Can I Lay Vinyl Tile Directly Over Plywood

While most floor tile these days is installed onto a layer of cement board or similar backerboard it is possible to lay tile directly over plywood.

Can i lay vinyl tile directly over plywood.

Loose areas on an existing plywood subfloor can cause peel and stick tiles to lift over time. The basic premise for any surface is the same. A poor ceramic installation will delaminate from the subfloor split at the grout lines or worse crack directly across the tile. Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications.

The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time. In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install. One question that folks new to ceramic tile frequently ask is whether they can lay the ceramic directly on top of a plywood or osb subfloor using a thinset cement or liquid nails to glue down the tile to the wood. Because you can install sheet vinyl over existing vinyl it offers the option of changing design without breaking the bank.

But a number of precautions must be taken to ensure a successful installation. If you re installing new plywood use galvanized screws to fasten it and countersink the screw heads. While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. How to lay self stick vinyl floor tiles.