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You may be tempted to rush ahead and get to the fun part -
laying the tiles. But resist the urge. Unless you prepare
the surface under the tiles properly, you'll end up having
to retile a lot sooner than you want.
Tiles need a smooth, flat, rigid surface to sit on.
Plywood is sometimes used, but cement backerboard is
generally considered a better choice. Backerboard is
essentially a thin layer of concrete with fiberglass mesh
on both sides. It was designed specifically as a setting
surface for tile.
Backerboard comes in a range of sizes: 3- by 5-foot sheets
are most common for floors. Over a 5/8-inch subfloor, use
1/2-inch-thick sheets. |
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 Snap a grid
of chalk lines on the floor to mark the dimensions of the
sheets. Plan so that joints in the backerboard won’t line
up with joints in the subfloor. With the smooth side of a
¼-inch notched trowel, spread enough adhesive for one
sheet. Ridge the adhesive with the notched side of the
trowel. |
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 While the
adhesive is still wet, place a sheet of backerboard into
it. Leave a ¼-inch gap between the backerboard and the
wall and a 1/8-inch gap between the backerboard sheets.
Position the sheets so that you don’t have four corners
meeting. |
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 After you've
positioned each sheet, drive backerboard screws into it
every 8 inches. Around the perimeter, position the screws
at least 1/2 inch, but no more than 2 inches from the
edge. |
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 With a
margin trowel or the flat side of your notched trowel,
fill the joints with adhesive, smoothing it so it extends
about 1 1/2 inches on each side of the joint. The extra
adhesive makes it easier to bed the tape. |
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 Cover the
adhesive-filled joints with 2-inch vinyl-coated fiberglass
tape, pushing it firmly into the adhesive. You can cut the
tape to length with the thin side of your trowel. When the
tape is embedded, scrape off any excess adhesive from both
sides. |
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 Cover each
length of tape with a thin layer of adhesive. Spread the
adhesive with the flat side of your trowel and feather the
edges. You want the transition from board to board to be
as smooth as possible. |
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RELATED PROJECTS
Laying Out the Tiles
Setting the Tiles
Grouting
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