Tile Floor Subfloor Requirements

The difficulty is that tile can be installed over a number of substrates and each requires specific preparations to ensure a long lasting tile floor.

Tile floor subfloor requirements.

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. Vinyl is one of the few types of floors that can be safely installed over concrete wood or other solid floors. Because of issues of moisture movement and adhesion ceramic tile will work well with certain types of subfloor underlayment systems and can go dramatically wrong with other subfloor materials. The subfloor is 23 32 t g osb with inch lauan and sheet vinyl over top.

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. To determine the requirements for a tile subfloor i partnered with jim and rich from diamond tile located here in maryland. However you re not out of the woods. The goal is to have a wooden subfloor consisting of two.

Regardless of the material it must be at least 1. To keep this type of flooring resilient against wear and tear you must install it correctly before it s used. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.

The maximum span is 14 ft as a steel i beam breaks the floor into two sections of 14 ft. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. The subfloor must be structurally sound as well as thick and stable enough to hold the weight of the tile without moving or flexing.

The basement ceiling is finished in drywall so i do not have access from below. The first step to proper installation is to get the subfloor in order. 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. The floor joists are 2x10s spaced 24 on center and running lengthwise.

For this reason ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be considered somewhat delicate despite the inherent strength of the material.