Laying tiles on a wooden base presents a number of difficulties. First of all, this is the tendency of wood to deform, which makes the ceramic coating unreliable and short-lived.

But there is a technology that allows you to finish a wooden floor with with the least effort and stable results. All the subtleties and possible difficulties of the process will be discussed in this article.

Features of wood floors

Specialists construction industry claim that tiles do not combine well with wood flooring for the following reasons:

• wood responds subtly to change external factors– expands at high humidity and dries out at low humidity. As a result, the tile covering may become cracked and peel off from the boards;
• wood quickly collapses and has low performance properties. After its destruction, the still usable tiles have to be dismantled;
• tiles laid with water-repellent adhesive prevent the penetration of oxygen into the floor, which is necessary for wood for long service life. All this leads to rapid deterioration of both the floor and the ceramics;
• wooden floors cannot withstand significant loads. The lightest tile for facing should be chosen.

Advice! Start cladding wooden covering tiles are allowed only after 2 years after the initial installation of the floor.

Thus, when laying tiles, at least 3 conditions must be met:

• ensure free circulation of oxygen and its access to the floorboards;
• distribute the planned loads evenly over the entire floor area;
• create a flat, strong base on top of the boards, which will ensure immobility and will firmly hold the tile.

Selection of adhesive composition

For work on wooden base Only special varieties are suitable adhesives, which contain components with high elasticity rates. They must withstand the linear expansion of the boards, preventing the tiles from moving from the base and cracking.

These parameters correspond to the products of the following brands:

• Unis – super elastic adhesive and super polymer;
• Knauf Flex;
• Ceresit CM17, etc.

If the floorboards were concrete screed, it is allowed to use a classic mortar based on sand and cement.

From non-standard ways, which are offered by folk craftsmen, we can mention liquid nails and liquid glass(silicate glue)

In some cases, homemade mixtures of nitrocellulose varnish with polystyrene foam dissolved in gasoline or acetone are becoming popular.

Important! When using homemade glue, there is no guarantee that the cladding will last long and be strong.

Choosing tiles

The floor should be tiled with anti-slip tiles. Matte ones are perfect textured varieties floor tiles with a grooved or rough surface.

From tiles large thickness you will have to refuse - the wooden floor is not resistant to high loads. The same applies to large areas ceramic elements– for their installation you will need more glue or mortar, which means the facing layer will be more massive.

It’s better to opt for a thicker one, but light tiles for the floor, which will match the color and design to the main style of the room.

It should be taken into account that large tiles in small bathrooms will visually reduce and conceal the space.

Preparation of tools and materials

Set of tools:

• tape measure and ruler;
• building level;
• marking tape;
• stationery knife;
• electric drill with attachments and screwdriver;
• tile cutter;
• hacksaw;
• spatulas - regular and serrated;
• containers for mixing solutions;
• galvanized screws;
• crosses for tiles;
• rule.

List of materials:

• wood - boards, plywood, floorboards in sufficient quantities;
• waterproofing - any of your choice;
• damper tape;
• polyurethane foam;
• drying oil;
• sealant;
• antifungal and latex impregnation;
• adhesive for laying tiles or components for preparing mortar (cement, sand, water, additives);
• grout for seams.

Preparing the wooden base

Before starting the main stage of work, it is necessary to carefully inspect and evaluate the condition of the wood base. Beams, joists, boards and insulation may contain areas of rot and wood-boring beetle larvae.

All detected defects must be corrected. If the boards do not creak or sag when walking on them, you can proceed to next stage. Otherwise, the wooden floor will have to be rebuilt.

Aligning and handling elements

First you need to check the geometry of the lag building level. They may be laid with errors, not according to horizontal plane, which will result in distortions and deformation of the ceramic coating.

Elements that have strayed from the general plane should be aligned - lowered or raised. If leveling cannot be achieved in this way, you can attach additional boards to the joists to achieve the optimal height.

Important! If the floor with distortions is made without joists, a new screed or sheets of plywood laid thin layer over the floorboards.

Since wood is susceptible to rotting and fungal attack, all elements of the floor structure will have to be treated with special solutions with antiseptic and antifungal properties.

For this purpose, use a special impregnation intended for damp rooms, or mastic with similar properties.

Hot drying oil copes well with the task of protecting wood from damage. It is applied in several layers until the solution stops being absorbed into the material, but no more than 5 times.

Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried - as soon as it stops being sticky.

Expanded clay and installation of floorboards

When arranging a floor covering with joists, it is necessary to strictly observe the step between them. It should not exceed 50 cm, otherwise the required strength and durability of the installation will not be achieved.

