Technology For Laying Tiles On A Wooden Floor Using OSB Boards And GVL Sheets

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Floor preparation
• Leveling the ground plane of the floor with OSB plywood
• Leveling the floor using the screed method on OSB plywood
• Laying tiles on gypsum fiber board
• Tile laying stages

Ceramic tiles on wood floors are ideal in very humid environments such as a bathroom or kitchen. But what if the base is a wooden floor, and, moreover, it is not mounted on a reinforced concrete slab? But, as practice shows, it is possible, but then is it possible to lay tiles on gypsum fiber board or OSB plywood. And the answer is simple and unequivocally positive, because it is these materials that have high technical performance.

For technical reasons, laying tiles on a wooden floor is undesirable or impractical. A wooden floor is prone to permanent deformation during its service life. Each board relative to the neighboring one can make small movements, which will lead to cracking of the adhesive layer and damage to the ceramic coating itself. In this article, we will look at how to properly lay tiles on gypsum fiber board and plywood, and at the same time, so that the coating is durable and reliable.

Wood, as a natural natural material, is prone to constant expansion and contraction. Moreover, this happens in all directions. In addition, it is prone to decay and debate, leading to its destruction during operation with a lack of ventilation and a constantly humid environment. But even these factors do not confuse people before they want to lay ceramic tiles on a wooden base. But then, in general, nothing waterproof cannot be put on such a floor. But do not despair, because ceramic tiles can be laid on plywood, just like on a reinforced concrete base, if you follow the technology and properly prepare the surface. Today, there are several ways to lay tiles on wood floors. But the most common is laying tiles on a gypsum fiber board or laying tiles on OSB. Because these two materials have excellent strength and resilience parameters. But before laying the tiles, you should familiarize yourself with the correct technology for leveling the surface.

Floor preparation

Today, there are many technologies for laying tiles on a wooden floor, each of which has its own pros and cons. Although, the laying process is in any case the same and standard, a thin layer of adhesive is spread with a notched trowel and the tiles are glued to it according to the level. Preparing a wooden floor for tiles can be done in two ways:

• dry;
• wet.

But regardless of how the surface for installing the tiles is leveled, there are general operations in the preparation process. These include:

• Thorough diagnostics and examination of the existing floor and all its elements (boards, logs, substrates, etc.). If suspicious floor components are identified, they must be replaced. After replacement, all wooden elements should be thoroughly treated with an antiseptic to avoid the formation of mold, mildew, and, consequently, the destruction of the structure of the wood.
• It is recommended to insulate the underfloor space, but this must be done in such a way that an air gap of several centimeters remains under the subfloor boards themselves. During its service life, the wood must be well ventilated by a through air duct. It is better to use a fiberglass material as insulation, for example, mineral wool or glass wool. It is guaranteed not to start rodent parasites.
• Installing tiles on wood floors requires a well-ventilated subfloor, so the sub-floor boards must be laid with a gap. If this is not done, then you will need a special drilling of holes in the boards with a certain step over the entire area.

Everything, after carrying out all the listed manipulations, the rough base can be declared ready for further work.

Leveling the ground plane of the floor with OSB plywood

Is it possible to lay tiles on osbi? It is possible, but certain conditions must be met. One of the safest floor leveling methods for laying ceramic tiles on a wooden base is OSB plywood. It is a plate made of oriented and compressed glued shavings. This material has sufficient strength and is able to withstand high bending loads. Sheets with a thickness of 12 and 20 mm are widely used. The advantages of the slab include, first of all:

• High refractoriness. The stove is impregnated with a special compound that does not burn well, and in the absence of a catalyst, it is not flammable at all.
• OSB board repels water well. Due to the strong and solid impregnation, moisture cannot be absorbed into the material, thereby preserving what is under it from it. Ceramic tiles on OSB will hold firmly and will not deform, which is usually seen on shock-absorbing surfaces.

So. Back to the technology on how to put tiles on a wooden bathroom floor. OSB boards can be laid directly on the floors, but the distance between them should not exceed 50 cm. The boards can be laid not only on logs and floors. In the case of careful processing and complete prevention of the rough plank floor, they can be laid directly on the old boards.

It is important to know that it is better to use already laid, but very strong floorboards, because they are less prone to drying out and deformation when temperature and humidity change.

At this stage, the maximum leveling of the base is carried out by placing plastic substrates in the required places. As a leveling of the floor for fixing OSB boards, shingles can be made in places where it is necessary to raise the level. Plus, some distance between the rough boards and the slabs will be a passage for ventilation of both the boards themselves and the OSB sheets. In addition, to improve ventilation, it is recommended to drill holes in the boards with a uniform pitch. This condition allows you to confidently answer the question of whether it is possible to lay tiles on an osb stove.

