Installing Marble Tile On Wood Subfloor

Check for complete coverage of thin set mortar by pulling up one tile it should cover at least 80 of the back of the tile.

Installing marble tile on wood subfloor.

Large tile require a deeper thin set bed to make up for the minor adjustments in flatness of floor and tile. The notch trowel size depends on the tile type and size. If you are working with a wood subfloor you are going to need to install concrete board before you can put the marble tile in. It uncouples or releases the bond between plywood and tile mortar allowing each surface to move independently of each other.

Cement based thinset mortar bonds the marble to the subfloor permanently and it prevents the marble from separating. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout. Clean out as much mortar from the grout joints as you can. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent.

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. A tight unmoving bond between mortar and subfloor causes cracking. 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. Concrete board is going to provide you with a very strong surface to put the tile on.

Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. When installing a ceramic tile floor on a concrete subfloor you don t have to worry about flexing as long as the concrete slab is at least 1 1 8 inch thick which most slabs are. An uncoupling membrane does exactly what the name says. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.

It is a good idea to put half inch plywood underlay to strengthen the floor before using modified thin set to put the tile directly on wood. Because most old homes only use 1 2 plywood or osb. Installing tile over a wood subfloor is a lot easier today than it was when i started my remodeling career. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.

However you re not out of the woods. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor. Once the polished marble tile is set firmly in thinset there s reason to. In addition uncoupling tile membranes prevent moisture from infiltrating surfaces below.

Subfloor preparation is similar cement board underlayment installed over a sturdy plywood subfloor is the best base for marble tiles just as it is with ceramic tile. If the subfloor is 5 8 or 3 4 you can probably apply tile directly to it with no problem.