A technological gap of 1 cm is left between the wall and the joists, which will subsequently be taped with damper tape.

As soon as the impregnated elements have dried, you can begin pouring fine-grained expanded clay. It is ideal for constructing dry floor screed.

Reference! Expanded clay is a lightweight porous building material made from thermally treated clay. Voids are formed in the clay, which give the final material strength and high thermal insulation properties.

Expanded clay is used to fill the entire space between the joists, leaving a 5-centimeter gap on top for complete air circulation and removal of condensation. The rough base for the tiles will be floorboards made of thick waterproof plywood or old boards.

The boards will have to be prepared first - remove them with special removers. paintwork, dry with a hairdryer and sand with a sanding machine.

Flooring and finishing of floorboards

When arranging the rough flooring, sheets of plywood or boards must be laid so that there are small gaps between them - about 3-5 mm.

If this condition is not met, the boards will begin to expand under the influence of high humidity in the bathroom, even if there is a waterproofing layer. The result will be deformation of the subfloor, and subsequently the finished tiled cladding.

The rough flooring is secured with galvanized self-tapping screws, and all holes are closed with putty.

If necessary, the finished substrate is processed again - it is sanded and leveled grinder or an electric drill with an emery attachment.

Technological gaps around the perimeter of the bathroom must be filled polyurethane foam, and treat the board covering with latex impregnation. It will thoroughly fill all the cracks and serve additional protection from moisture.

Latex is applied in two layers and covered with waterproof putty on top.

Arrangement of a waterproofing layer

You can install waterproofing immediately after using latex impregnation, without waiting for it to harden. The waterproofing layer has important functional significance, so you should not neglect the basic nuances and principles of its arrangement.

Damping layer

Any rolled materials can be used as a waterproofing layer:

• parchment;
• glassine;
• bitumen paper;
• paraffin paper;
• thick polyethylene.

The materials are laid overlapping and secured with tape. For better protection it is necessary that the layer extends onto the walls at least 10 cm.

To prevent deformation and moisture penetration, a layer of damper tape is used. It withstands temperature changes typical for a bathroom, prevents heat loss and reduces noise.

But the shock-absorbing properties of the damper tape are of particular value - it compensates for possible movements of the floorboards and fixes the coating.

Important! To maximize the compensation effect, the tape is laid on the subfloor with the elastic surface and the hard surface facing the ceramic tile side.

Performing a screed

In most cases, the tiles are laid on a screed made of cement.

To make the layer as strong as possible, the screed should be strengthened reinforced mesh– it is laid on top of the waterproofing layer. Then the beacons are set according to the level and the solution is poured in a layer cement mortar thickness from 3 to 5 cm.

Other types of screed solutions

In addition to cement mortar, other mixtures are used to form the screed to create a rigid base for the tiles. These include:

• polymer screed – flooring based epoxy resins or acrylic. At minimal layer(from 6 mm and more) polymer coating it turns out to be very durable, resistant to stress, with excellent thermal insulation and waterproofing properties.
  Unlike cement screed, the polymer exhibits low shrinkage, which makes it possible to achieve solidity and tightness of the layer without technological seams;
• universal construction adhesive - known as liquid glass, or silicate glue. Suitable for use in damp areas due to its good waterproofing properties. If desired universal remedy for screed can be made on our own. To do this, silicate glue, coarse sand and water must be mixed in a ratio of 2:2:1, respectively;
• polyurethane adhesive is a one-component or two-component mixture of increased viscosity, ductility and strength.

  Has high permeability provided careful preparation and cleaning the rough surface.

  You need to work with polyurethane glue very quickly - the product sets within half an hour.

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Moisture-resistant plasterboard and cement-bonded particle boards

These materials can also be used as a screed or substrate, but with great care. They demonstrate excellent performance only in rooms with low humidity levels, so experienced professionals do not recommend them for bathroom renovations.

If you decide to use these materials to make a screed, you need to lay them out correctly.

The slabs are laid according to the “staggered” pattern, where each subsequent row is shifted relative to the previous one by half the slab.

Externally, the scheme resembles brickwork, but it should be noted that the sheets are laid at an angle of 30° relative to the laying of the floorboards.

There should be gaps of several millimeters between the joints, which are subsequently filled with waterproof putty for drywall. The edges of the sheets are insulated to protect against moisture penetration.

Laying tiles

The flooring process is carried out in several stages:

Reference! You can start grouting the laid tiles after 24 hours.

• The coating will last longer if the tiles are laid after the impregnations, sealants and other viscous materials have completely dried.
• It is better to adjust the tiles near the walls with a tile cutter, which will create more accurate outlines. This will not work with a glass cutter and wire cutters.
• When laying tiles, you need to monitor the thickness of the applied mortar layer, otherwise the surface will turn out bumpy.
• For convenience, it is better to divide the room into zones (squares) and tile each of them in turn.
• Extruded propylene foam can be used as insulating material between the joists.