The technology of laying tiles on an OSB slab requires a solid foundation, so the slabs must be laid in two layers. Moreover, each upper one should overlap the lower one by 50% with a shift in both directions. This arrangement of sheets will provide the required floor strength in all respects:

• will withstand point loads well;
• the base will perfectly resist the created forces over a wide area.

A double layer of OSB plywood will provide a solid surface for laying ceramic tiles, and at the same time will not interfere with the free movement of the subfloor boards.

Important to remember! To put the tiles on the OSB slab with high quality, it is necessary to ensure its possibility for thermal expansion. Therefore, a certain distance (3-4 mm) should be retreated between the sheets to provide free opportunity for the plates to change their geometric dimensions under the influence of temperatures. This space must be filled with a shock-absorbing compound, a sealant is well suited for this. In the same way, the distance should be retreat from all walls around the perimeter.

After fastening the plates with self-tapping screws, you can proceed to the very process of installing the tiles. But at the same time, for laying tiles on a wooden floor, you will need not a simple cement-sand glue, but a two-component adhesive composition, which, when solidified, has some elasticity, which will ensure a strong fixation of ceramics on the OSB floor.

For greater reliability and durability of wood flooring, the surface should be treated with high penetration soil before laying the tiles, and allowed to dry well. Video on laying tiles on the floor.

Leveling the floor using the screed method on OSB plywood

If you need to level the base from significant differences in level, then the above technology for laying tiles on a wooden floor will be the ideal solution. But to complete the screed, you will have to live a layer of waterproofing. It can be an ordinary polyethylene film with a thickness of at least 150 microns. In order to lay the tiles on a wooden floor with high quality and no mold formed under the base of the screed, the film must be laid with an overlap of at least 15 cm, followed by the obligatory gluing of the seams with strong tape, and the same overlap must be made on the walls. The thickness of the screed should be between 2.5 and 3.5 cm. Less or more is not recommended.

A thinner layer will become a weak link in the structure, a thicker one will become cold enough.

Laying tiles on gypsum fiber board

Today, GVL - gypsum plasterboards with wood fibers as a filler - are becoming more and more popular. The resulting material has better properties than conventional drywall:

• More durable due to the reinforcement of the structure with wood fibers. Also, the material acquires elasticity, which cannot be said about drywall.
• Due to the use of all the same natural materials, GVL is an environmentally friendly product.
• Able to stand much longer in humid environments without changing its parameters.

GVL boards or sheets are available in two variations:

• Single sheets 12 mm thick, then two layers of slabs will be required to lay them on the floor. Laying tiles on gypsum fiber board will provide you with a solid and reliable base for many years.
• Double sheets with a shift of the bottom, and at the edges with the formation of a lock for a more durable joining of elements to each other.

In the case of leveling the floor using GVL, it is also recommended to use strips cut from this material, attached to the floor with galvanized self-tapping screws, as substrates. It is recommended, as in the case of OSB plywood, to leave a distance of up to 3 mm between the sheets for temperature compensation. The gap is filled with sealant.

Tile laying stages

Laying tiles on gypsum fiber boards can be performed using ordinary tile adhesive. In this case, it is recommended to spread the solution with a thin layer of a notched trowel over the entire surface. Each laid tile should be carefully measured with a level, and between the tiles, everyone's favorite crosses should be inserted into the seam. After installing the tile, grouting can be done with any joint. Calculate the amount of grout with an online calculator.

Laying tiles on a prepared base is no different from the process on a concrete floor, so it starts with marking. Tiles on a wooden floor can be laid both straight and diagonally, but you must first mark the starting position of the first line. After applying graphic markings and an indicative drawing, in the case of using multi-colored tiles, the entire tile should be tried on (laid over the entire area in accordance with the drawing) in order to pre-cut the necessary pieces and make holes in the places where pipes exit from the floor.

It is better to apply the glue solution to several tiles at once, this will allow much faster laying of tiles with simultaneous alignment.

It is important to remember that the tiles can be displaced only in the first few minutes after their laying, after this time, when exposed to it, the already bonded layer will be disturbed.

In addition to these instructions, I will present a video on how to put tiles on a wooden floor. Here is another technology for laying tiles on tongue-and-groove plywood. After reading this article, everyone will be able to answer the question, is it possible to lay tiles on a wooden floor?