Tiling a Floor

Tiling is one of the easier projects that a DIYer can take on. You can tile over hardwoods (not recommended), tile over plywood, tile over linoleum, tile over cement, even tile over old tile. You just have to pick bedding that is compatible with the sub floor you have; it will say right on the package. There is a reason I don’t recommend tiling over hardwoods. Mainly, if you have them, why hide them? You can refinish old hardwood floors, I have a whole section on that. There is another reason however and you will have to bear with me for a minute as I am an engineer by profession. Graining in hardwood floors runs in one direction. Because of that, the thermal expansion is greater than for other sub floors. Plywood is formed so that each successive layer has the graining running in a perpendicular direction to the previous layer. Because of this, it does not expand and contract as much with a temperature change. If you must tile over hardwoods, screw down a thin layer of plywood over them before tiling.

The first step in a successful tiling job is to remove the baseboard trim. Take a box knife and score the caulk on the upper edge. Then, get a pry bar like the one pictured to the right. Bang it in between the trim and the wall and pull the trim off. I am in the process of tiling a bathroom right now and below is a picture of all the trim piled nicely in the center of the room. If you take care the trim can be reused when you are done.