade plywood is the preferred subfloor under tile rather than osb since it deflects less and is more resistant to water and moisture. Subfloor systems eliminate the cake layer approach and give you all layers fused into tiles that can be attached to each other at a higher price than the methods above. Backer board this is the industry standard most preferred by construction pros when installing ceramic or porcelain.

If you want a tile floor that isn t cold underfoot put down a basement subfloor before you install your tile. Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk. A successful tile installation project requires a level surface. For sheet rubber in rolls.

2x2x1 125 inch tiles with osb wood on top and closed cell polystyrene insulation xps on the bottom. Barricade is one such example. It is important to distinguish the components of a flooring system in order to understand the best installation. The subfloor is the foundation beneath finish flooring materials.

If you find hollows and valleys you must fill them with a self leveling underlayment. For ceramic tile the tile council recommends using joists that are 16 inches on center a 3 4 inch thick plywood subfloor and a 1 2 inch thick cement backer board or concrete slab. A tapered piece of plywood may be difficult to fabricate and may not offer the support required for a good installation. Concrete backer board has a solid concrete core and both sides are faced with fiberglass.

Once properly in place and cured the tile can be installed. Janseptember 22 2009 at 4 40 pm. Concrete backer board durock and wonderboard which is the standard material for tile underlayment. On wood frame floors the subflooring provides a continuous structural surface over the floor joists.

The following backer boards are commonly used for tile flooring in wet or dry areas over wood subfloors. For tiles and 1 5 sq. A plywood subfloor should be a minimum of 5 8 thick depending on joist spacing topped by 1 2 cement backer board. In basements and in homes with slab on grade foundations the subfloor may simply be a concrete slab.

Underlayment for ceramic tile floors.