Overview of methods

Ceramic tiles are, without a doubt, the most popular, practical material for cladding wall surfaces in bathrooms, kitchens, baths and other rooms that have high humidity and also require special sanitary control. But if installing it on ordinary plastered walls is as easy as shelling pears, then not even all craftsmen know how to lay tiles on wooden surfaces correctly.

What is this article about?

Why you shouldn't put tiles on wood

First you need to figure out whether such installation is possible at all.

As you know, these are 2 completely different materials that have very poor adhesion to each other. And although there are finishers who consider such work acceptable and there is even a special mastic for laying tiles on a wooden base, it is still unreasonable to do this.

There are several reasons for this:

• The structure of wood, even with minimal humidity and increased temperature, expands. Ceramics and the mortar for laying them also have these properties, but with a much lower coefficient. Tiles require a more static base;
• Tiles without additional treatment can last for several decades. Wood, with constant exposure to moisture (and it will still penetrate through the tile joints), cannot do without regular maintenance. Therefore, it will begin to warm up and rot, most likely within a few years. So laying tiles on such a short-lived base is impractical;
• Wooden load-bearing surfaces are prone to significant drying and shrinkage, so the seams will begin to crack soon after installation, despite the plasticity of the adhesive mixture, and then the glued material will begin to fall off altogether.

Solution options

As can be seen from the facts provided, such installation is still impractical, but how can you still lay tiles on a wooden wall if necessary?

To do this, the easiest way is to adapt the surface than to try to stick the material onto all sorts of innovative mixtures that have been little studied in practice.

There are 2 easiest ways to prepare a wooden surface for tiles:

1. Plastering;
2. Wall covering with gypsum board panels.

Plastering under tiles

This is a simple process that is suitable for those who are thinking about how to glue tiles to wood with a minimum loss of square footage of space.

To do this you need:

• Prepare the wall. To the maximum, if any, knock off the old plaster, clean the paint, dirt, degrease, treat with antiseptics and additionally prime;
• Place a sheathing of wooden slats (shingles) with cell sizes of 4x4 cm on the wall, maintaining an angle of approximately 45 degrees. For this, it is also advisable to take a similar chain-link mesh. Such reinforcement is necessary to hold the subsequently applied plaster;
• Then the cement-sand mixture is sprayed (thrown). Once dry, it is recommended to prime the laid starting layer and apply another thicker layer of solution;
• The finishing layer, called the coating, is again applied to the previously primed surface and carefully adjusted using a level.

The base is ready. After applying cement-sand plaster with lathing, it is possible to lay tiles on a wooden wall without adhesion problems.

GCR base

It is easiest to lay tiles on drywall. It is better to screw it to the tree directly with self-tapping screws (gluing panels in this case is impractical) or build a separate frame for it.

The frame is the most profitable solution. Firstly, in this case the surface will not be damaged by the natural shrinkage of the wood, secondly, with its help you can level the plane quickly and efficiently, and thirdly, this design allows the laying of high-quality thermal and waterproofing.

If we talk about how to glue a tile product to such a base, in this case it is better to choose a specialized adhesive solution, since the cement will stick “dry” extremely unstably.

The work on constructing such a structure is divided into several stages:

• Marking taking into account surface differences;
• Cleaning, priming the surface, sealing holes, cracks;
• Installation of steam and waterproofing membranes. They can be placed on glue, but it is better to screw them onto umbrellas or overhead;
• Screwing metal profile guides according to the markings;
• Installation of hangers;
• Fixation of rack profiles;
• Winding gypsum board panels;
• Chamfering corner and joining edges of sheets;
• Puttying the gypsum board is desirable, although you can do without it, since the tiled carpet and drywall will not be able to be carefully removed from the plasterboard. In any case, reinforcing the seams with serpyanka and filling the screws with putty are mandatory;
• After applying the putty, the surface should be primed and after 24 hours, ceramic tiles should be applied to it. Installation is carried out according to the standard scheme.

It should be immediately noted that tiles on wooden walls can only be laid a couple of years after the construction of the building, giving it the necessary time for major shrinkage.

The installation of wooden floors throughout the entire building plan looks very tempting: the flooring is warm, naturally regulates humidity and has a chic look. But don’t rush to rejoice: you will face difficulties in laying the flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, where tiles are traditionally used.

What are the difficulties of laying tiles on a wooden base?

