How to Prepare Plywood for Tile
Preparing a plywood underlayment before you lay tile will ensure that you don't have problems with any surface variations that might be present on the original wood floor. Regular wood flooring isn't ideal for laying tile because there can be minute variations between the planks. Plywood provides the smooth, flat base that you need for either vinyl or hard tiles. Don't use this approach on a bathroom floor, as the moisture content there requires cement board instead of plywood. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Plywood (1/2 inch thick)
- Screw gun
- Galvanized wood screws (1 3/4 inch)
- Pencil
- Circular saw
- Floor leveler (liquid)
Instructions
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1
Lay a piece of plywood in one corner of the room alongside two adjacent walls. Leave 3/8 inch of space between the plywood and the walls. This will let the wood expand with climate changes.
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2
Sink galvanized wood screws every 6 inches or so around the edges of the sheet and over the entire surface.
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3
Lay the second plywood sheet off the end of the first, next to the wall. Leave the same 3/8-inch gap by the wall, but butt the two plywood sheets tightly together. Secure it with screws as before.
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4
Repeat the process to lay plywood sheets alongside the whole edge of the floor. Cut the final sheet with a circular saw, as needed, so there is a 3/8-inch gap by the ending wall.
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5
Set the next course of plywood sheets alongside the first, again laying them end to end and securing them with screws. Start the course at the opposite end as before, so the ends of the boards are staggered between courses. Install the sheets so that the edges of the plywood butt together wherever they meet, but there is a 3/8-inch space by the wall all around. Cover the whole floor.
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6
Pour floor leveler slowly into any gaps, holes or depressions in the plywood (except the gaps by the walls) to get it flat and even. Let the leveler set overnight. The floor is now ready for tiling.
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