Flooring Tile - Mosaic tile?

Getting ready to re-tile a small bathroom....house was built in 1946. Have removed old lineoleum squares and plywood now down to what appears to be rough cut 1X boards (subfloor) nailed at an angle across the joists. Plan on leaving them, putting down 1/4 inch plywood followed by 1/4 or 1/2 inch concrete backer board......does all of that sound right?

Have done some tiling in the past but never used the 12" squares of mosaic (maybe not the right term) tile.....looks like 2X2 tiles on a 12X12 backing. Any tricks/common mistakes installing/grouting this stuff as opposed to a normal ceramic tile?

Thanks in advance for your help.

You almost have it right. You need to use at least 1/2" plywood over the diagonal planking. The planking has a lot of movement during different moisture and seasonal conditions and that movement needs to be kept away from the tile. The 1/4" plywood wont do that, you need at least 1/2". Additionally, 1/4" plywood is never a suitable underlayment for tile and should not be used in any tile installation. Use exterior grade bc or better plywood. Plywood adds strength to your floor, however, cement board does not, so its always a better option to use thicker plywood and 1/4" cement board. 1/4" cement floor is generally for floors while 1/2" is for walls. Cement boards function in the installation is to provide a good flat surface for the tile to bond to.

For the mosaics, experiment with trowel size so that your getting good coverage on the tile but dont have a lot of thinset purging through the joints. Use a grout float or beating block to beat the tile into the floor so that all the tiles are making good contact and are flat. Clean all purging thinset up as soon as you can. You can clean up joints that you missed the next day with a utility knife.

Hi all,

Pink, HJ gave an excellent answer, I agree with every point.

Jaz

Thanks HJ......saved me from myself again!!!