Ceramic tiles are hard coatings that do not experience shrinkage or linear expansion during use. The general principle of combining building and finishing materials is to ensure the greatest possible degree of homogeneity. Thus, the behavior and physical and mechanical properties of the tile must be inherited by the base on which it is laid.

Wood does not meet these requirements. With changes in temperature and humidity, wood is prone to shrinkage - a change in linear dimensions and shape. Even tightly knit massive boards can “play” within 1.5-2 mm, which is categorically unacceptable for tiling. However, laying tiles on a wooden floor is possible; for this it is necessary to protect the wood from environmental influences in every possible way and create some kind of damping layer that can absorb vibrations of the base and provide a rigid, stationary plane for laying tiles.

Usually, they try to avoid the need to lay tiles on a wooden floor by all means. This is achieved by installing part of the floor using a different technology, for example, pouring a screed on the ground. However, combining floor systems causes difficulties in making connections between them, and the pace of construction work slows down. Hence an important conclusion: preparing a wooden floor for tiles should only be done if it is justified from a practical and economic point of view.

Basic ways to solve the problem

There are three fairly well-developed and studied technologies for installing a base for tiles on a wooden floor. All of them have a significant drawback: as a result, the level of coverage is higher than in other rooms, while in reality the exact opposite effect is required. Tiled floors are usually installed in kitchens or bathrooms; in the latter case, building regulations require lowering the finished floor level by 50 mm. This feature must be taken into account in advance, using larger logs when installing the supporting system in other rooms, and in rooms under tiles - rough flooring made of boards of minimal thickness.

The first way to install a base for tiles is to pour a preparatory screed. It is especially good because it allows for full floor heating. In terms of service life, the screed demonstrates its best performance; its service life is 20-35 years. The main problem is the rather complex technology of the device and the need to perform “wet” construction work.

The other two methods are similar in many ways. The first is applicable to relatively stable wooden floors and consists of laying several layers of sheet materials on top of the rough plank flooring that are not subject to shrinkage and warping. OSB, moisture-resistant plywood and chipboard can be used as such materials, while raising the floor level is the minimum possible. The third option involves the presence of a layer of bulk material of arbitrary thickness between the wooden floor and the sheet covering. This is required in cases where the mobility of the rough flooring is extremely pronounced and there are no other ways to compensate for it. The disadvantage of the last two methods is the practical impossibility of installing floor heating and the high consumption of materials.

Reinforcement with sheet materials

Large-format sheet materials help to securely tighten the boardwalk, providing the necessary rigidity and immobility of the base. The best result is achieved by laying two, or even better, three layers of small thickness. Moisture-resistant birch plywood, class 3 and 4 OSB, chipboard and various combinations of these materials are well suited for such purposes. High-quality compensation for movements in the base can be achieved by using glass-magnesite slabs in the bottom layer. The total thickness of all layers should not be less than 25 mm.

All layers of flooring must be securely tied together. For this, ordinary black self-tapping screws are used, which are screwed in without pre-drilling. It is optimal if the thread on the fastener is made with a “neck” of 15-20 mm. The first layer must be attached in such a way that the sheets are pulled to each board along the edge and at a distance of 25-30 cm in the central part. All subsequent layers are attracted to the previous ones in increments of 150-200 mm along the edges and about 300-400 mm in the middle part. When laying sheets between them, you need to leave a gap for thermal expansion of about 3-5 mm.

Preparatory screed method

The purpose of pouring a screed is to immobilize the surface due to the weight and rigidity of the concrete mass. It would not be superfluous to first assess (at least by eye) the maximum degree of deformation of the plank floor. It will depend both on the pitch and cross-section of the logs, and on the thickness and quality of the boards being laid. Based on the data obtained, the maximum permissible deflection of the screed should be determined; it can be calculated using the method for calculating the deformation of a concrete slab on an elastic foundation.

Typically, fluctuations in a well-laid subfloor do not exceed 3-5 mm/m and 8-10 mm in general. To effectively counteract such distortions, either a sufficiently thick layer of screed is required (35-40 mm, the optimal thickness for installing a heated floor), or the introduction of reinforcement - welded steel mesh made of 4 mm wire with a cell of 150x150 mm or smaller.

When installing a screed on a wooden floor, the first step is reliable waterproofing. First, a compensation tape made of foamed polyethylene 5-6 mm thick is applied to the walls along the perimeter of the room. If you plan to include heating elements in the screed, polystyrene foam boards are glued to the boards. Next, the entire floor area is covered with plastic film with a thickness of 250 microns, the edges are folded onto the walls with an overlap of 10-15 cm, carefully bending in the corners. It is optimal if a solid canvas is laid over the entire area, otherwise the film will have to be welded or taped on both sides with an overlap of 25-30 cm. If necessary, you can shoot the film to the floor, but each staple must be covered with a piece of adhesive tape.

