Tile On Plywood Or Cement Board

Laying a cement board under a tile.

Tile on plywood or cement board. Correctly installed cement board provides a very stable base that s permanently bound to the tile with thin set mortar so your new tile floor will last a very long time. In this highly convenient inexpensive and popular application a moisture barrier of 4 or 6 mil thick plastic is installed directly over the wall studs. After you have decided on the thickness and purchased your cement backer board spread adhesive on both the plywood subfloor and the one side of the cement. Tile requires a structurally sound sturdy foundation and plywood alone is unsuitable.

Chipboard cushioned vinyl flooring particle boards of any type oriented strand board osb interior grade plywood tongue and groove planking and hardwood floors are unsuitable substrates for direct installation of ceramic tile. If i thinset the cement board down using a 1 4 x 1 4 trowel and screw it every 8 will the thinset end up being 1 8 thick. It depends on how high you want to raise your floor. Cement based backer board stabilizes the plywood substrate and provides a flat even surface for tile.

To install ceramic tile over wood the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. Cement backerboard is designed specifically for this use. Installing over wood. If the subfloor doesn t have enough stability you can usually but not always remedy the situation by installing cement backer board also called cementboard.

Because plywood expands and contracts beneath the ceramic tile grout and tile failure loose tiles and cracked crumbling grout is just a matter of time. When using a cement backer board you can go with whether a inch thickness or a inch thickness. On a plywood subfloor you need either a layer of cement backer board or an underlayment membrane like custom building products wonderboard and redgard between the subfloor and tile for the thin set adhesive to achieve a good bond. Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs.

The best argument when determining whether to use plywood or cement board under tile is in the adhesive process. Cement board commonly sold under trade names such as durock hardiebacker and wonderboard is now the standard underlayment used for ceramic porcelain or stone tile laid with thinset mortar adhesive cement board is used for most floor tile and has all but replaced plywood and drywall backer materials for wall tile applications in wet areas like showers and tub surrounds. Plywood is porous and not designed for use with most of today s latex based thinset mortars. Then the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting.

Tile is laid onto the cement board with thinset mortar or mastic.