Home, 2019 and 2023
Scratch coat over wood subfloors
Metal lath fastened across the plywood subfloor, then mortar trowelled into it: a flat, solid base for the tile.
Scratch coat over wood subfloors
Tile on a wood floor needs a solid, flat base, not bare plywood. In houses across Toronto and the GTA, we fasten metal lath across the subfloor and trowel a scratch coat of mortar into it, left flat and ready for the tile setter.
2019 to 2023: home, photographed on the job. See the 2 photos
- Over
- Wood subfloors
- Mesh
- Metal lath
- Coat
- Mortar, ruled flat
- Handed over
- Ready for tile
Scope
What we do
- Metal lath laid across plywood subfloors and fastened down
- Mortar trowelled into the lath and ruled flat, set out with a laser
- Kitchens, bathrooms, halls and whole floors in houses
- The old flooring taken up first, if you book the tear-out with us
Handover
Ready for the next trade
These are done by other trades, so you know who to book.
| Work | Done by |
|---|---|
| Subfloor repairs and structure | Your carpenter or GC |
| Uncoupling or waterproofing membranes | Your tile setter or waterproofer |
| Tile and grout | Your tile setter |
Method
How we lay a scratch coat
- 1
Check the subfloor
Sound plywood, fastened down, at the height the finished floor needs.
- 2
Lath
Metal lath laid across the subfloor and fastened.
- 3
Scratch coat
Mortar trowelled into the lath and ruled flat.
- 4
Hand over
Left to set, ready for the tile setter.
Layers
What goes in, bottom to top
The layers marked Ours are our work. The others are shown so you can see where our work sits between the trades.
- 1Wood subfloorPlywood, sound and fastened downBefore us
- 2Metal lathLaid across the subfloor and fastenedOurs
- 3Scratch coatMortar trowelled into the lath and ruled flatOurs
- 4TileBy your tile setterAfter us
On the job
Lath and scratch coat, photographed on the job
From the crew's phones. Cropped, colour and exposure corrected, nothing added or painted out.
At home
Tiling a kitchen or a bathroom over a wood floor? The scratch coat gives the tile a solid, flat base instead of bare plywood.
Get a free quoteFor the trade
Tile setters and GCs: subfloors lathed and coated before your crew arrives, room by room or a whole floor.
Request a bidQuestions
Questions about scratch coat
What is a scratch coat on a floor?
Metal lath fastened to the wood subfloor, with a coat of mortar trowelled into it. It gives tile a solid, flat base instead of bare plywood.
How is it different from dry pack?
A scratch coat is a thin coat over lath on a wood subfloor. Dry pack is a thicker mortar bed, for building a floor up, levelling it or sloping it to a drain. Some floors get both.
Scratch coat or cement board?
Both give tile a base over plywood. Cement board and uncoupling membranes are sheets your tile setter lays; a scratch coat is mortar over lath, which can also flatten or build up the floor. Your tile setter or designer picks the system, and we lay the scratch coat when that is the plan.
When can the tile go on?
Once the coat has set. Your tile setter checks it and follows the product sheet for their setting material before they start.
Get a free quote for scratch coat.
Send photos and Ricardo prices it from them, or ask for a site visit. Toronto and the GTA.
Related services
- Shower pans and pre-slopesDry pack shower floors sloped to the drain, with the curb, ready for the waterproofing and the tile.
- Dry pack floor levellingSand and cement screeds, flat or to falls: basements, condos, over in-floor heating and whole commercial floors.
- Pool decks and terracesSloped mortar beds around and inside pools, on terraces and pavilions, ready for the stone or tile.
- Interior demolitionTile, floors, drywall and old mortar beds out, down to a clean slab or the studs, ready for the next trade.