Prep Work for Laying Tile!

Backer board!

          Tile is the answer for the high traffic areas of your home. Great for Entrance ways, Main hallways, and kitchens where you walk back and forth a lot. Also in bath rooms, where wood or or carpet is not acceptable.
          The different areas that can be tiled require different techniques and materials. Here we'll discuss the floor.

Floor Leveling Compound!

          First check your plywood sub floors, sand all the seams level, where the plywood sheets butt up to each other. If the floor is vinyl we can install the tile right over it. Next, inspect the floor for levelness. Using a 4 or 5 ft long level lay it flat on the floor. Mark any high or low areas where the floor is not level. For high areas make sure the sub floor is down tight to the joists. You may nail or screw it down tight. For the low areas you may need a leveling compound. Apply with a trowel or spackling or drywall knife. Compound may have to sanded.
Follow package directions.

Screwing down the Backerboard!

          If you install your tile down on the wood floor it will crack due to the flexion of the wood. Therefore we need a put a crack isolation membrane on top of the wood to prevent this. There are several types made by numerous manufacturers. We use a cement based product covering a mesh membrane. Wonder board, or Durock, Rhino, Hardboard and Hardi backer board are a couple we use. It comes in many sizes and is easy to cut. Just mark your cut line with a straight edge and score it with a scoring knife. Clean the surface thoroughly, vacuum and wipe down with a sponge as needed. For a floor, thin set or a construction glue must be applied as an under layment adhesive for the backer board. Use the 1/4 square inch trowel for spreading the thin set for this application. The notches control how much thin set you apply. Sometimes non professionals, just apply the backer board to the floor itself, but a thin coat, of thin set should be applied first. Thin set should be mixed thinner than it would be for setting the tiles. When spreading your thin set hold your trowel at about a 45 Degree angle to the surface. You attach the backer board using 1 1/4 inch self drilling corrosion screws or 1 1/4 corrosion resistant roofing nails. We prefer the screws. Lay the backer board in the opposite the direction that the plywood was installed. Install in a staggered pattern so as not to have any four corners touching. Install them using a 1/4 gap around the walls and the cabinet bases. The size of the gap sometimes varies between manufactures. We use the proper screws and set them every 6 inches around the edges, and every 8 inches in the middle, from side to side top to bottom. Install the screws or nails 1/2 back from all edges, and flush to the surface. Use 2 inch wide alkali resistant mesh tape, to tape the seams of the backer boards. Seal this with a thin coat of thin set overlapping the tape by at least 1 inch on each side. You are ready to Tile.

Scoring Tool for Backer Board.

This is what Construction is all about Guys!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAMUaOPYico&feature=related