': Unfortunately, tiling directly to floorboards is not recommended. If you want to benefit from this improved service, please opt-in. Using Walls and Floors means you agree with our use of cookies. They will also require fixing with a flexible adhesive such as the Kwik-Flex. Similar in your case I think. Under British Standards BS 5385 Part 1, plywood has now been excluded as a suitable substrate material for the direct fixing of wall tiles, therefore when tiling on to walls, a tile backer board is required.However, tiling onto plywood floors is still acceptable under British Standards. You can work out where the joists are quite easily, they will run in the opposite direction to the floorboards. Lay plywood or Hardie Backer Boards onto the floorboards first, using a bed of tile adhesive, to ensure a sound, flat surface which you can then tile onto. To install ceramic tile over wood, the wood surface must be structurally sound enough to support the weight of the tile. Is tiling over floorboards right for you? You can tile over floorboards and many people do in fact choose to do so, even with wood effect tiles. 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. We hope this answers the question 'Can I Tile Directly Onto Wooden Floor Boards?' Company Registration Number 04652706. PS If tiling with stone tiles or on a floor with slightly more movement, you may wish to overboard with an even thicker plywood (18mm) and use decoupling matting on top – see part c) below. I removed them without damage and sanded down … Three uf my tiles in a bathrrom came loose. Space the Field and Edge Fasteners Correctly The top layer of plywood should be screwed down every 8 inches on the edge and every 6 inches in the field, or interior, section. Tiling on floorboards in bathrooms is pretty commonplace because of this – but getting this wrong can result in broken floor tiles and cracks appearing in the grout. HOW-TO 4 LAYING HARDBOARD AND PLYWOOD 1 Use a chalk line to mark two lines at 90-degree angles to each other across the centre of the room (F2). If your old ceramic tile is worn or dated, you can lay new tile right over the old, and avoid the huge job of tearing out the old tile. Well while original floor boards can look interesting they are often damaged beyond repair. Whichever backing board you decide to go for, you’ll need to measure it and cut it to size to ensure it fits the floor area you’re planning to cover. If you’re using plywood, you can screw straight through it – whereas if you’re using tile backer board, you’ll want to drill pilot holes through this layer first. we have been asked several times if it's possible to tile directly onto chipboard flooring.To give a definitive answer about tiling directly onto chipboard or floor boards (tongue and groove) we felt another post was needed. by Callum Chester Having headed up the content at Walls and Floors since 2012, Callum Chester shares expert advice, trends and home styling imagery with the likes of Ideal Home, Good Homes and Real Homes on a daily basis. Adding timber flooring over tiles will raise the height of the floor, also reducing the floor to ceiling height. It wouldn’t matter what shape the tiles or what they are made of. Wood’s flexible and uneven nature can cause tiles to crack or lift over time, especially in high footfall areas where floorboards flex underfoot – making laying tiles over floorboards problematic. You’ll be able to identify the joists (which run perpendicular to the floorboards) by existing nails fixing the floorboards in place. Unfortunately, tiling directly to floorboards is not recommended. © WALLS AND FLOORS 1987-2020. It is possible to tile directly onto tongue and groove wooden floors, but the high amounts of deflection/movement will mean that an ultra-flexible (S2) tile adhesive is required. Whether you live in a period home with original wooden floorboards or a new build with chipboard flooring under the carpets, wooden flooring can be an issue if you’re keen to make the switch to tiles. Preparation is the secret to laying a laminate, real wood top layer or solid wood floor that’s durable and looks great. Many people assume you can't because floorboards are not stable enough for rigid, brittle tiles. You can even use our plank-shaped tiles to create a herringbone layout. You might wonder why? First, determine how much tile you will need for the job. Adding a step -Creating … Fear not – if you want to make the swap, you don’t need to rip up your floorboards to pour concrete in its place. I had some creaking in my bathroom floor where I'd laid and screwed (but not glued) 6mm ply over