The technology of installing tiles on a wooden floor

Ceramic tiles on wooden floors are ideal solutions in very wet conditions,as a bathroom or kitchen. But what if the base is a wooden floor, and besides it is not mounted on a reinforced concrete slab? But, as practice shows, it is possible, but then it is possible to put tiles on GVL or on OSB plywood. And the answer is simple and unambiguously positive, because it is these materials that have high technical indicators.

For technical reasons, laying tiles on a wooden floor is undesirable or impractical. The wooden floor is prone to permanent deformations in the course of its service life. Each board relatively adjacent can make small movements, which will lead to cracking of the adhesive layer and damage to the ceramic coating itself. In this article, we will look at how to lay the tile correctly on gypsum board and plywood and at the same time, to ensure that the coating is durable and reliable.

Wood, as a natural natural material, is prone to constant expansion and narrowing. Moreover, this happens in all directions. In addition, it is prone to rot and wrinkling, leading to its destruction in the process of exploitation with a lack of ventilation and constantly wet environment. But even these factors do not confuse people before the desire to lay ceramic tiles on a wooden base. But then on such a floor, in general, nothing waterproof can not be put. But do not despair, because ceramic tiles on plywood can be stacked, just like on a reinforced concrete base, if you observe the technology and properly prepare the surface. Today there are several ways of laying tiles on a wooden floor. But the most common is the laying of tiles on the GVL floor or laying tiles on the OSB.Because these two materials have excellent strength and elasticity parameters. But before you lay the tile, you should familiarize yourself with the proper technology of leveling the surface.

Floor preparation

Today, a lot of technologies for laying tiles on a wooden floor are known, each of which has its pros and cons. Although, the laying process is in any case the same and standard, the adhesive composition is spread with a thin layer with a notched trowel and the tile is glued to it by the level. Preparing the wooden floor for the tile can be done in two ways:

• is dry;
• is wet.

But no matter how the surface is leveled for tile mounting, general operations are available during preparation. These include:

• Thorough diagnosis and examination of the existing floor and all its elements( boards, lags, substrates, etc.).When identifying suspicious components of the floor, they must be replaced. After replacement, all wooden elements should be thoroughly treated with antiseptic to avoid the formation of mold, fungi, and, consequently, the destruction of the structure of wood.
• Underfloor heating is recommended to be insulated, but it should be done so that there is an air gap of several centimeters under the floorboards themselves. Wood in the course of its service life should be well ventilated through the air duct. As a heater it is better to use fiberglass material, for example, mineral wool or glass wool. Parasites-rodents are not guaranteed in it.
• Laying a tile on a wooden floor requires a well-ventilated base, so the planks of the rough floor must be laid with a gap. In the event that this is not done, then a special overlap of the holes in the boards will be required with a definite step over the entire area.

All, after carrying out all the above manipulations, the draft base can be declared ready for further work.

Aligning the ground zero plane with plywood OSB

Can I put the tiles on the Osbi? It is possible, but it is necessary to fulfill certain conditions. One of the most reliable ways of leveling the floor for laying ceramic tiles on a wooden base is the plywood OSB.It is a plate made of oriented and pressed sized chips. This material has sufficient strength and is capable of withstanding high bending loads. The sheets of 12 and 20 mm thick were widely used. The advantages of the plate should be attributed in the first place:

• High refractoriness. The plate is impregnated with a special compound that burns badly, and in the absence of a catalyst it is not combustible at all.
• The OSB plate repels water well. Due to strong and solid impregnation, moisture can not be absorbed into the material, thereby keeping from it what is under it. Ceramic tiles on the OSB will lie solidly and not deform, as is usually observed on cushioning surfaces.

So. We return to the technology on how to put the tile on a wooden floor in the bathroom. The OSB can be laid directly on floors, but the distance between them should not exceed 50 cm. Plates can be laid not only on logs and floors. In case of careful processing and full prevention of the rough plank floor, they can be laid directly on old boards.

OSB mounting technology It is important to know that it is better to use already laid, but very strong floorboards, because they are already less prone to drying out and deformations when temperature and humidity change.

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At this stage, the base is completely leveled by the method of placing plastic substrates in the required places. As a leveling floor for fixing OSB boards, shingles can be made in places where it is required to raise the level. Plus, a certain distance between the rough boards and slabs will be a passageway for the ventilation of both the boards themselves and the OSB sheets. In addition, to improve the ventilation it is recommended to drill holes in the boards with a uniform pitch. This condition makes it possible to answer with confidence the question of whether it is possible to lay a tile on the stove.

