Can You Tile Over Plywood In Bathroom

While some types of plywood can be used in certain types of tile installations use of the material has limitations.

Can you tile over plywood in bathroom.

I did it for 30 years over fir plywood. The job isn t difficult when it s done right. You can either roll on a liquid latex membrane or use a peel and stick crack prevention mat over the entire concrete subfloor. In fact pros do it all the time.

This process is not complicated but you will need to be willing to do some work. Often the subfloor consists of plywood that is nailed or screwed to the construction floor. To prevent that movement from creating cracks in your grout and tile install a crack prevention membrane after the concrete subfloor is clean flat and free of cracks larger than 1 8 inch. Before finish flooring is installed on top of a plywood subfloor you must waterproof the subfloor especially in a bathroom.

It is more important as a subfloor than anything else. A poor ceramic installation will. To install bathroom tile over plywood you ll have to follow a series of steps. Start by measuring the room.

Step 1 measure. If you do not waterproof the subfloor moisture can make its way under the subfloor and cause mold growth or other damage. While most floor tile these days is installed onto a layer of cement board or similar backerboard it is possible to lay tile directly over plywood. The nice thing about tiling over plywood is that should you drop something and break a tile you can remove it without disturbing the surrounding tiles.

For wall installations your real concerns are whether you want to use thinset directly on the wood and whether you are using an exterior or interior type of plywood. If your old ceramic tile is worn or dated you can lay new tile right over the old and avoid the huge job of tearing out the old tile. But done wrong it can leave a homeowner with a feeling of defeat. It is resistant to water and scratches making it more durable than hardwoods or vinyl tile for these areas.

This assumes that the floor underneath is solid concrete and that there are no cracks in the existing tile indicating underlying problems in the concrete. Here are the basics of how to install bathroom tile on plywood. I still get calls for more work after being out of it for 10 years because my work held up. Ceramic tile is a very popular upgrade for kitchens bathrooms patios and foyers.

A number of different types of substrate are used for tile including plywood.