How To Lay Underlayment For Tile Floor

Tile floors are beautiful durable and a fairly diy friendly option but for tile s good looks to really last it s vital to start with what you can t see the ideal underlayment.

How to lay underlayment for tile floor.

Cut the membrane to size. After you do this with your first tile lift it back up and check to ensure there is 80 90 thinset coverage on the back of the tile. Screws and nails may be spaced farther apart. When it comes to installing a new flooring material you sometimes have the option of installing the underlayment for your new floor directly on top.

This prepares and seals the surface for the. This achieves a solid layer of thinset beneath the tile. As you unroll each roll the clear plastic end lies on top of the end with adhesive strip and two white pieces of foam will be butted up against each other. Roll on a layer of latex primer sealer.

When installed with staples the underlayment sheets are fastened every 2 inches along the edges of the sheet and every 4 inches in the field area. Tape off any affected vents with painter s tape. Apply a layer of thin set adhesive fortified with latex to the subfloor. Roll the membrane out and position it in place.

Sheets can be butted together just touching not forced tightly together or they can be gapped about 1 8 inch or so. Apply a bed of thin set without latex additive and set the tile in it. Cement board thinset and tile add up to about 5 8 inch. Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk.

The underlayment has a plastic strip on one end that goes along the wall and up the wall that will be covered by the baseboard and the other end has a strip of adhesive tape. Wiggle the tile back and forth a bit to allow the ridges in the thinset to break down and fill in the valleys. Bucket margin trowel or putty knife 1 4 inch notched trowel drill driver drywall t square utility knife 4 or 6 inch drywall knife. The best cordless vacuum for pet hair.

Laying underlayment over an existing flooring.