the floorboards prior to laying the final floor finish, the ply would creak where it had lifted slightly between screws. It wouldn’t matter what shape the tiles or what they are made of. © 2020 Tiles Direct trading as Tile Enterprise Ltd. All Rights Reserved. It’s best to start in an open corner and work your way across the room, cutting the more awkward pieces of board last to fit the opposite wall as you go. Tiles Direct trading as Tile Enterprise Ltd Registered office Howley Park Road, East Morley, Leeds, LS27 0SW, Upcycling: Getting Creative With Old & Leftover Tiles, “My Tiles Are Cracking, What Do I Do Next! This will allow your tiles to flex as you walk over them, rather than pulling away from the wall or skirting board and cracking. Lay the boarding adhesive-side down, making sure it’s lined up with the edges of the floor. Best Tile To Wood Floor Transition Ideas. To lay your first board, use a caulking gun loaded with quick grip adhesive and squirt a line around the back of the board, close to its edge. Lay the backer boards perpendicular to the floorboards. If there is too much deflection in the floor they are highly likely to crack if the incorrect preparation is carried out. In today’s post, we’re taking you through everything you need to know about laying tiles on floorboards so you can ensure a smooth, durable and crack-free finish. This means that internal doors will need to be adjusted for clearance from the floor. Make sure you stick to shorter screws – you don’t want to hit any pipes or wires under the floor. More recently, specialist tile backer board has proven an increasingly popular option. It's not a DIY job, but an expert floor tiler knows what techniques and materials they need to use to tile over floorboards and make them last. Douglas Marsh September 3, 2020 at 4:14 pm. The point of the underlay is to absorb sound and give noise insulation. Next, you’ll need to cover your floorboards with a rigid and smooth surface to prepare it for tiling. 2 Loose lay the first board over the centre with its long edges at 90 degrees to the floorboards. Try loosening the grip of the glue by applying heat. ?”, From Our Home To Yours: Our Favourite Customer Instagram Projects, Home Inspiration for the Nation: Our Top 21 Interior Design Picks from Instagram [2021], The Ultimate Tile Guide for Surviving the Winter [2021], Join the Tiles-Direct Newsletter For News, Offers Competitions & Discounts. A few additional screws in any offending floorboards should help to reduce movement – but make sure you use countersunk screws to avoid any bumps on the surface. Reply. Unfortunately, wooden flooring is often found in bathrooms and kitchens – areas of the home which are more suited to durable and waterproof tiled surfaces. An experienced content writer, Callum is also the creator of Design Peach, a blog of 'sweet, bite-sized ideas for the home and garden', Monday - Friday 8.00am - 5.00pm Saturday 9.00am - 4.00pm, Order your FREE Walls and Floors Brochure, Our aim at Walls and Floors is to provide our visitors with an enriched online experience when browsing and searching for your perfect tiles. Both of these overlays would need to be screwed down at a maximum of 300mm centres to ensure that the floor is braced securely. It avoids the time-consuming, messy tear-out process. The first step in preparing wood floors to receive new tile involves securing plywood subfloors or hardwood to the joists below. Use a cordless electric screwdriver to ensure they’re firmly screwed in place, following an even, grid-like pattern across the board. In summary, using wood effect tiles on top of your floorboards cuts out the hard work of maintaining natural wood, and it opens up a whole world of style possibilities. How To Tile and Help Centre, Tiling over floorboards is possible with the use of plywood or backer boards. in Thirdly, wooden floorboards are very limited in style; you're stuck with one thickness of the same type of wood. Tile yourself backwards out of the room and let the mortar dry for 24 hours. How to Install Vinyl Tiles over a Wood Floor. How to tile over floorboards tiles direct tiling a floor how to do tiling on wooden floor 18 mm plywood board you can i tile directly onto wooden floor boards walls and floors. Walls and Floors Ltd, Garrard Way, Telford Way Industrial Estate, Kettering NN16 8TD. Using a tape measure, take the dimensions of the room where you will be installing the tiles. Laying tiles on wooden floorboards is easier than you think. Opt for a silicone sealant around the edge of the room, rather than solid filler. View our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Easy