Carpet Tile On Plywood Subfloor

Assess your existing floor.

Carpet tile on plywood subfloor.

Follow these guidelines to prepare your floor and protect your new carpet investment. The backing may eventually discolor some wood floors. The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time. Plywood underlayment is a thin plywood material that is most commonly used under resilient flooring materials such as vinyl and linoleum sheets and tiles.

Imperfections in your subfloor can lead to problems with your new carpet like gaps or lumps or damage from moisture or odors. This should be followed by a second layer of 15 32 inch thick plywood installed with a 1 4 inch gap between sheets. Carpet tiles can adhere to concrete plywood or particleboard subfloors. If you re installing new plywood use galvanized screws to fasten it and countersink the screw heads.

Whether you re installing new carpet yourself or having a professional do it it s important to prepare your floors before installation. While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor. Order the carpet adding an extra 10 percent for waste. No matter how firm the subfloor.

The tile council of north america tcna calls for a subfloor of 19 32 inch tongue and groove plywood to be installed over wood joists spaced 16 inches on center with a 1 8 inch gap between sheets. Before you can install carpet tiles you must prepare the existing floor. You can lay carpet squares directly over concrete plywood and osb or particleboard subfloors as well as over vinyl tile laminate and some hardwood finished floors. What s more carpet tiles can be placed over existing floors eliminating the time and effort needed to remove old flooring and flooring adhesive.

In some cases you can also install carpet tiles over existing wood tile or vinyl flooring so long as the existing flooring is no more than an inch thick. Even some of the. Carpet tiles are colorful versatile and easy to install making them the perfect comfort flooring option for homeowners and renters interested in do it yourself projects.