It is an orange colored membrane designed as a backer for tile.
Tile over subfloor.
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.
Tips for laying tile on plywood subfloor for flooring use intervening sheets of plywood.
Ceramic tile over wood tile concrete or vinyl should be installed by using appropriate products that will allow the right adhesion between surfaces.
Wooden subfloors in older houses need to be strengthened and stabilized before backer board and tile are installed.
Use thinset with a higher latex content.
A successful tile installation project requires a level surface.
First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood.
If ceramic or porcelain tiles are installed on an uneven surface you run the risk of allowing the tiles to crack or loosen.
The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time.
While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor.
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.
Use the right.
Manufacturers generally recommend that the deflection of the subfloor system be limited to no more than span 360 under total load.
They require a subfloor that s designed to account for this without any fluctuation or movement.
Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room.
Ceramic and porcelain tile are among the most rigid materials for flooring.
If you find hollows and valleys you must fill them with a self leveling underlayment.
No matter how firm the subfloor.
Elements of a solid subfloor.
Concrete expands and contracts and that type of movement can also crack the tiles and the grout.
However you re not out of the woods.
Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk.
If the underlying flooring structure which usually consists of floor joists a subfloor and an underlayment is not in good shape the ceramic tile floor will flex underfoot leading to cracked grout joints and a ruined installation.
First of all tile definitely should not be put down over a wood sub floor.
While tile can be laid on plywood do not install tile directly onto.
The best method is to refasten the subfloor then add a layer of plywood.
However there is a new product by schluter called the ditra system.