to handle and quick to install, underlay gives you a flat, durable and smooth surface. The sheeting is laid over the tiles to create a good surface for the timber flooring to be laid on. the floor well be reinforced 3/4 plywood. Can you tile on wood floorboards? Before laying floor tiles you need to install tile underlay. Whats people lookup in this blog: How To Lay Floor Tiles On Wooden Floorboards; How To Lay Ceramic Tiles On Wooden Floorboards ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Following our previous blog post tiling a wooden floor - yes you can! Sand the wood floor (make sure it’s thoroughly clean and dry) until it’s as smooth and even as possible, with no bumps or rough areas. An error has occurred, please try again later. There are several reasons why you might like to do this. And before the flooring goes down, you’ll need to lay underlay as this will make the flooring easier to fit, help it to last longer and will improve sound and heat insulation. I,m putting ceramic tile over wooden floor. Then, multiply the length and width together to get the square footage of the space. Use your foot to tap the board down and make sure it’s firmly adhered to the floorboards underneath. You can lay new ceramic tile right over the old, using the prep techniques we show here. With some simple DIY prep, you can create a smooth and rigid surface that’s perfect for floor tiling. Before you lay your boards, you’ll need to give the floor a good clean. Registered in England. If you have any more questions, head over to our How To Tile section. 3 Adjust it so that the edges do not correspond with the gaps between the floorboards. Due to the areas that are being tiled, we would recommend porcelain over ceramic due to their superior durability in heavily walked in areas. In short, yes! Make sure you apply adhesive to the edges where two boards meet to avoid creating any lips or protruding edges. If the tiles are in good condition, laying a laminate or another type of floating wood floor over tile isn't much different from laying it on a bare subfloor. Can I tile on top of a wooden floor? Follow up immediately by using a number of short countersunk screws to permanently fix the boarding to the floorboards underneath. Long answer to 'Can I tile directly onto wooden floorboards? This thinner material allows you to maintain a fairly consistent floor height from room to room. Alternatively, another option is to strengthen the substrate with either a layer of floor screed or by overboarding with plywood/tile backer board, and then using an improved flexible (S1) tile adhesive . You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. After clearing the furniture out of the room you want to tile, it’s time to have a good stamp around on the floor – listening for any squeaks and creaks, as well as any loose floorboards. Installing tile over a wood subfloor is a lot easier today than it was when I started my remodeling career. Top tip: When tiling a wooden floor, use a flexible tile adhesive and grout to reduce the risk of cracking. Then you need to wax them to keep them sealed and a certain colour. No matter which method you choose, you should choose an underlay to go between the tiles and the timber flooring. It also resists moisture, mould and doesn’t swell if it gets wet, so it’s ideal for your bathroom, laundry or any other wet areas. Lay plywood or Hardie Backer Boards onto the floorboards first, using a bed of tile adhesive, to ensure a sound, flat surface which you can then tile onto. Laying tile to veneer plywood risks loosening and unbonding the veneer, creating an unstable base for the tile. This site uses cookies to provide and improve your shopping experience. You can use different colours of wax or stain to make the wood different hues. We use cookies in order to make the user experience easier, more relevant and functional. should I use backer board. We’d recommend a layer of tile adhesive is also bedded beneath the Hardie Backer to keep them even, with the screws applied while the adhesive is still wet. Several times a year, you need to sand them down to remove the splintery edges. There is also the possibility that carpeted areas will be significantly lower than other flooring areas and the new floorboards. Tile like this deserves all the attention it can gather. Top tip: When tiling a wooden floor, use a flexible tile adhesive and grout to reduce the risk of cracking. Tim Carter, of Ask the Builder, demonstrates tips you should know before installing ceramic tile over plywood or OSB. 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