How Tiles Are Laid On OSB: Technology, Advice

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

• What is OSB?
• RSD preparation
• Fastening adhesive and tiles
• Tools
• Bonding tiles to the wall
• Laying floor tiles
• The final stage

People who have not come across the construction business often have a question whether it is possible to put tiles on OSB. For the most part, when it comes to arranging a frame house and finishing it, it becomes necessary to lay tiles on OSB. This technology is most often used in the arrangement of cottages, as well as country houses. OSB is the main material in the construction of frame houses.

What is OSB?

First, let's figure out what such material is. Such a board is several layers of pressed wood and glued together using a mixture of resins. The chip wall has high strength and at the same time ease of processing, it is multifunctional. But it is impossible to glue tiles on a chip wall without preparation, despite the moisture resistance of OSB, it deforms with prolonged contact with water, therefore, the wall must first be prepared.

RSD preparation

Now let's move on directly to solving the question of how to put tiles on OSB? And for this, you should initially prepare the surface. With a large distance between the lags and the movement of the sheets, it is necessary to lay 2 layers of OSB-3.

To achieve the maximum level of adhesion and improve the moisture resistance of the surface, its preliminary preparation is required, which is performed in several ways:

1. The first and one of the most popular is the primer. Before carrying out it, it is necessary to carefully grind the coating with sandpaper, and then apply a layer of polymer composition, which in turn will provide full protection of the coating from moisture. The primer layer usually dries out in a few hours, after which the next one is applied. Upon completion of the priming procedure, it is necessary to leave the coating for a day, and only then continue work and start laying the tiles.

   

2. Another fairly common way is to arrange an additional layer. This is done with the help of additional arrangement of the logs and covering them with plywood or plasterboard (always moisture resistant). The plane must be flat, otherwise the cladding may fall off over time.

   

3. Reinforcement allows you to further level the surface. The next option involves additional reinforcement, namely the installation of a reinforcing mesh, which is mounted using an adhesive mixture or special fasteners. When mounted on glue, it is applied to the coating, after which the mesh itself is pressed into it, and the composition is allowed to dry. After 10-12 hours, the surface must be primed, and after that you can start laying.

   

Fastening adhesive and tiles

Since the frame structure undergoes deformation, as well as shrinkage under the influence of climate, it is not recommended to use cement glue, since it is prone to cracking and, accordingly, damage to the tile during deformation of the base.

In this case, you should not save on the glue mixture, since this can be fraught with harmful consequences for the coating.

Among the mandatory performance characteristics of the required glue, it should be noted:

1. The main thing is that the glue is as elastic and of high quality as possible.
2. In addition, the mixture must be suitable for problematic substrates and have good moisture resistance.

The glue will withstand a slight irregularity in the frame. The following brands of glue are best suited for work: Ceresit CM 17, Soudal 24A and Knauf-Flex. Thanks to these brands, you can safely put tiles on the stove. You can use liquid nails as an alternative material, but it is better to give preference to glue.

The tile also needs to be chosen correctly. It is advisable to use tiles 30x30 cm.

Tools

Among the necessary tools and materials, it should be noted:

• Primer, as well as a roller for its application.
• Several spatulas, including regular, notched and rubber for grouting.
• Building level, and preferably laser.
• Adhesive mixture and grout, it is also recommended to purchase a sealant.
• Container for glue.
• Tile.

If method 1 or 3 is selected, then logs, plywood, reinforcing mesh and fastening materials for it are additionally required.

Bonding tiles to the wall

Now we will consider some of the nuances of laying tiles on the wall, as well as the process technology in the form of step-by-step instructions:

1. To lay tiles on the OSB as evenly as possible, use “beacon tiles”. In small rooms, they settle along the edges of the walls. In large rooms, the fastening is performed with a step holding of 50-60 centimeters.
2. Also, an important factor is to check the horizontalness of the tiles, for which a building level is used.
3. Before laying the beacon tiles, marking is done, which is done using a level and a plumb line. Preliminary sketching and measurements become necessary.
4. Laying the tiles is carried out from the bottom up, performing row by row in turn.

5. To preserve the evenness of the masonry, guides are installed, which are removed after the adhesive mixture has completely dried.

   

The styling features have been considered, now about the process itself:

1. An adhesive composition is applied directly to the base and to the tile itself, which is done with a spatula. Subsequently, using a notched trowel, the adhesive is spread over the surface.
2. After that, the tiles are laid on the glue.
3. Then the tile is tapped with a rubber mallet or hand. Such a solution necessitates pressing the tiles for better adhesion and, accordingly, increasing the quality of the masonry.
4. To maintain the distance between the tiles, special crosses are used, or a floor leveling system.
5. Thus, the laying of tiles by tiles continues.
6. Every fourth row should be taken a sixty minute break to avoid displacement.

So until the end of the surface, laying on the wall is carried out, at the end, sealing and grouting is carried out, which we will talk about a little later.

Laying floor tiles

Now let's consider the technology of laying on the floor, to a greater extent its features, since the process itself is almost identical to laying on the wall, with the exception of some features.

Among the characteristic features are:

1. Tiles are laid on the OSB floor slab from the center of the room.
2. In order to have a minimum of scraps, it is allowed to slightly move the tile, having previously calculated the required distance.
3. Sometimes, to find the center, the tiles are laid on a dry floor, more specifically, a preliminary layout of the tiles is carried out.

Laying is done as follows:

1. We apply glue to the surface and tiles.
2. We apply the material and press it down.
3. Checking the horizontal level.
4. We continue similar actions with the subsequent tiles, while observing the size of the seams using crosses or SVP.

Thus, we continue to work over the entire area. After completion of the work, you should wait 3 days (up to 10 days in wet rooms) and then proceed to the final stage of work.

The final stage

After the glue mixture is completely dry, you must remove the spacers and start grouting. It is recommended to remove excess grout immediately, later it is more difficult to do it, for this you can use a damp sponge. The corners should be treated with a hydrophobic compound, and then the plinth should be installed. The tiles can now be washed.

Drilling small holes in the tiles to avoid cracks is performed with a drill without perforation. Wide holes are cut in advance. More details on drilling tiles can be found in a separate article.

Thanks to the right technology, laying tiles on OSB sheets is quite a feasible task. It is the observance of the installation rules that will help create a high-quality coating that will last for many years. And in conclusion, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with several videos on tiling work on OSB sheets, which will show how to properly lay tiles and help consolidate the knowledge gained.