Do you HAVE to use backer board under ceramic floor tiles when installing?

Question

In a 2 yr. old home, is it necessary to lay backer board under ceramic tiles in a bathroom?

Answer 1

Simply said, the TCA (tile coucil of america) reccomends no less than 1 1/4 exterior grade plywood to tile directly over wood. If you have less than that. you can use wire lath directly over less than sufficient over wood. Or use the hardi board.(Which is used on walls as frequently as floors.)

Otherwise if you're going over clean concrete you're good to go. If your concrete is painted or has any other kind of residue on it you'll need to use a latex modified thinset for better adhersion.

Hope you find this ifo useful,and good luck whatever you decide.

bellzie :)

Answer 2

If you're going over concrete, you don't have to as long as the concrete is in good shape and level. If you're going over linoleum or bare wood you will need to use backer board. Go to Home Depot and get a book on "Do it yourself" tiling. The books are very clear in what you need to do in darn near every scenario.

Answer 3

Well, I have to agree with everyone else. Concrete, no board required. Otherwise yes. As far as underlayments, here's some pros and cons for various underlayments.

Hardibacker or fiberock, PROS very easy to work with, score and snap with a utility knife. Very inexpensive. Bonds well enough for most residential applications. CONS, although the manufacturers say it is suitable for wet conditions, when it gets saturated it breaks down. I mean really soaked. Not recommended for walls.

Concrete board. PROS bonds extremely well, can be used on walls, holds up to water, a bit more expensive, but not a whole lot. CONS, heavy, and a bit difficult to work with. You need a special scoring tool to score on one side, snap and cut the fiberglass with utility knife, or use diamond blade on a grinder, which is messy, use a dust mask.

And then are other products like Ditra-Mat or Mapei-Lath that are are extremely good. Easy to work with, mortar bonds extremely well, but they are also very expensive.

Answer 4

If your sub floor is plywood, yes use backer board. Hardi-backer brand (light grayish broad) is the easiest to work with. Its easy to score and cut. The cement board (darker gray board) is messier and harder to cut.

If you sub floor is concrete and you don't have any cracks in your foundation, no you don't need backer board.

Answer 5

if you have cement floors , no. the board you need is a cement type so that it will not "walk" when you step on it. wood floors definitly need the extra support. go to lowes or home depot and check out the free literature rack , some helpful hints there , hope this helps MM

Answer 6

No if the integrity of your floor is good you can get away without it.

My preference is to use it. It makes the floor solid as a rock. I think it's worth the extra effort.