Fill in all large gaps and holes as these will prevent proper adhesion of the tiles.
Glue ceramic tile to plywood.
It should be fastened to the subfloor using thinset and then screwed down every 10 square.
If you are working in an interior setting in a dry area where the tile will never come into contact with water you can install the tile directly onto the face of the plywood so long as you use the proper type of thinset.
Remove any obstacles from the installation area.
To be sure maybe drill up to 6 evenly spread out holes in the plywood at least 4mm deep or straight through in the areas to be tiled so the adhesive sinks into the holes and hardens hence creating a stronger fix.
Level the surface using a wood filler.
A quality unmodified thinset should be used and mixed with a latex additive.
The silicone or urethane adhesives should work too but the thin set mortars are easier to work with and easier to get full adhesive contact between the tile and its substrate.
Concrete board concrete board also called backer boardcomes in 1 4 and 1 2 thicknesses and is usually sold in 4 x 6 sheets.
One example would be to use laticrete s 317 thinset mixed with laticrete 333 liquid latex additive.
Thin set dries quickly and it must be.
How to bond tile to wood.
There are thin set dry set mortars design specifically for adhering ceramic tile to plywood that is designated as an ansi a118 11 thin set mortar.
Unscrew switch plate and outlet covers and set aside.
Thinset is the wet base that you first trowel on the plywood to make the tile stick.
Unscrew register covers and save the screws.
The joists if they re 2x8 newer code and not 2x10 older code must be braced every four feet with cross braces which minimizes independent flexing of each joist and the subfloor above.
Find the ratio of water to dry mortar and reduce to the smallest amount you can use in 20 minutes.
Higher latex content is essential for bonding to plywood.
There are two materials commonly used for laying ceramic on plywood or osb that are applied before the tile.
How to glue tile to wood.
You can bond tile directly to a plywood subfloor and expect it to last.
However the floor must be properly reinforced to minimize flexing.