Tile Floor Subfloor Requirements

Underlayment for ceramic tile floors.

Tile floor subfloor requirements.

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

Most floor tile is adhered to the subfloor or underlayment with cement based thinset mortar. The basement ceiling is finished in drywall so i do not have access from below. The subflooring should be level to 1 8 inch in 10 feet. It is important to distinguish the components of a flooring system in order to understand the best installation.

Underlayment is the material placed on top of the subfloor that assists in the installation of the tile or other type of flooring. Regardless of the material it must be at least 1 inch. 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. Interior grade plywood and particleboard are not considered strong enough for a tile installation.

Plywood must be installed over an adequate subfloor and must be at least 1 1 8 thick when combined with the subfloor. Ft plus any long term deflection due to the weight of the floor. The subfloor must be able to hold the weight of the tile and preparation materials required to complete the installation. The maximum span is 14 ft as a steel i beam breaks the floor into two sections of 14 ft.

For example the maximum deflection for a joist span of 15 is 15 12 360 1 2. The floor joists are 2x10s spaced 24 on center and running lengthwise. 2 prepare a wood subfloor for tile. 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.

Natalia baran istock gettyimages how to fix a bad subfloor. Divide the total span of the floor joists in inches by 360 to determine the maximum amount the floor can give in the middleunder a live load of 40 lb sq. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete wood or other solid floors.