I have a 1960' house with a solid oak wood floor base. No creaks, very sturdy. Foor experts who have come out to give me quotes about work say the floor is in great condition.

Problem - My mom and I have VERY sensitive to chemicals and we cannot stand any of the odors/emissions from wood sealers/finishers.

We really want to put tile down in the front room and living room. Had a couple experts come out to give me a quote.

A backboard would be used between the wood and tile, BUT - is it ok to do this even if the wood floors are unfinished? We are worried about moisure from the cement/grout. We don't want that to go into the wood.

Again, we can't handle any of the sealers, so we are kinda stuck. Any tips? If we are using a backboard, should we not worry about it?

Any moisture will dissipate quickly from the installation, should not harm the unsealed wood floor, and should not raise any issues for you to fear in the future. Relax and hire a qualified installer that follows all the installation guidelines set forth by the "TCNA" (Tile Council of North America) and enjoy the easy maintenance of a Ceramic Tile Floor. Ask your installer to return and use a "water base sealer" for the grout, when it is appropriate, as per instructions of the manufacturer of the sealer. If you are apprehensive about the knowledge of any installer, return here with their "proposals" and I will be glad to review them and comment. Armen Tavy

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Armen Tavy

also make sure your sub floor can handle tile.
you need to check it's firmness...we call it deflection.
cementboard ads no structural strength to a floor.

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- Brian -

www.ceramictec.com

Since the floor is "solid oak" my assumtion is that it is 3/4" thick and the plywood or other substrate under it should aslo be 3/4". This type of hardwood flooring is usually only toe-nailed and fasteners for the backerboard should be Alkali Resistant screws or Galvanized Roofing Nails long enough to penetrate at least 2/3" of the way into the flooring directly over the floor joists. They should not be so long that they penetrate into the floor joists themselves. 1/4" backerboard + Thin-Set Mortar+ hardwood, and then sub-flooring would total approximately (1/4" + 1/8" + 3/4" + 3/4" =) 1 7/8". Fasteners should not exceed that length. The cement backerboards, installed in the correct nailing pattern, should secure everything down and deflection should not be an issue as long as the floor joists themselves are at least 2" x 10"s. The fasteners should be strong enough to penetrate thru the hardwood. A chance "meeting" with a flat "toe-nail fastener" may bend a fastener for the backerboards. If this happens it should be relocated. Fasteners are installed every 8" in the field and at least ever 6" around the perimeters of the cement backerboards. The Cement backerboards must also be spaced 1/8" apart, spaces must be filled with thin-set mortar and taped with Alkali Resistant Cement Board Tape and coated with mortar one more time before tile installation. Armen Tavy

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Armen Tavy


Edited by spacerman on Jul 13, 2009 at 08:11 AM

Edited by spacerman on Nov 28, 2009 at 07:43 AM