If a decision is made to use reinforcement, it is laid on remote clamps. The perception of bending loads will be optimal when placing the reinforcing mesh in the bottom row with a minimum thickness of the protective layer, that is, 5-7 mm. After laying out the reinforcement in increments of 1.3-1.5 meters along the long side of the room, beacons are installed, leveling them at the desired zero level of the finished floor minus the thickness of the tiles and the adhesive joint. Beacons must be mounted on lumps of the same cement mortar that will be used for pouring. To speed up setting, you can add up to 15-20% alabaster to the mixture. After hardening and checking the correct installation of the beacons, the screed is poured, the mixture is pulled as a rule along the beacons. The latter are removed on the 2-3rd day of aging, the furrows are sealed with a solution of the brand used.

Floating floor technology

The essence of the third method is the creation of a damping layer from bulk incompressible material followed by the construction of a hard covering. The latter can be either sheet flooring, including MGL and GVL, or reinforced sand-concrete screed. The method has an additional advantage - a fairly high degree of noise insulation.

The bulk layer should not be made too thick, 4-5 cm is enough. The filler can be perlite, expanded clay fraction 4-6 mm or granulated foam glass. Lighter filler means less load on the subfloor and, accordingly, a higher level of permissible operating load on the finished floor. The floor filler must be dry and treated with insecticidal and bactericidal agents; it is possible to add slaked lime in an amount of 3-5% by weight.

The filling is carried out in one layer, which is leveled along the adjustable beacons and is well compacted. The top of the leveled embankment must be covered with plastic film and after leveling is completed, move only along ladders made of rigid sheet material.

The choice of floating floor base is relatively free. A screed with sand concrete of a class not lower than B22.5, 30-35 mm thick with polymer reinforcement, will provide an operational load of about 150 kg/m 2. When using sheet materials, the rigidity of the floor is determined by their passport data and the number of layers. The latter, by the way, should be at least two, laid with dressing of joints of at least 30-35 cm.

Laying tiles

The final stage of floor installation is no less important than all the previous ones. For the best results and durability of the tile covering, two additions to the standard installation technology can be recommended. Before proceeding with cladding, it is necessary to ensure high-quality adhesion of the glue to the base, for which the floor is opened several times with an adhesive primer. The composition is selected according to the intended purpose for the type of material used.

The first important addition is wiping the floor with an adhesive mixture and embedding a fiberglass mesh into it for facade work. It will give the surface additional rigidity and eliminate movement of the adhesive layer.

The second nuance can be called mandatory: you should use special types of tile adhesive. A good option would be elastic Ceresit CM 16 or CM 17 for critical bases.

In recent years, the availability of such finishing materials as ceramic tiles has increased several times. A huge range of collections of facing ceramics allows almost anyone to buy tiles for arranging flooring. And it is not surprising that many owners of so-called secondary housing prefer to use ceramic tiles when renovating. But, as a rule, most of them face a problem laying tiles on wood floors. If the technology for laying porcelain stoneware on a concrete base has long been developed and does not present any difficulties, then in the case of wooden floors it is not so simple. In this article we will talk about preparing a wooden floor for laying ceramic tiles and will try to reveal all the nuances of the process.

Literally from the very first lines, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that laying tiles on a wooden floor and on wooden surfaces is not the same thing! Unlike tiling wooden walls, the situation with floors is much more complicated. So, you have an old wooden floor and a great desire to improve the flooring. You should start by inspecting the surface. Depending on the inspection carried out, methods for preparing a wooden floor for tiles can go in two directions.

There are several ways to prepare the base of a wooden floor for laying tiles:

• First- traditional screed, only thinner and lighter. A metal mesh is spread over the waterproofing, which is fastened with self-tapping screws to the subfloor in small, even sections. Using a laser level, a water level is used to mark a horizontal line along the entire perimeter of the room. The level of the future floor is set according to it, then beacons are placed at a distance of approximately 90-100 cm from each other and about 10 cm from the walls, and a cement screed with a thickness of no more than 3 cm is poured. A self-leveling mixture can be used as a screed. After the screed has dried, you can lay the tiles on the wooden floor.
• Second- the so-called dry screed, which is becoming increasingly popular. This method is in no way inferior to concrete, but unlike it, dry screed weighs much less and does not put a noticeable load on wooden structures. Before laying tiles on a wooden floor, first sheets of moisture-resistant plasterboard (GKLV), gypsum fiber sheets (GVL) or cement-bonded particle boards (CSP) are laid over the waterproofing. The slabs are laid in several layers. It is preferable to choose gypsum fiber sheets, which are made by semi-dry pressing of gypsum powder and recycled cellulose fibers, have improved heat and sound insulating characteristics, and thanks to a special hydrophobic impregnation. GVL can be used in rooms with high humidity. They are more plastic and stronger than plasterboard, and in comparison with cement-bonded particle boards they are significantly lighter and cheaper.

