Tile On Plywood Underlayment

Set your job up for success.

Tile on plywood underlayment.

If water seeps through the tile installation to the underlayment it will not cause the wood to swell as happens with interior grade plywood. For floor tile in any room use cementboard or a similar tile backer instead. Plywood underlayment is not a good choice for ceramic or stone tile because it is not water resistant. A waterproof underlayment membrane like ditra from schluter systems can be substituted for backer board.

Made of lightweight polyethylene the membrane is only 1 8 thick and can be cut easily with a utility knife. The best argument when determining whether to use plywood or cement board under tile is in the adhesive process. You get a smoother application and better adhesion so your tile job is less likely to fail when the backerboard is made of cement. Plywood is porous and not designed for use with most of today s latex based thinset mortars.

Do you know that the manufacturer provides a 40 year limited warranty for this product. Exterior plywood is an acceptable underlayment for tile and is preferred to interior grade plywoods because the bonding adhesives used are waterproof. Plywood underlayment panels provide a smooth base for carpet tile or sheet flooring and other types of finish flooring. There are various types of tile underlayment but all serve to smooth out uneven spots in a subfloor and create an unbending layer that prevents the floor from flexing underfoot.

When installing a tile floor a layer of cement backer board is usually put down over a plywood subfloor to provide a firm stable surface. Apa underlayment also resists dents and punctures from concentrated loads. Apa rated sturd i floor panels are specially designed as combination subfloor underlayment. Cement backerboard is designed specifically for this use.

It s another tyvek product and suitable for shingle underlayment.