Tiling on timber subfloor and uncoupling membrane

[Dada]

Hi there,

Has anyone with an idea on where I can find an uncoupling membrane to lay on timber subfloor before laying tiles? Which membranes are best and available in Sydney? I have seen many ads about flexibone and others about Ditri membranes, but also read about CIS membranes - Which ones are appropriate for a timber subfloor in a residential house?

Thanks

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Workshop community @Dada. 

Let me tag the amazing @ProjectPete on this one as he has plenty of renovation experience and may have come across this question before.

Have you also consider laying James Hardie Ceramic Tile Underlay Flooring? It is designed to protect against the natural movement of timber substrates when tiling over them. The boards need to be nailed and glued to the timber flooring. You can then use a flexible tile adhesive and grout when laying the tiles allowing for any additional movement.

If you need further assistance or have other questions, please let me know.

Mitchell

[Dada]

Hi @MitchellMc ,

Thanks for your advice. If I understood well, I need to use floorboards on top of timber before laying the tiles? Shouldn't I use membrane? Have you got any link to the videos?

Thanks

[Jason]

Hi @Dada,

As @MitchellMc isn't working today, I thought I might tag a few other helpful members for you who might be able to assist with your flooring questions and keep the discussion going.

@gippslandhome, @PJA, @Mathy 

Thanks,

Jason

[Mathy]

Hi @Dada, So the membrane is a new thing to me, but I watched this video https://youtu.be/rYm7kAfU6qg on the Ardex Flexbone products and that’s pretty cool. Tiling on timber floors has always been a hassle because of the amount of flex in the floor. The membrane seems to solve the problem without giving you the extra thickness from tile underlay. Amazing, hopefully it’s affordable!

These membranes are more of a commercial system, I recommend you speak to Ardex about which of the 2 products would work best in your situation.

So Ardex products are sold by Bunnings, you could try the Special Orders desk, I’ve never seen these in store  (I think these products are quite new). Otherwise Ardex Australia website should be able to help you with where to purchase. Hope this helps and good luck, cheers Deb

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Dada. I apologise for the lateness of my reply.

The underlay is laid directly onto your timber flooring. A water-proofing membrane is applied over that. Here's a step-by-step D.I.Y tutorial How to install tile underlay 

If you have any further questions or need assistance, please let me know.

Mitchell

[Mathy]

@Dada is talking about a completely different process which doesn’t involve the underlay. Check out the video. Like I said, it’s a commercial product but I think it’s a new process. Makes tiling over timber easier, cheers Deb