  The sheets are screwed to the rough base using self-tapping screws. Make sure that the GVL joints are located above the boards, and not above the gaps between them, otherwise the base will not be strong enough. The seams between the sheets are glued with a special glue for gypsum fiber board or gypsum board. In some cases, one layer of gypsum fiber sheets is enough, but if you doubt the hardness of the floor, it is better not to be greedy and lay a second layer.

  In the bathroom, it is necessary to make high-quality waterproofing at the junction of the floor and the walls. Most craftsmen use polyurethane foam for this. And although insulation using this method is done quickly and quite reliably, we still recommend resorting to polymer membrane waterproofing. Strips approximately 30 cm wide are cut, which are placed on one side between the gypsum plasterboard and the base of the floor, and on the other side they are attached to the wall, the joints are sealed with sealant.
  After all the GVL sheets are laid and secured, they are covered with universal deep penetration primer (several times, after the previous layer has dried). Once all of our coatings are thoroughly dry, we can begin laying floor tiles on the wood floor. When choosing tile adhesive, pay attention to the fact that it is suitable for work on gypsum board or gypsum board.

In addition to the methods described above, you can strengthen the base without a screed - using KS glue based on liquid glass or two-component polyurethane glue. When the glue dries, an elastic waterproofing film forms on the surface of the subfloor. According to manufacturers, such compositions can protect the tiles from cracking during the natural shrinkage of the wooden base. It is difficult to judge how reliable this method is. We recommend that you choose a rigid and durable base. Polyurethane compounds should be used only when it is not possible to prepare the subfloor in any other way or when it is necessary to tile a wooden floor in a small area.

Questions regarding laying ceramic tiles on a wooden floor can puzzle even an experienced craftsman. Are these materials compatible, because wood tends to expand and contract under the influence of moisture and temperature, and tiles do not tolerate any “movement”.

Consumers are concerned about the potential for cracks, seams to peel, and trim to come loose. If you try to do the work without knowing these subtleties in advance, then all of the above may well happen. Carefully studying the technology of laying tiles on a wooden floor will help you avoid disappointments and mistakes.

Is it possible to put it?

Of course, it is possible to lay tiles on a wooden floor. But before you decide to take this step, it is worth reflecting on the rationality of such a choice. The idea of ​​replacing a natural wooden floor with a tiled covering can be prompted only by one advantage of the latter - ease of hygienic care.

It is worth considering the following problematic nuances:

• Under tile adhesive, the wood will not “breathe”, which can cause the process of its destruction to begin.
• The service life of any boards is significantly shorter than the service life of floor ceramics; their integrity can be damaged by rotting or, conversely, drying out, so after 5-6 years you can end up with a cracking floor covering.
• Tile flooring requires a stable and static base.
• Laying tiles on wood in a new house is strictly prohibited. Over the course of 2-3 years, the building will shrink and the floors will move.

If you have definitely decided that you need the option of a ceramic floor on a wooden base, then you should choose the most suitable technology and purchase the necessary materials. When choosing tiles, pay attention to the characteristics of the flooring, since not every room can accommodate standard tiles.

Choose a flooring material that can withstand heavy loads, but also contains a minimum amount of chemical additives in the form of plasticizers or stabilizers. An excellent option would be quartz-vinyl tiles.

This is a modern floor covering containing up to 80% quartz. Durable natural the material is moisture resistant and does not conduct electricity.

PVC tiles (polyvinyl chloride) - a budget option tiled floor. It contains wood flour or talc (the main filler), a plasticizer and polyvinyl chloride. The advantages of this finish are not only economical, but also that it is practically not susceptible to any chemical influences and is waterproof.

Installing a floor on a wooden floor

In order to choose the installation technology that is suitable for your room, you need to understand how most wooden floors are designed. There are many options for installing wooden floors. It is simply impossible to consider them all at once, so it is logical to dwell on the most common variations.

Any wooden floor has many layers, so craftsmen have to deal with different “layers”. But the choice of technology for laying ceramics does not depend on whether you inherited only logs, chipboard flooring or a high-quality floor made of boards. The process of laying tiles is always performed according to a standard algorithm, and the differences are only in preparation.

Installation technology

Regardless of which floor will be used as a base, you must try to create as level and durable a base as possible for laying the tiles. In this section, we will introduce you to the main steps of installing tiles on a wooden floor.

