Carpet Tile On Plywood Subfloor

The backing may eventually discolor some wood floors.

Carpet tile on plywood subfloor.

Follow these guidelines to prepare your floor and protect your new carpet investment. Assess your existing floor. Order the carpet adding an extra 10 percent for waste. 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.

What s more carpet tiles can be placed over existing floors eliminating the time and effort needed to remove old flooring and flooring adhesive. Before you can install carpet tiles you must prepare the existing floor. No matter how firm the subfloor. Whether you re installing new carpet yourself or having a professional do it it s important to prepare your floors before installation.

This should be followed by a second layer of 15 32 inch thick plywood installed with a 1 4 inch gap between sheets. Loose areas on an existing plywood subfloor can cause peel and stick tiles to lift over time. Even some of the. 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.

Carpet tiles can adhere to concrete plywood or particleboard subfloors. 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. It can also be used under hardwood laminate and carpet but this is much less common these days because subflooring is typically smooth enough for these materials many of which are installed with a different type of underlayment or pad. If you re installing new plywood use galvanized screws to fasten it and countersink the screw heads.

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. Underneath the hardwood laminate tile or carpet lies the subfloor and it s a component that only gets attention during a full scale renovation or a full blown problem. Imperfections in your subfloor can lead to problems with your new carpet like gaps or lumps or damage from moisture or odors.