Installing Marble Tile On Wood Subfloor

Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout.

Installing marble tile on wood subfloor.

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. Tiles are glued down with a thin set adhesive a mortar based product that now is the standard for ceramic and stone tile products. First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. If the subfloor is 5 8 or 3 4 you can probably apply tile directly to it with no problem.

The old fashioned mud method of floating a thick mortar bed in preparation for the tile has given way to using cement backer board over a plywood subfloor. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. 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.

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. Clean out as much mortar from the grout joints as you can. 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. In addition uncoupling tile membranes prevent moisture from infiltrating surfaces below.

Cement based thinset mortar bonds the marble to the subfloor permanently and it prevents the marble from separating. The notch trowel size depends on the tile type and size. Because most old homes only use 1 2 plywood or osb. It uncouples or releases the bond between plywood and tile mortar allowing each surface to move independently of each other.

However you re not out of the woods. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Large tile require a deeper thin set bed to make up for the minor adjustments in flatness of floor and tile. Once the polished marble tile is set firmly in thinset there s reason to.

Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. Installing tile over a wood subfloor is a lot easier today than it was when i started my remodeling career. You will need to use adhesive under the concrete board and then use nails or screws to adhere it to the wood subfloor. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.

A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor. A tight unmoving bond between mortar and subfloor causes cracking.