Installing Tile On Second Floor Bathroom To Keep From Cracking

Tile floors are an attractive functional option for kitchens bathrooms laundry rooms and entryways.

Installing tile on second floor bathroom to keep from cracking.

I m interested in installing those porcelain wood looking tiles on about 800 sq feet on the 2nd floor of a home. However you can strengthen the subfloor with a layer of cement backerboard and then install tile on the floor as you would with any other tiling project. This will result also in a crack in the floor with the seams often telegraphing up to the surface of the tile face. If you lay your tile directly on a wooden surface the bond between the thinset and the wood will soon fail.

I called an installer and he told me he would not install tile on 2nd floor. This will prevent formation of cracks in the concrete which lead to reflective cracking of the tile. If there is no underlayment between the subfloor and the tile then the tile floor can flex. He said the furniture will crack the tile since the tile doesn t bend like wood.

However there are steps. Tile floors are easy to customize easy to clean and make for a classy addition to any home. If your tile floors are worn or chipped or you re simply ready for an upgrade follow this guide to learn how to install a tile floor yourself. Another solution is to install a crack isolation membrane on top of your existing concrete subfloor.

The only wholesale cure is to strip the tile and then install a crack isolation membrane before installing tile again. This is known as reflective cracking and it can be easily prevented by adding a crack isolation membrane during installation. For a wooden subfloor make sure the wood resists sagging and bending. These membranes are designed to uncouple the tile from the concrete substrate allowing the tile to move.

But the brittle nature of tiles and the constant foot traffic means that the tiles are likely to crack at some point. Tile floors crack for a number of reason but most often the problem is that the tile was installed directly over the plywood sub floor with no underlayment. If the tile cracks are long continuous and extending across multiple tiles the concrete below has likely cracked. However cracks wider than 1 8 inch will eventually transfer to the tile it notes.

Wood floors expand and contract. When you are installing tile on a second floor you may be concerned that the floor isn t strong enough to support the weight of tiles and mortar. If not the tile which is extremely brittle could crack when. Generally hairline cracks in the concrete will not present an issue to the tile floor above.

Plywood subfloors will flex and that is a problem for the tile floor above.