Ceramic tile floors are one of strongest, most solid surfaces you can lay, but they're only as good as what's under them. A solid underlay is especially crucial with ceramic tile because any movement will cause the tiles to loosen or crack. Plywood was once the preferred underlay, but most installers today use cement board. This material comes in rectangular sheets, like drywall, and can be easily cut with a utility knife. Once mortared to the floor, it provides the stability of a cement slab.
Things You'll Need
- 5/8-inch cement board sheets
- Pencil
- Thin set mortar
- Mortar trowel with notches
- Screw gun
- 11/2-inch galvanized screws
- Tape measure
- Utility knife
- Mesh drywall tape
Instructions
- Lay a cement board in one corner of the room and mark around it with a pencil. Remove the board. Use your mortar trowel to apply a thin set mortar over marked area onto the subfloor.
- Put the cement board back in place, setting it into the mortar. Walk over it to press it down tightly.
- Screw down the board with 11/2-inch galvanized screws, using your screw gun. Put screws about every foot. Sink them deep enough so the screw heads are just slightly below the surface.
- Lay additional pieces of the cement board end to end off the first one, along the wall, spreading more mortar as you go and driving in screws every square foot. Cut the last board, by the perpendicular wall, with a utility knife, scoring it and then snapping it along the scored line.
- Continue setting boards for the subsequent courses, starting a full board next to the one you cut at the end so the edges are staggered. Avoid making any four-way intersections.
- Press mesh drywall tape over the seams between the boards. Cover the tape with thin-set mortar, using the flat edge of the mortar trowel. Get it flat and smooth. Let it dry for one to two days. You can now tile the floor.
Tips & Warnings
- Wear protective eye goggles when driving in the screws.
Source: www.eHow.com
