How to tile over existing timber floor?

[coolmum40]

I need carpets in my vedrooms removed  due to allergy issues. I tried to rop off and check what is underneath.  There where timber floorboards  just like the rest of the house. We prefer to lay tiles all over the house first starting  with bedroom but a few contractors  we spoke to talked about using glue over the floorboards.We are not confident if this will work.

What is the best method to lay tiles over or removing  the floorboards.

If not tikes what are the other natural material flooring that can be used for a household with severe allergies.  

Needs to be economical. The total area is 40 sq m and budget is 8k max including materials. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @coolmum40,

Attaching tiles directly to timber is not recommended because timber naturally expands, contracts, and absorbs moisture, while tiles are rigid and brittle; this difference in movement can cause tiles to crack, lift, or lose adhesion over time

The simplest solution is to install James Hardie Ceramic Tile Underlay over the existing floorboards before installing the tiles. For 40 square metres, you would need 19 sheets.

They come with a series of dots on the surface that show the required nailing pattern. They are nailed to the floorboards using Paslode 25 x 2.5mm 2kg Annular Underlay Nails. Each sheet needs 83 nails, so one box of 1650 nails should be enough for the 19 sheets.

Once installed, this underlay can then be tiled over without any issues.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob