Ceramic Tile Subfloor Options

A number of trowel able and pourable tile underlayment options are available each with its own purpose and best use.

Ceramic tile subfloor options.

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. 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 have a number of choices when it comes to the ideal underlayment for ceramic tiles. This tile is composed of sand which is fired at high temperature and pressure.

We took up old ceramic tile original with a 20 year old house and found no cement board or other underlayment material underneath. Since it isn t porous porcelain tile is more water resistant and harder than ceramic but it is harder to cut. However i did find that the previous installer had put another sheet of 1 2 plywood over the 3 4 inch plywood subfloor. Creating a bed of mortar is an older method of setting tiles on a concrete.

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. Ceramic tiles are very strong but when they re installed on a surface that isn t sturdy and rigid you ll end up with cracked grout joints and broken tiles ruining the look and water resistance of the floor. Manufactured in the usa the basement subfloor tile is designed to create a floating underlayment base providing a barrier separating the concrete and the finished floor. The diy basement subfloor interlocking tiles are great for use under vinyl planks or other laminate flooring.

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. For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material.