Can you tile over plywood ? I have 13X13 porcelane tiles and I am planning to use VersaBond Gray 50 lb. Fortified Thin-Set Mortar. That bad boy never let me down. Ideally I would want to put ¼ durock and then tile …but looking at the manufacturer description ..it looks like they are ok to tile over plywood. ever tried to tile over plywood ? all good stories appreciated

• For use over concrete, cement backerboards, drywall, exterior grade plywood, existing ceramic tile, vinyl flooring and plastic laminates

It all depends on the floor condition.. If it is solid (means the floor doesn't bounce if a 250 lb. person jumps on it ). Then plywood is perfectly fine.

Robert - I see there is a big difference in cost between Schluter membrane and 1/4 backerboard. Would you need to use the more expensive schluter on a bathroom floor that doeant get very wet?

We've done it before, but it was on double plywood.

A friend purchased a home in very expensive Santa Monica California to flip after 1 year. I advised him NOT to put the tile directly plywood because this was a kitchen. Grout can always fail and when the plywood get's wet, it will bow and raise up making the surrounding area tiles crack and lift. Not an easy fix.

Another contractor said, "Put wonder board underneath". With a vapor barrier between the plywood and Wonder Board,

moisture can penetrate through the ground, through the wonder board and then to the plywood, causing major issues.

I told my friend there are a dozen ways to protect yourself from water reaching the plywood, Don't place the tile on top of the plywood without protection.

He didn't listen. Against one wall in the kitchen he always put his dogs dual food/water dish. This is a large slobbering dog! Everyday when the dog would take a drink, water spilled onto the floor. Within 3 month the floor began to lift.

When he should the house for sale, anyone who walked in the area of the dog dish, now covered with a mat, would feel a loose floor.

The tile wasn't available anymore. This tile he put in the kitchen, laundry room, dining room and small bathroom. For him to sell the house each offer required the tile flooring to be torn our and redone, OR get a $25,000 price reduction.

Anna,

I've never paid the expense for Shluter.

We've tried 1/2" cement board, the stiffer 1/4" hard board, and double plywood.

I say no. We just use Allure Sedona. It looks freat, no grout lines to get dirty, and no cracking.

You're asking 2 materials with different expansion and contraction rates, with IL temperature changes, and the natural flex of a wood floor no matter how much extra bracing we added.

One frozen pipes type cold spell, or res skips and leaves you with a no heat, or the furnace breaks down in February, materilas contract, you turn on the heat and BANG! it pops and sounds like a shotgun.

Houses breathe, expand and contract with the seasons. Doors stick one season then are loose on another as the house breathes. Same with floors but we don't "see"' it because they are under our feet.

And plywood can warp later, even with a million screws esp the stuff the box stores supply now.

I went thru a ceramic phase and spent thousand$$$ laying ceramic but have replaced most of those floors by now. Extra expense to remove the ceramic and something else..

Yes ive done it many times. Ive never had a tile pop or even crack.....ever.......even in rentals.

But I use 3/4 tongue and groove plywood over top of the existing subfloor. I screw the subfloor to the joists and then I screw the plywood to the joists and subfloor.

I never ever use the schulti (sp) orange underfloor layment....far far too expensive. I always staple down the wire mesh underlayment. When I do my scratch coat I ONLY use the same thinset as I do for setting the tiles.

I used to use the grey versabond but now I use the more expensive flexbond. I also add a small amount of latex additive to the flexbond. (Scratch coat and when setting tiles). After the grouting has cured I seal it with 2 or 3 coats of top quality teflon sealer. This is scrubbed between tenants and resealed.

I also never use the cement board on floors....why would you???????

It has no structural integrity and weighs a ton.....and despite claims....... it will degrade if continually exposed to water. Plywood has a much beter strength to weight ratio.

Note I also use the PL premium glue between the sub floor and the 3/4 tongue and groove plywood.

When you put down the cement board, you put thinset underneath the cement board. This bonds the cement board to the plywood, in effect making the whole combination a laminated sheet. Screwing another sheet of plywood o the floor does not create a completely laminated assemblage unless you coat the whole undersurface of the sheet with liquid nails, and even if you did that you would have the problem of swelling if there is ever water intrusion through the grout.

Why fight it, the cement underlayments are a good product that you can rely on.

Follow manufacturer instructions for cement board under layment and you won't have any problems unless you have an extreme amount of deflection in the floor.

1. use an Un-modified (cheap stuff)thin-set under the cement board. You don't want to adhere the cement board to the ply. It is only there to fill voids. Construction adhesive (liquid nails)will create voids.

2.Use galvanized roofing nails every 8inches to nail cementboard to ply only. Don't nail cement board to the dimensional lumber.

3. Use an alkaline resistant mesh tape and quality thin set on the backer board joints. Make sure to leave a small space in between boards when cutting and nailinget for the this-set to fill in.

Yes, Did it all the time, Never had any issues.

Generally speaking I was looking for 1 1/4" of plywood when I was done.

Always worked well.

I have used the durock but realized that it didn't seem to give me strength.

The advantage with the tile guys suggestion over my 3/4 plywood, is the cement board can be removed, especially if only held in place with roofing nails.

When I glue and screw down the plywood, it cant be removed, unless all the flooring was cut from the joists.......even then it would be a huge job.

I have found that although i never had a cracked or loose tile...............the styles and grout spacings do go out of style. Ie everyone now uses 12 x 24 tiles and 1/8 spacing.