Installing Marble Tile On Wood Subfloor

Cement based thinset mortar bonds the marble to the subfloor permanently and it prevents the marble from separating.

Installing marble tile on wood subfloor.

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. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors. 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. An uncoupling membrane does exactly what the name says.

Tiles are glued down with a thin set adhesive a mortar based product that now is the standard for ceramic and stone tile products. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Clean out as much mortar from the grout joints as you can. Check for complete coverage of thin set mortar by pulling up one tile it should cover at least 80 of the back of the tile.

Large tile require a deeper thin set bed to make up for the minor adjustments in flatness of floor and tile. Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout. The notch trowel size depends on the tile type and size. In addition uncoupling tile membranes prevent moisture from infiltrating surfaces below.

Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. Concrete board is going to provide you with a very strong surface to put the tile on. 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. 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.

However you re not out of the woods. Because most old homes only use 1 2 plywood or osb. A tight unmoving bond between mortar and subfloor causes cracking. 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.

It uncouples or releases the bond between plywood and tile mortar allowing each surface to move independently of each other. 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. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.

First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. Once the polished marble tile is set firmly in thinset there s reason to.