How to Lay Tiles on Floorboards
Laying tiles directly over floorboards should be a last resort, something that you do when the circumstances of your project prevent you from installing a cement board underlayment (for example, on an entryway where the tile surface needs to stay almost even with the surrounding wood floor). In that case, take steps to make the floorboards as solid and flat as possible so the tiles will set properly and stay put. In bathrooms, you should always use cement board regardless of other issues, since wood underlayment won’t hold up to moisture. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Flooring nails
- Floor leveling liquid
- Chalk snap line
- Tile mortar
- Tile trowel
- Tile
- Spacers
- Tile cutter
- Grout
- Grout float
- Sponge
Instructions
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1
Go over the whole floor, nailing down any areas that move at all.
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2
Pour floor leveling liquid over all low spots on the floor and into any cracks, gaps or spaces. Let the leveler spread out and even itself. Allow it to set for 24 hours.
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3
Snap two lines across the floor with your chalk snap line so the lines intersect in the middle of the floor.
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4
Spread tile mortar over as much of the middle of the floor as you can reach from one place, covering the intersection of the lines entirely (you should still be able to see them through the mortar).
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5
Set the first four tiles in place at the intersection of the lines, putting spacers between them. Spread additional mortar and begin laying more tiles, building from the middle toward the edges of the floor in a grid pattern. Cut the tiles by the edges of the floor, as needed, on a tile cutter.
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6
Let the mortar set for a day. Remove the tile spacers. Grout the floor with a grout float, forcing the grout down into the spaces between the tiles and scraping it off the surface of the tiles. Wipe up the excess grout with a damp sponge. Let it set for 48 hours.
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