Hey everyone! I'm currently in the process of renovating my bathroom, and I'm facing a bit of confusion regarding tile installation. I'm planning to lay cement board on the floor over the existing subfloor to ensure it's level with the hallway wood floors. My main question is: for the areas of the bathroom that aren't wet (outside the shower), do I still need to use an uncoupling membrane over the cement board, or will the cement board alone be enough to handle any movement and moisture? Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the shower area here. Thanks in advance for your advice!
2 Answers
You’ve got a couple of options when laying down tile:
1. Use an uncoupling method to allow for movement between the layers so your tiles don't crack.
2. Go with a rigid floor to eliminate potential movement by ensuring your framing and subfloor are solid.
In a small bathroom like yours, the spans are generally short, which means you usually won't see much deflection. If you’ve got a solid subfloor and cement board, you should be fine without the uncoupling membrane, unless you live in an earthquake zone!
Great point to consider! Just remember that raising the floor with cement board can affect your toilet flange height. Ideally, the flange should sit on the finished floor, with the full flange height above it. Make sure to screw it down properly with some stainless-steel screws to keep it secure. Don’t cut out the floor around the flange—you want it fully supported!