How To Fix Ceramic Tile To Plywood

Plywood substrate alternatives.

How to fix ceramic tile to plywood.

It is the only plywood that is rated for use with tile installations in areas where condensation or other moisture is going to be present. 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. The safest most prudent course is to install tile on top of a cement backerboard such as durock wonderboard or hardiebacker. To be sure maybe drill up to 6 evenly spread out holes in the plywood at least 4mm deep or straight through in the areas to be tiled so the adhesive sinks into the holes and hardens hence creating a stronger fix.

Backerboard does not shrink or expand when it comes into contact with water mortar and grout both contain water. Glue called mastic is the least expensive method for installing tiles. Mastic adheres the tile directly to a wooden sub floor to a wooden back splash or onto a piece of plywood. Answer answer we normally don t recommend to bonding to exterior glued plywood egp but it can be done in interior dry applications.

Plywood will expand and deform if subjected to moisture or humidity. There are thin set dry set mortars design specifically for adhering ceramic tile to plywood that is designated as an ansi a118 11 thin set mortar. The glues and resins inside of exterior grade plywood are of a higher quality and are designed to deal with moisture above and beyond what interior types are designed for. For the best results when tiling onto plywood floors follow these instructions.

Cement backerboard is made for tiling. Laying tile over a plywood subfloor can be tricky but if you prepare the sub floor properly your tile floor will last for a lifetime.