Contact us
If you have any questions or would like assistance, please contact our technical team:
- Email us at technical@netweber.co.uk
- Call us on (01525) 722 100
Our technical team is available Monday to Friday, 8:30am until 5:00pm.
Strengthening a wooden floor for tiling
Because wooden floors naturally bend, bounce and expand, tiles can end up cracking under the pressure if installed incorrectly. When tiling onto a wooden substrate, it is key to increase its rigidity and strength to avoid any issues across the lifetime of your newly tiled floor.
Apply a floor levelling compound
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Fill gaps with sealant
Use weberjoint silicone to ensure that all gaps between the floorboards are sealed to avoid the levelling compound escaping through.
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Prime the surface
Prime the existing floorboards with weber PR360 and allow to dry. This will offer good alkali resistance, increase adhesion, and prevent air bubbles forming in the levelling compound.
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Attach barrier foam
Attach barrier foam to the perimeter of the area you are looking to cover with levelling compound. Take extra care to make sure the foam is fully adhered to the substrate to avoid any of the levelling compound mixture leaking through.
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Apply levelling compound
Mix and pour weberfloor flex to the required thickness (minimum thickness in this scenario must be 10mm) and make sure that any movement joints in the substrate are carried through the screed and tiling layer.
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Finish with spiked roller
Use a spiked roller across the entire area to remove any visible air bubbles, and then allow weberfloor flex levelling compound to fully cure (1-2 hours).
Overboard with tile backer board or plywood
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Select a suitable board
For overboarding a flooring substrate, you can either use tile backer board to a minimum thickness of 6mm or WBP exterior grade plywood to a minimum thickness of 15mm.
This choice is mainly down to personal preference and also depending on how much you want to raise the floor level by.
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Prime and lay boards
Prime backs and edges of boards with weber PR360.
Lay boards so that they do not coincide with the joints in the existing wooden floor and make sure to leave slight gaps between board and perimeter for expansion. Screw boards down every 200-300mm.
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Fill gaps with sealant
Fill gaps between boards and at perimeter with weberjoint silicone sealant.
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Assess further requirements
If there is still movement in the floor, you may need another layer of tile backer board or plywood.
Necessary products for this solution
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