1 / 7

Dry-Pack Mortar

This is the traditional tile backer. First, felt paper is stapled to the floor and covered with expanded metal lath. Then cement, sand and water are mixed together to a crumbly consistency and floated over the lath to form a flat surface.

Given the complexity, it’s easy to see why even experienced tile setters avoid dry-pack mortar and use backer board instead when they can. But a mortar bed does have advantages. There is no cutting or fitting of boards, and a mortar bed is good for leveling and flattening uneven or out-of-level floors, which are common in old houses. If you are good with a trowel and understand how to set up and use screeds as a guide for leveling or forming the mortar, pouring a traditional mortar bed may be a good alternative to tile backer board, especially on uneven or sloping floors.

2 / 7

Self-Leveling Underlayment

If you are laying tile on floors that are wavy or out of level, self-leveling underlayment is a great solution. Self-leveling underlayment has many of the same advantages as a dry-pack mortar bed but doesn’t require as much skill to install. You still use metal lath, but then mix bags of powder and pour the soupy mix onto the floor. It is a fast process that is hard to mess up if you do it right.

But there are downsides. Using self-leveling underlayment takes careful prep work. You have to seal every little hole in the floor so the underlayment doesn’t seep into spaces below. Plus, most self-leveling formulas harden very fast, so you have to plan carefully so you can mix and pour quickly.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p63MoqOyoJGjsbq5wKdlnKedZLmqv9NorqGhk516tbXLnmSbmZOgsrN5yKxkm52jqXw%3D