The technology of laying tiles on the OSB slab requires a solid foundation, so the slabs must be laid in two layers. Moreover, each top should overlap the bottom by 50% with a shift in both directions. This arrangement of sheets will provide the required strength of the floor in all respects:

• will withstand the point loads well;The
• base stands well against the forces created over a large area.

The double layer of plywood OSB will provide a strong surface for laying ceramic tiles, and at the same time it will not interfere with the free movement of planks of the rough floor.

It's important to remember! To put the tiles on the stove qualitatively, it is necessary to provide it with the possibility of temperature expansion. Therefore, between the sheets, some distance( 3-4 mm) should be receded to allow free plates to change their geometric dimensions under the influence of temperatures. This space must be filled with a cushioning compound, a sealant is suitable for this. Similarly, the distance should be retreated and from all the walls along the perimeter.

After fixing the plates with self-tapping screws, you can proceed to the very process of installing the tile. But at the same time for masonry tiles on the wooden floor will not require a simple cement-sand glue, but a two-component adhesive, which when hardened has some elasticity, which will ensure a strong fixing of ceramics on the floor of the OSB.

For greater reliability and durability of the wooden flooring, the surface before laying the tiles should be treated with high penetration primer, and allow to dry thoroughly. Video on laying tiles on the floor.

Floor leveling by screed using OSB plywood

If you want to level the base from significant differences in level, then the above technology of laying tiles on a wooden floor will be an ideal solution. But to perform the screed, you will have to live a layer of waterproofing. As it can be an ordinary polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 150 microns. To lay the tile on the wooden floor qualitatively and mold was not formed under the base of the screed, the film must be laid with an overlap of at least 15 cm with the subsequent mandatory sizing of the seams with a strong adhesive tape, and also the walls should be made the same. The thickness of the screed should be between 2.5 and 3.5 cm. Less or more is not recommended.

A thinner layer will become a weak link in the design, the thicker will become quite cold.

Laying of tiles on GVL

Today GWL - gypsum boards with wood fibers as filler are becoming increasingly popular. The resulting material has better properties than conventional drywall:

• More durable due to the reinforcement of the structure by wood fibers. The material also acquires elasticity, which can not be said for drywall.
• Due to the use of all the same natural materials, GWL is an environmentally friendly product.
• Is able to stand much longer in humid environments without changing its parameters.

GVL plates or sheets are available in two variations:

• Single sheets with a thickness of 12 mm, then for laying them on the floor you will need to use two layers of plates. Laying tiles on gvl will provide you with a solid and reliable foundation for many years.
• Double sheets with a shift of the lower, and at the edges with the formation of a lock for more durable joining of the elements among themselves.

In the case of floor leveling with GVL as substrates it is also recommended to use strips cut from this material, attached to the floor by galvanized screws. Between the sheets it is recommended, as in the case with the OSB plywood, to leave a distance of up to 3 mm for temperature compensation. The gap is filled with sealant.

Staging steps for tiles

Laying tiles on slabs of GVL can be performed on ordinary tile glue. In this case, it is recommended to spread the mortar with a thin layer with a notched trowel on the entire surface. Each laid tile should be thoroughly leveled, and between the tiles in the seam should be inserted by all your favorite crosses. After mounting the tile grout joints can be carried out any fugue. Calculate the amount of grout for the seams online calculator.

Laying tiles on the prepared base is no different from the process on the concrete floor, so it starts with the marking. The tile on the wooden floor can be laid flat and diagonally, but it is necessary to mark the initial position of the first line first. After drawing the graphical markings and the tentative drawing in case of using colored tiles, all tiles should be tried on( to lay all over the area in accordance with the drawing) in order to pre-cut the necessary pieces and make holes in the places where the pipes exit from the floor.

Adhesive mortar is better applied to several tiles at once, this will allow for much faster installation of tiles with simultaneous alignment.

It is important to remember that the tile can be moved from the spot only in the first few minutes after it has been laid, after this time, when it is exposed to it, there will be a violation of the already adhering layer.

In addition to this manual, I will present a video on how to put a tile on a wooden floor. Here is another technology for laying tiles on plywood. After reading this article, everyone will be able to answer the question, is it possible to lay tiles on a wooden floor?