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Tile Underlayment Membrane

Published On

January 15, 2025

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Schluter-Ditra Tile Underlayment is a polyethylene membrane that replaces 1/2″ cement backer board when applying tile over a plywood subfloor. At only 1/8″ thick, it can significantly reduce the finished height of a tile floor.

The flexible membrane comes in rolls and weighs only two ounces per square foot. After being cut to length, it’s set in a bed of thin-set mortar and then covered by another coat of thin-set in which the tiles are laid. The membrane acts as an uncoupling layer to prevent cracking as well as providing waterproofing in one easy application.

Ditra Tile Underlayment is available at The Home Depot stores.

Further Information

How to Tile a Floor Using an Underlayment Membrane (video)
How to Lay a Tile Floor (article)

Editorial Contributors

Mitchell Layton is a former professional mover who currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell spent years packing and moving for REAL Rock N Roll Movers, a commercial and residential moving company based in Los Angeles that’s primarily staffed with up-and-coming musicians. That gave him plenty of experience navigating box trucks up and down the winding streets of LA. In addition to moving hundreds of happy customers into new homes and apartments all across Southern California, Mitchell has also performed corporate moves on company lots for Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Paramount, and more. After pouring blood, sweat, and tears into his profession, Mitchell has all the helpful tips you need for your next move.