i need to tile a floor in a bathroom, question on sub floor?

Question

if i have a sub floor made up of the floor joice and 3/4" plywood is that strong enough so they wont crack or should it be stronger?

Answer 1

According to the Tile Council of America you must have a 1 and 1/4 " thick sub-floor the top layer being something like cement board or hardibacker. Either of these must be thin-set and screwed down. I've seen people try to cheat on this and it most often results in an expensive nightmare. Bare in mind you are putting down a product with a 50 year lifespan and the foundation (sub-floor) for it is critical. Feel free to contact me with other questions.

Answer 2

Your subfloor is most likely plenty strong enough but you still need a backerboard. Adding concrete board gives you almost 0 extra strength, but it does provide a good surface to adhere the tile to. If your wooden subfloor were to get wet (which is likely in a bathroom) and you had no other subfloor, the wood would rot and your tile would crack and loosen. Concrete board does provide better flexural strength, meaning it can bend a little as your house settles without cracking or splintering or causing peaks that will crack your tile. I have been using Hardibacker as a subfloor for tile for about 5 years now and it works just as well as any concrete board. It is easy to work with and not very heavy so I suggest installing 1/4" Hardibacker before tiling.

Answer 3

i might want to point paying a contractor because there are a range of issues that would want to bypass incorrect. ...sub floor has bounce, so tiles do not stay down, grout cracks, putting a bathroom over tiles (you want to develop the lavatory, and reset it after the tiles are laid. also want to diminish the tiles around the ABS and that would want to be somewhat difficult too.) then the lavatory can nevertheless leak causing damage. yet if you're a sturdy DIYer, then bypass to homestead Depot or Rona and take a seminar.

Answer 4

That is standard flooring, it IS rated to support you and your floor (unless you're gettin' freaky with, like, 1 & 1/2" marble), it will be more than sufficient for any kind of "Flooring" you get at the hardware or where ever, but a sheet of concrete board is a good idea for ceramic tiles (because they are kinda fragile) and to seal it well enough.

Answer 5

Depends on the span of the joists and but still it sounds like you need more. You should consider cement board for the next layer because it resists water better.

Answer 6

If you don't put any kind of flooring underneath this and put ceremic tile directly over this it will crack. You must put cement board beneath this.

Answer 7

I agree 100% with enord above.