Subflooring Requirements for Tile Floors
To meet TCA stiffness requirements, floor framing should be no more than 16 inches on-center with minimum 19/32 -inch plywood subflooring. Upgrading to 23/32- inch plywood will stiffen the subfloor by almost 80% and provide a more solid feeling floor. The subflooring should be level to 1/8 inch in 10 feet. (TCA specs now permit 1/4 inch in 10 feet, but this can be problematic for the large tiles popular today.)
To avoid tile cracks caused by tight-fitting plywood joints, it is best to use square-edged subflooring under tile and leave an 1/8-inch gap between sheets (unless the setting material specifications require tight joints). Lay the plywood with its long dimension across the joists and use solid blocking at all open joints.
Two-Layer Subflooring System for Ceramic Tile Floors
To meet the stiffness requirements for natural stone floors may require two layers of subflooring screwed and glued together, with the upper layer serving as the underlayment.
Two layers of 19/32 inch plywood glued and screwed together on 6-inch centers is several times stiffer than a single layer (and over four times as stiff as a single layer of 23/32-inch plywood). Offset the upper layer so the joints do not line up with the joints in the lower layer or the joists.
Also, screws in the upper layer, which serves as underlayment for the tile, should penetrate the subfloor only and not the joists. Use underlayment- grade plywood or plywood rated C-C Plugged or Plugged Crossbands, with a smooth face and no voids.
To meet TCA stiffness requirements, floor framing should be no more than 16 inches on-center with minimum 19/32 -inch plywood subflooring. Upgrading to 23/32- inch plywood will stiffen the subfloor by almost 80% and provide a more solid feeling floor. The subflooring should be level to 1/8 inch in 10 feet. (TCA specs now permit 1/4 inch in 10 feet, but this can be problematic for the large tiles popular today.)
To avoid tile cracks caused by tight-fitting plywood joints, it is best to use square-edged subflooring under tile and leave an 1/8-inch gap between sheets (unless the setting material specifications require tight joints). Lay the plywood with its long dimension across the joists and use solid blocking at all open joints.
Two-Layer Subflooring System for Ceramic Tile Floors
To meet the stiffness requirements for natural stone floors may require two layers of subflooring screwed and glued together, with the upper layer serving as the underlayment.
Two layers of 19/32 inch plywood glued and screwed together on 6-inch centers is several times stiffer than a single layer (and over four times as stiff as a single layer of 23/32-inch plywood). Offset the upper layer so the joints do not line up with the joints in the lower layer or the joists.
Also, screws in the upper layer, which serves as underlayment for the tile, should penetrate the subfloor only and not the joists. Use underlayment- grade plywood or plywood rated C-C Plugged or Plugged Crossbands, with a smooth face and no voids.
