How do I find a joist under a subfloor?

When the sound indicates a joist, probe the area by pounding a 10d finishing nail through the carpet about an inch. The subfloor is usually 3/4 inch thick, so if you hit solid wood, it’s a joist. If not, move the nail 3/4 inch toward the solid sound and try again. You’ll probably hit the joist on the second try.

How do I find floor joists under tile?





Tap the floor with a hammer and listen for a “thud” sound. Begin at a corner and tap the subfloor. A hollow sound will indicate space, but a “thud” sound will indicate the presence of a floor joist. Once you locate the first two joists, measure the distance between them to determine how wide they are separated.

Do you put mortar under cement board?

Use thin-set mortar when installing cement backer board. Thin-set dries slowly, allowing you to fix and readjust backer board sheets as needed. The ingredients in thin-set mortar ingredients are cement, fine sand and a water retaining agent.

What do you put on subfloor before tile?

Install a cement backer board to set a good base for your tile and prevent any movement-related cracking of tile or grout. Backer board is screwed down to wood subfloor using specific backer board screws and mortared down with tile adhesive mortar plywood subfloor.

How do you know where a joist is?

Joists can be located by either tapping across the ceiling with a knuckle or with an electronic stud finder. With a knuckle you tap across until a more solid sound is heard – this is a joist or beam. A hollow sound is the space between the joists.

How do you tell which way the floor joists run?





So how do you tell where they are? It’s not always easy to tell which way floor and ceiling joists run. For floors, they will typically run across the shorter width of the room. With ceilings that have rafters, they typically run parallel to the rafters.

Will a stud finder find floor joists?

Once the device is pressed against the floor and level, you can activate it. Slowly slide the device left and right until it finds one of the joists. Some stud finders will specifically detect either the outer edges of a joist or the exact center of a joist.

How far apart are floor joists?

Floor Joist Spacing: How Far Apart Are Floor Joists in a House? Floor joists are typically 12”, 16”, or 24” apart in a home. Most common spacing for floor joists is 16” o.c.

How do you find floor joists under carpet?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Up the first thing i'm going to do is bang the floor with my hammer. And listen for a hollow sound and a solid. Sound. So let's start right here. Hollow right there so there shouldn't be a joist.

Can you lay tile directly on subfloor?



Tile can be laid on plywood. But do not install tile directly on the plywood subfloor itself. Use an intervening layer of a sheet of thinner plywood.

How do you prepare a floor for ceramic tile?

Install the Tile Membrane

  1. Starting in a corner, roll the membrane across the floor and cut it at the wall. …
  2. Check that the tile will fit under doorjambs and doors. …
  3. Mix thinset mortar according to the package directions. …
  4. Apply the mortar to the subfloor with the flat side of a tile trowel.

What kind of subfloor is needed for ceramic tile?

As with a wooden subfloor, a concrete subfloor must be level for successful tile installation. Additionally, steps must be taken to ensure that a concrete floor will create a solid bond. Your concrete floor should be clean, dry, flat and free of adhesives.

How thick should the subfloor be for ceramic tile?



1 1/8″ thick

The subfloor under the tile should be at least 1 1/8″ thick, with a minimum of 5/8″ thick exterior grade plywood topped by 1/2″ cement backer board.

How do you lay ceramic tile on a plywood floor?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Should be nailed or screwed every eight inches in the field. And every six inches around the perimeter. The nails themselves should be long enough to pass through both layers of underlayment.

How do you lay tile on a wood subfloor?

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Do you put cement board under tile floor?



What you need for a tile base. If you want to replace an old, cracked tile floor or other type of flooring with new ceramic tile, it’s absolutely imperative that you create a solid setting base for the new tile. If you’re working over a wood subfloor, cement board is the right choice for your tile base.

Will tile mortar stick to wood?

In any case, to bond tile to wood, you must use a flexible thin-set mortar with a latex additive. Wood shrinks and swells with humidity and frosts, which can break the bond between ordinary tile and thin-set.