The installation technology includes three main stages:

• preparing the base for laying tiles;
• alignment;
• waterproofing.

A level base guarantees easy and quick tile installation. The glue will lie unevenly on a non-uniform base, which means that over time, voids will appear under the adhesive solution, and the tile will simply break off or burst. Even an experienced craftsman without the necessary tools will not be able to conclude that the floor or walls are even.

If the house does not have a laser or water level, you should not spend money on buying one for a single floor repair; a water level can be made from two syringes connected by any transparent tube (for example, from a dropper).

Only after completing all the stages - from preparatory to screed - can you begin laying the tiles.

Preparing the base

Preparation of the base in most cases consists of leveling it. In some cases, it is necessary to replace some wooden elements, such as joists, with similar ones. The main principle of working with the base is to prevent the wooden subfloor from destroying the tile floor due to movement and temperature changes.

The master is given the task of constructing a specific “tray” installed above a moving wooden base. There are many options for making such a “tray”, so it is recommended to get acquainted with at least the basic ones.

Waterproofing

As a rule, there is already some kind of insulating layer between the joists in the wooden floor. This can be a variety of materials - clay, sawdust, expanded clay. There is no need to remove it - install the screed on top of heat and sound insulating materials. If there is nothing, then lay a new lightweight insulation, for example, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. These materials will not put much strain on wooden structures.

Waterproofing can also be done using special mastics or any rolled waterproofing materials. Simple polyethylene film is an affordable waterproofing option. A construction stapler will help attach it to the walls of the room.

After laying the waterproofing material You can make reinforcement that gives the floor greater reliability during operation. To do this you need to purchase any fittings. The best option would be a reinforced mesh Ø10mm - Ø12mm, and a chain-link mesh can be laid on top. Install supports 2-3 centimeters high under the rods (you can make them from scraps of plastic pipes) so that the reinforcement does not directly touch the insulating material.

Today in construction stores you can buy special fiber fiber that is added to the screed solution. Thanks to fiber fiber, you can do without reinforcing mesh.

Alignment methods

There are several technologies for leveling floor coverings. Let's look at them in more detail.

Dry leveling method

It is the most common, since it allows, simultaneously with leveling, to prepare a subfloor suitable for laying tiles from various moisture-resistant materials.

This technology uses several methods:

• The use of ready-made sets from the “adjustable floor” category. They are screw plastic supports, thanks to which you can quickly install logs and place plywood or other sheets.
• If you have an initial strong plank flooring, you will need to make your own system of joists or point supports with the subsequent installation of plywood flooring.
• It is possible to lay another layer of plywood on an existing layer with fastening the new layer of GKLV OSB with self-tapping screws.

Once the leveling sheets are installed, the coating should be sanded along the seams. If the joints between plywood sheets are more than 3 mm, then carefully fill the gaps with silicone sealant. Don’t forget to impregnate the plywood sheets with primer. compatible with special glue. After impregnation, you can apply tile adhesive (two-component polyurethane is suitable).

The obvious disadvantage of dry leveling is that the height of the floor will increase, which means the height of the room itself will decrease. In addition, a “step” will be formed between the area of ​​the floor with tiled flooring and the area of ​​the floor without finishing, which will have to be decorated accordingly. If dry leveling is carried out in the bathroom or part of the bath rooms, then the level of the tiled floor must be made lower than the level of the wooden floor, otherwise water will flood the adjacent rooms.

If this option is not suitable for you, when the tiled floor will rise above the rest of the surface, then it is better to refuse dry leveling.

"Wet screed"

It is used when complete dry leveling is impossible due to the characteristics of wooden floors.

The difficulties of performing a “wet screed” on a wooden floor are that it is done, observing the mandatory presence of a special deformation gap between the walls, base and new floor. This filling pattern is called “floating”; it allows the wooden floor elements to move without disturbing the ceramic coating.

The screed to be poured should not be more than 3 centimeters, otherwise the floor structure will become too heavy. It is also not worth making the fill thinner, as there is a risk of increasing the fragility of the floor.

The step-by-step process for pouring screed is as follows:

• If necessary, we disassemble the floor and assess the condition of the beams, beams, and flooring. If any element is in doubt, we replace it with a similar one.
• We install new logs (if they are not already installed) or strengthen existing ones with the help of additional structures, while the step between the logs should not be more than 0.5 meters.
• Leave a gap of approximately 1 centimeter between the ends of the joists and the walls of the room.
• We saturate all parts with wood antiseptic.

