Plywood Underlayment Tile

Hardwood plywood underlayment specialty panel.

Plywood underlayment tile.

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. X 47 75 in. Most underlayment approved plywood is at least 11 32 inches the standard recommendation. 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.

A final mark to check is the thickness of the plywood. It can also be used under hardwood laminate and carpet but this is much less common these days because subflooring is typically smooth enough for these materials many of which are installed with a different type of underlayment or pad. If water seeps through the tile installation to the underlayment it will not cause the wood to swell as happens with interior grade plywood. 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.

Basically you ll be making a sort of quot poor man s quot. Uncoupling membranes aren t recommended for tiles smaller than 2 inches square and should not be used when covering old hardwood flooring due to adhesion problems. A 3 4 inch plywood subfloor on a joist structure with 24 inch spacing needs the extra thickness of cementboard or the floor will flex and the tiles will crack. You can use it as underlayment for tile.

Plywood used as underlayment for sheet vinyl flooring should also have a sanded smooth surface on the topside. Exterior plywood is an acceptable underlayment for tile and is preferred to interior grade plywoods because the bonding adhesives used are waterproof. You do however have to properly prep the plywood before use though. In fact due to the problems that edge swelling creates underneath a finished floor a couple of national ceramic tile associations have discouraged the use of osb as a subfloor or underlayment.