www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Hi all,

I'm in the process of replacing our kitchen and plan on swapping the nasty lino with some decent floor tiles. My house is about 10 years old and the floor is boarded using the large chipboard tongue and grove floor boards. I've had a quote from a tiler who recommends that I put down 12mm WDP plywood first then use a flexible adhesive for the tiles.
Is the plywood really necessary and does it need to be WDP? If so, does it need to be 12mm thick as this is going to create a small step from the hallway into the kitchen which I can guarantee will be just big enough to trip over! The overall surface area will be about 13sqm.

Many thanks,

Philip.

Your tiler is correct, your spelling however is slightly off, it's WBP ply.

6mm backer boards...

hardie/aquapanel etc..

just follow mfr inst.

Strictly speaking, it should be minimum 15mm WBP ply to comply with BS.
Tictic is right, 6mm Hardie, Aquapanel or Nomoreply is best in this situation.
Fix tiles with a flexible cement based adhesive, grout with flexible grout.

Thanks for the replies. I've bought some backer boards as suggested. Do I need to be PVA these before use or can I tile directly onto the top of them as they're supplied?

Thanks,

Philip.

You don't PVA any surface before tiling onto it, as it can react to the adhesive and cause failure of the bond.

There is no need to prime backer boards before tiling...............just wipe over with a damp cloth to remove any dust.

As always, a good practice is to follow what the adhesive instructions advise.