How Can You Install Tiles On Hardwood Flooring?
If you are thinking of installing tile over wood flooring, it is essential to know and follow some considerations and steps for making sure there would be proper bonding. Wondering can you lay tile over hardwood?
Tile over wood floors must be installed with appropriate products that will allow proper adhesion between surfaces. Even though installing tile over wood flooring is a bit more complicated than installing over concrete, the project may need some extra work as well as some steps.
As with other installation projects, installing tile over hardwood requires preparation. In fact, preparing for installation is a major part of the job. With floor installation, preparing the correct base or substrate is critical for really beautiful and long-lasting floor.
In this blog you will get to know how to install ceramic floor tile on wood with the help of flooring experts.
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Tiles On Hardwood – Why Don’t They Go Along?
Whether you live in a period house with real wooden floorboards or a new home with chipboard flooring under carpets, wooden flooring can be an issue if you want to switch to tiles.
Woods flexible and uneven texture can really cause tiles to crack or lift over tome. This is more in case of high footfall areas where floorboards flex underfoot.
Fear not- if you wish to know how to install floor on wood floor, hiring experts would be your first step. Why? Simply because they are experienced enough to offer you what you need.
1. Choose Proper Floor Tiles
Before you start the project, ensure you invest sufficient time in picking the right tile for your wooden floor. The best thing is to hire experts who can offer you amazing range of tiles for you to choose.
If you have a budget, you can share that too with your installer for them to understand how much you are willing to spend. Leaving it in the hands of the experts is the best thing to do.
2. Get Creaks Under Check
After clearing furniture out of the room you wish to tile over wood subfloor, it is time for you to a good stamp around the wooden floor. Listen for creaks, as well as loose floorboards. Mark any floorboards that are flexible or creaking under weight using a pencil.
After identifying the troublemakers, you will need to add some extra screws for trying and solidifying the surface. Also, ensure you stick to shorter screws- you don’t want to hit any pipes or wires beneath the wood.
You’ll be able to identify the joist that are perpendicular to the floorboards by existing nails fixing floorboard in place. Some extra screws in any disturbing floorboards would help reduce movement- but ensure you use countersunk screws. This would help you avoid bumps on the floor.
Related Article: How To Get Started With Hardwood Floor Refinishing
3. Choose The Tiling Board
You need to cover the floorboard with rigid and smooth surface for preparing to tile it. You can use wood that is thicker like 12mm in order to ensure rigid flooring.
It can create a step into the room, as you would be raising the floor height by about 1.5cm once the tiles are on. You need to remember, the thinner material allows you to maintain a nice consistent floor from room to room.
4. Lay The Tile Board
Whichever backing board you opt for, you need to measure it and cut it to size for ensuring it fits the floor area you are planning to cover. It is best to start in an open corner and work through the room when putting tile on wood floor, cutting out the awkward pieces to fit the opposite side as well.
Before laying the boards, you need you clean your floor thoroughly. To lay the first board, use a caulking gun that is loaded with quick grip adhesive and squirt a line across the back of the board, close to the edge.
Use your foot to tap the board and ensure it is firmly adhered to the floorboards underneath. Follow up by using number of short screws for permanently fixing the boarding to the floorboard beneath.
If you are using hardwood, you need to screw carefully. Use a cordless screwdriver for ensuring these are firmly screwed in place, following an even, grid type pattern across the board.
Make sure you screw down the corners of the board, too, for preventing it from lifting along the edge.
5. Priming The Surface
Once the boarding is all in place, you must have a smooth, firm and flat surface to work on. The last step before tiling is applying an even coat of diluted primer and let it dry. This will create a nice gripped surface, ready to be tiled with tile adhesive.
Expert tip: when you tile on top of hardwood floor, use flexible adhesive and grout for reducing the risk of cracking. Opt for silicone sealant across the edge of the room, rather than solid filler.
It would allow your tiles for flexing as you walk over these, rather than pulling away from the wall or cracking.
