Tile Floor Subfloor Requirements

The substrate for tiles shorter than 15 inches must be so flat that it varies no more than 1 16 inch per foot according to the ceramic tile education foundation.

Tile floor subfloor requirements.

The maximum span is 14 ft as a steel i beam breaks the floor into two sections of 14 ft. Regardless of the material it must be at least 1 inch. It is important to distinguish the components of a flooring system in order to understand the best installation. Interior grade plywood and particleboard are not considered strong enough for a tile installation.

Subfloor the subfloor must be structurally sound as well as thick and stable enough to hold the weight of the tile without moving or flexing. The subflooring should be level to 1 8 inch in 10 feet. The subfloor must be able to hold the weight of the tile and preparation materials required to complete the installation. For example the maximum deflection for a joist span of 15 is 15 12 360 1 2.

2 prepare a wood subfloor for tile. The floor joists are 2x10s spaced 24 on center and running lengthwise. Subflooring requirements for tile floors to meet tca stiffness requirements floor framing should be no more than 16 inches on center with minimum 19 32 inch plywood subflooring. The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order.

Preparing your subfloor for tile in this video learn how to prepare a wood or concrete subfloor for tile including such steps as checking for dips installing backerboard applying primer and thinset pouring liquid underlayment and when to use osb or exterior grade plywood. Ft plus any long term deflection due to the weight of the floor. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete wood or other solid floors. Most floor tile is adhered to the subfloor or underlayment with cement based thinset mortar.

Upgrading to 23 32 inch plywood will stiffen the subfloor by almost 80 and provide a more solid feeling floor. Underlayment is the material placed on top of the subfloor that assists in the installation of the tile or other type of flooring. Underlayment for ceramic tile floors. Natalia baran istock gettyimages how to fix a bad subfloor.

To keep this type of flooring resilient against wear and tear you must install it correctly before it s used. The subfloor is 23 32 t g osb with inch lauan and sheet vinyl over top. If needed sand the plywood down to level the subfloor.