A lot of information online about laying tile is specific for bathrooms (that need waterproofing), but in this case I want to remove carpet from a bedroom that is used as office space. This carpet is not only old but also quite thick and is extremely annoying to use with office chairs. Three people will be using this room and I believe a tile surface is best.
Removing the old carpet seems easy, but I do not want to start before I figured out all the details.
However, in the next 3 years I plan to proceed with a whole house remodel, where I will change the layout of the rooms etc. This is not just a wish, I am working with architects right now. In the meanwhile, I just wanted to get rid of carpet and put tiles for before we go insane. For that reason, I wanted to do something relatively cheap and that is easy to remove in a few years.
Big box stores have tiles that cost around or less than a dollar/sq ft. I know it's not the best type of tile and not as durable but this is perfectly fine in my use case as described above. However the substrate is OSB and I understand I have two main options:
– cement boards
– decoupling membrane
Cement boards are relatively cheap, less than a dollar per square foot so in line with the cost of the tile. However it seems they require a huge amount of screws. Membranes are quite a buit more expensive, around 1.6$/sq ft so much more than the actual tiles. I am debating if they are really worth it given I plan to remove them relatively soon.
My question is: what is my best compromise for a cheap tile solution that will be easy to remove? Can I lay cement boards without the screws?
I also have a technical question: I understand how a decoupling membrane works by letting the substrate move independently from the tile, so cracks are less of an issue. But if cement board is cemented and screwed to the substrate, what is the actual difference compared to just cementing the tiles to the OSB?
Best Answer
I would not tile for a temporary surface. I would get a sheet of sanded 3/4”. If you only need a 4x 6 or 4x 8 lay the sheet down and cut the carpet at the edge. Remove the cutout carpet and tack strip. Put plywood in the hole and use a few deck screws to hold the plywood in place. I might get some carpet threshold and lock the carpet down or use some screws and washers to hold the carpet in place.
The plywood will hold up for a few years and be easy to remove. Tile will be more expensive take longer to put down after that all the work to remove and dispose of the debris.
If you want a surface that will last a Formica sheet on top of the plywood will last a decade or more. And when pulled up could be used someplace else when done.