Tile floors are beautiful, easy to maintain and durable. They are a good choice for today’s modern households. However, in order to keep your tile floors looking great, you must start with an efficient tile floor underlayment. Acting as a barrier between your tile and your subfloor, the tile floor underlayment provides a sturdy and level foundation to ensure that your grout lines won’t crumble, and your tiles won’t crack. There are many varieties to choose from but only three major types of tile floor underlayment.
Sheet type, most referred to as backer board, is the type of underlayment that is preferred by professional tile installers. It comes in rigid panels usually containing a combination of cement and fiberglass. Backer board is installed on top of a layer of adhesive, called thinset. After the Backer Board has been laid on top of the thinset and screwed down, another layer of thinset is used to help stabilize your tiles. This method is a great way to keep your tiles from cracking and your floors looking beautiful.
Liquid and semi-liquid underlayments are also available. Mixing dry mortar with water is an older solution that many tile installers still prefer today. Another type of liquid underlayment is thinset. Thinset comes as a powder and must be mixed with water. It’s applied with a trowel. If your slab is very level, you can apply thinset directly to it and forgo using a backer board.Underlayment membranes come in rolls and are waterproof. Similar to backer board, underlayment membranes offer protection from water as well as cracking. Installed over a thin layer of adhesive, they are finished with more adhesive.
Carefully choose the type of underlayment that is right for you and reap the benefits of beautiful tile floors.