• We make wooden flooring, and even old building materials in good condition will do.
• We leave gaps of about 1 centimeter between the boards - they are necessary for ventilation. If the boards are wide, you can make additional ventilation holes.
• We attach plywood to the boards across their direction. Moisture-resistant plywood at least 1.2 centimeters thick is suitable, and any other pressed particle boards are also suitable. We place the plywood as for brickwork (there should be no cross-shaped joints of the plywood sheets), and we secure the elements with galvanized self-tapping screws every 20 centimeters.

• Leave 2-3 mm ventilation gaps between the plywood sheets.
• We cover the prepared flooring with waterproofing materials. Thick polyethylene, bitumen paper, glassine, and paraffin paper can be used as waterproofing. We roll out the insulation rolls with overlaps and sides, and secure them with construction tape.
• Along the perimeter of the walls between the sides we lay a damper tape at least 10 centimeters wide and about a centimeter thick.
• We put sleeves on all pipes.

• Fill the screed with a ready-made purchased mixture or a solution made by yourself (use liquid glass (2 parts) and clean coarse sand (2 parts)). The homemade mixture must be mixed with clean water (1 part).
• After hardening, you can lay the tiles.
• The “quick version” of the screed is a simple fastening of moisture-resistant plasterboard slabs with special glue (two-component polyurethane). The glue is so elastic that wood movements will not destroy its integrity. It is permissible to lay gypsum fiber boards in two layers to give the base additional strength, but you need to make sure that the seams of the 1st and 2nd layers do not coincide.

The GVL base, like the previous version of the “liquid screed,” requires maintaining the technological gap between the GVL slabs and the walls of the room, priming the entire surface with a primer, and filling the joints with sealant.

A popular material that allows to make a high-quality base for a tiled floor, cement-bonded particle boards (CSB) are used. If you carefully select products (make sure you have a manufacturer’s certificate and a product passport, which indicates the composition of the CBPB in accordance with GOST), then you can be sure that you will receive an environmentally friendly building material that is reliable and of high quality. Many professionals are confident that the quality of DSP is higher than that of most modern materials and is relatively economical.

Laying

The following rules will help you correctly lay ceramic floor tiles:

• Apply the adhesive solution with a “comb” - a special spatula with two edges - flat and serrated. The flat edge will help distribute the glue correctly, and the “teeth” will make the surface even. The spatula must be worked in one direction (marks from the teeth should be directed in one direction).

• Excess glue removed with a “comb” is returned to the glue bucket, mixed and used further.
• Examine the back of the ceramic product; most often there is an arrow there that allows you to determine the direction of installation relative to the direction of the applied adhesive solution. The grooves in the adhesive mortar and the stripes on the tiles should be perpendicular, which will ensure the most reliable adhesion of the adhesive and finishing material.
• In order not to worry about the same width of the seams (even a millimeter shift in the first row of tiles will lead to a shift of several centimeters in the future), use plastic crosses - special parts of different thicknesses. The most common option is flexible cross-shaped parts with a thickness of 5 mm. The plastic from which the crosses are made must be of high quality, otherwise when removed they will break and remain in the seams.

• After laying the tiles, allow the adhesive solution to dry for 2-3 days, and then you can begin grouting.
• The grouting solution is prepared from a special dry mixture; its consistency should be similar to the consistency of thick sour cream.
• Grouting is carried out with an elastic rubber spatula (it should not bend under pressure) and corrected if necessary with your fingers. If after 3-4 hours you see holes or depressions in the seams, then feel free to put on rubber gloves and “rework” what you missed.
• Remove excess grout from the tiles with a dry cloth or sponge.
• After 1-2 days, the tiles can be washed.

Installation troubles

If you are just mastering the technology of laying tiles on the floor, then some defects in the process of decorating the floor cannot be avoided. But it’s not scary if you have time to fix them before the solution dries. Let's look at the most common possible errors:

• We correct the lopsided row immediately, before the adhesive solution has hardened. Therefore, it is necessary to check the “horizontal” of the entire row immediately after installation. If the “horizontal” is broken, the row will have to be removed.
• “Steps” is a defect that usually occurs on walls. But floor tiles can also begin to shift in steps if the angle of the walls in the house is not straight. Trim the tiles if necessary, this will allow you to lay the covering correctly and maintain the angle.

• If one of the tiles in the row lies askew, it means that there is no cross in the seam and it needs to be inserted urgently, and the tile should be secured with masking tape.
• If you do not notice a defect on the tile, then this may also be the reason for its displacement. There is only one way out - remove the product and re-glue it.
• If the tiles are too recessed into the adhesive solution, then you have applied the adhesive unevenly. This often happens if you are gluing for the first time and apply the adhesive solution before gluing each tile.