Cement Board Flooring Install

For ceramic tile floors the cement board usually rests on a plywood subfloor minimum 5 8 inch thick exterior grade plywood or osb if new ceramic tile is being laid on an existing floor the cement board can usually be laid right over the existing floor finish provided it is in good shape and the extra floor thickness is not a problem.

Cement board flooring install.

Installing cement board correctly is the most critical part of a first class tiling project. Cement board is a type of underlayment that is now standard for most tile installations but particularly for floor tile. Laying cement board is the easiest way to assure a solid durable base for a ceramic tile floor. Remove debris from floor.

The primary benefit of cement board is that it doesn t break down or expand or warp if it gets wet. In fact this is already assuming that your wood subfloor meets the minimum requirements. Troweling a perfectly flat bed. Includes planning equipment and material acquisition area preparation and protection setup and cleanup.

The traditional method of installing ceramic tile called for setting it in a solid mortar bed. It s a common mistake to install cement board and skip over laying a bed of mortar. Jim used a 1 4 square notched trowel to comb out the mortar and he spread just enough to lay one row of cement board at a time. This is a distinct advantage over plywood and drywall.

Cement board also known as backerboard is used as an underlayment for tile flooring and walls. It s available in sheets of many sizes with 3 foot by 5 foot sheets being the most common. Here s how to do it. The boards typically come in 3 foot by 5 foot sheets and can be cut to size.

Before we go any farther on how to install cement board i am going to talk about a very common mistake most people make. The 1 mistake most people make when installing cement board. Backer board installation labor basic basic labor to install backer board with favorable site conditions. Cement backerboard is a thin layer of concrete with fiberglass mesh on both sides.

Glue and screw backer board to existing subfloor. It is very important to first spread thin set on the floor before placing the cement board to the floor. Then you attach the cement board with screws. Whenever you re laying tile on a wood subfloor you need to first install cement backerboard to prevent leaks and water damage.

Now there are more ways to screw things up than just these five things. Messing up cement board installation is not just limited to these 5 ways. With the mortar in place the cement board goes down overtop and it s fine to immediately walk. We show you how to install a first class tile base.

Move over solid mortar bed and say hello to cement boards.