Tile Underlayment For Concrete Floor

Ceramic and porcelain tile are so frequently installed at or above grade level on a cement board underlayment or directly on plywood that it almost seems novel to install tile directly on concrete.

Tile underlayment for concrete floor.

A tile floor consists of three individual layers. The subfloor the underlayment and the surface tile you walk on. A concrete slab makes a good underlayment for ceramic tiles since it s similar to the solid mortar bases that used to be the standard for ceramic tile installation. Cement based backer board.

In addition underlayments can provide thermal and sound insulation as well as a cushion that makes walking on the floor more. Although you don t need to install an underlayment between the concrete and the tile you need to prepare the surface before placing the tile. Installing tile directly on concrete. A waterproof underlayment membrane like ditra from schluter systems can be substituted for backer board.

Additionally a steps must be taken to ensure that a concrete floor will create a solid bond. Made of lightweight polyethylene the membrane is only 1 8 thick and can be cut easily with a. However the slab must be flat perfectly level and not at risk of settling or heaving. I m putting ceramic tile flooring in my kitchen and live on a 10 year old ground level concrete slab.

To prepare your concrete subfloor make sure that it can accept water penetration. Now largely regarded as the very best underlayment for ceramic tile in any application floors walls and countertops cement based backer board goes by many names. Test by sprinkling water on various areas of the subfloor. For wood and laminate flooring the underlayment may provides moisture protection.

Do i need to put any type of underlayment or vapor barrier underneath it. As with a wooden subfloor a concrete subfloor must be level for successful tile installation. There are various types of tile underlayment but all serve to smooth out uneven. Yet this application does make sense since concrete is heavy solid and is typically thought of as an unbending uncompromising material.

It is generically called cement board or backer board or it can also be referred to by one of the common brand names such as densshield hardiebacker and wonderboard.