Hi, I wonder if you can help. I am about to embark on a tiling project and can't seem to find a definative answer!

Our bathroom used to have a carpet layed onto a chipboard floor. I have removed the carpet and we want to lay ceramic floor tiles.

What is the best product to use to prep the floor. Should I take up the chipboard, and install plywood? I have read that it should be 18mm thick but I think if this was layed on top of the chipboard it would be too high!

Also, do i need to replace the chipboard where the bath was or can i leave it there? I realise that this would mean that the floor is two different heights but I can't think of a major problem with this!

Many thanks for your help (hopefully)! We are almost ready to start but dont want to do the wrong thing!

Gary

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check how much bounce or give there is in the chipboard floor. (called deflection by the pros)
I use tile backer board or some similar equivalent.
To my eye it appears to be some kind of cement / glassfibre mixture sheeting,
which is ideal for tiling onto.
Its waterproof and seems to "tie together" a floor.

Go to your local tile shop and ask about various tile boards. I used one recently which was supplied for me, and the best thing was the screws they got for me to fix it.
They were self tapping, self countersinking screws that were just the right length for floorboards but no longer!

If you can't get them, you do seriously need to fix the tile board down with tons of screws. Countersink for best results, 70mm between along all edges, larger spacing in the middle, bear in mind the more screws, the stronger the base.

Whack it down over the whole floor, its easy to score and snap, and makes laying tiles real easy.

Hi Gary,

First check your existing chipboard base is free from deflection - by that I mean does it bounce when you jump on it or press your weight down on it?

If not then you can install Hardie backerboard like this:

Prpearing a floor with Hardie Backerboard and then self levelling compound

If there is any spring in your chipboard base, then you need to lift the chipboard and reinforce the joists with extra noggings ('dwangs' if in Scotland)

If you do lift the chipboard to strengthen the timbers then you might as well just put 18 or 22mm WBP plywood back and tile straight to that

As merle says imo