Tile Over Hardwood Subfloor

You shouldn t tile directly over hardwood flooring since it can expand contract and cup due to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.

Tile over hardwood subfloor.

If the hardwood flooring is composed of narrow boards with a very smooth flat surface you could leave the flooring in place and screw cement backer board down on top of it before applying the tile. Lay down a vapour barrier overtop the concrete pad then fasten 3 4 inch plywood using a ramset to the concrete pad. Still you may need to tile directly over an existing hardwood floor for instance to avoid raising the floor level significantly relative to an adjacent floor. A couple options considered are.

Floor tiles usually should be laid over a strong underlayment of cement board or treated plywood. Lay down 1 2 inch thick cement backerboard over the wood subfloor or hardwood. Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room. Roll on a layer of latex primer sealer.

Use thinset with a higher latex content thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick. A 3 4 inch plywood subfloor on a joist structure with 24 inch spacing needs the extra thickness of cementboard or the floor will flex and the tiles will crack. If installing over an appropriate wood surface sand the wood to make it smoother and remember that the installation will work better over a subfloor at least 1 1 8 inches thick. How to tile on a wooden floor 1.

According to backer board manufacturers and tile setters installing backer board directly over an old solid wood subfloor is risky for a couple of reasons. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. Measure the wall. Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk.

Trowel on a thin layer of thinset mortar over the. Uncoupling membranes aren t recommended for tiles smaller than 2 inches square and should not be used when covering old hardwood flooring due to adhesion problems. Install 1 4 inch cork by thin setting it to the concrete pad then installing the heating system by fastening it to. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent.

Tape off any affected vents with painter s tape. Use intervening layers of two sheets of plywood. However if it s still somewhat rough bumpy or. Cut the backerboard to fit the edges.

Apply fiberglass tape to each seam in the backerboard to cover it. If your wood subfloor is smooth and even you can progress to step 3. This prepares and seals the surface for the. If so make sure the floor is solid and well sealed.