This article will walk you through on installing ceramic tile on a wood sub-floor. This will show you what materials were used and how the installation took place.
This room size was approximately 12' x 14'. The room was a formal dining room and had carpeting. Under the carpeting there was a layer of 3/4" particle board and a layer of 3/4" OSB board. According to the manufacturer of the Hardibacker cement board, the company recommended that we remove the particle board. Their reasons is the particle board is not a durable enough material to place their product over. Here are some reasons why particle board is bad under tile: absorbs moisture and water like a sponge, flexes under weight and does not hold screws and nails very well. First off remove all the trim in the room. Next step is to remove any material that is not suitable for tile (carpet, particle board, damaged wood). You can lay new tile over laminate after laying down cement board. After all the flooring materials are out of the way move around the floor and check for squeaks. When you find a squeak use a drywall screw and screw the floor down into the floor joists. Once all squeaks are gone check for high and low spots in the floor and replace sub-floor areas as needed. The best ceramic jobs are ones where the sub floors are level. If the sub-floor is not level you can use a self-leveling material to fix low areas.
In your project you will need to build the sub-floor up to the height that you wish. In this project the particle board was removed so there needed be new plywood put into it's place. New plywood is laid perpendicular to the sub-floors plywood. This strengthens the floor and helps to ensure a solid base for the tile. The new plywood is screwed and glued to allow a good bond to the sub-floor. The photo shows the new 3/4" plywood that was laid down. The blue markings on the walls were for the layout of the floor joists. Helping to located the floor joists allows the new floor to be screw ed those joists.
Before laying down the cement board some thin-set mortar needs to be laid with a 3/8" notched trowel to spread it across the new sub-floor. The new sub-floor seams were also taped using a mesh tape specifically for tiling.
The next step is to lay down the Hardibacker cement board over the soft thin-set mortar. The cement board has a nailing pattern on the front to show where the nails or screws need to be located. A nailing gun was used to attach the cement board to the sub-floor. Using screws takes a long time and each screw needs to be flush with the board. When using nails the process takes less than second to shoot the nail. If the nail does not set flush a hammer can be used to hit the hammer lower. Both processes of securing the cement board to the sub-floor is recommended by the manufacture.
After finishing up laying the cement board the seams were taped and a thin layer of thin-set was used over the tape. The seams need to be taped just like drywall so that the grout seams will not crack from expansion and contraction during the weather seasons. You must use a tape that is required for ceramic tile. Do not use drywall tape or drywall mesh tape.
Besides building up a sturdy sub-floor for the tile, layout is crucial to a good tile project. For this project the homeowner wanted the tile on an angle. It took about an hour to lay out the floor. The reason that it took that long was for the tile cuts next to the hardwood floor and because the hardwood floor was out of square. Do not assume that walls, floors and ceilings are straight. Setting up square reference lines is the best way to handle this process. After the tiles are laid out thin-set was mixed and the tile laying process began.
A 3/8" notched trowel was used to spread the thin-set on the cement board. The ceramic tiles are placed in the thin-set and pressed down slightly. Using a slight twisting motion before positioning it in it's spot helps to embed the tile in the thin-set. Spacers are used to space out the tile from each other. A popular space is 1/4". thin-set is easy to clean up even after it gets hard but being tidy during the process will help. Stopping during this process of laying is fine. Just cleanup the extra thin-set off the floor and cleanup any let on tile.
The thin-set mortar needs to setup for about 24 hrs. Walking on the tile before hand may loosen the bond. Once the tiles are set start mixing up the grout and apply it to all the spaces. Remembering to remove the spaces as you go. On this project the tiles were spaced 1/4" apart (this is standard). When grouting try and complete the project all in the same day if possible. That way the grout will not dry out at a seam where you stopped. This could cause a discoloration at this area where the dried grout and wet grout combine.
An extra precaution is to place up painters tape on the walls and adjacent floor so that no grout gets onto these surfaces.
A float is used to push the grout into the spaces. The float needs to be tilted at about a 30-45 degree angle and run it perpendicular with the lines. This makes sure that the grout is not being pulled out of the
spaces. Once all the spaces are filled I wait about 20 minutes for the grout to dry. Use a sponge and water to remove access grout by wiping all grout off the tiles. Do not let grout dry too long. The longer it sits the harder it is to remove.
Finished! This project turned out great and the homeowner was pleased.
Project- Advanced Tools - Drill, Screw Gun or Roofing Gun, Notch Trowls, Rags, Pails, Hammer, Prybar, Tile Saw Materials - Backer Board, Thin-Set, Grout, Tile, Seam Tape, Cement Board Screws or Roofing Nails Cost- ~$350.00 (not including tile) Time - ~20 Hrs
Note:It is always recommend to follow manufactures requirements. If there is a problem with the product in the future then the manufacture would be responsible with a warranty claim. Spending a little more at the beginning may save both the customer and the contractor a lot of headaches later on.
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