Problems With the Ceramic Tile on Stair Step Trim

Underlayment

• One of the most important elements in a tile installation is the type of underlayment used. While technically there are specialty thinsets that allow tile to be installed directly on top of plywood, it’s not a recommended method. This is especially true of stairs where there is a lot of foot traffic, as the tile needs a proper substrate to bond with. Concrete or fiber boards are the only intelligent choice for stairs, as they allow the mortar a solid bond to keep the tile in place.

Stair Movement

• A major problem with many stairs is the fact that stairs are meant to receive heavy foot traffic over the years. As a result, there is the potential for excessive movement over time unless the stairs were built with enough support for tile. Deflection, otherwise known as flexibility, is a bad thing for tile, and if the stair frame isn’t stable enough to handle tile, the trim pieces will pop off the floor. A good test is to place a cup of water on the stairs and walk heavily up and down the stairs, checking to see if the water trembles in the glass or actually jumps around.

Finished Edge

• Not all tiles come with a bullnose edge, which is a rounded edge manufactured by the tile maker. Sometimes people choose to put a cut edge against the outside part of the stair trim, thinking it will suffice in situations where bullnose isn't available. This raw edge will catch people’s feet as they walk up and down the stairs, eventually leading to pieces that are pried up out of the bed of mortar through physical impacts over the years.

Tile Strips

• A rule of thumb when installing ceramic tile is that you should never use a piece of tile that is less than 3 inches wide. This is generally used for visual reasons more than anything else, but it also holds true for trim pieces. If you try and install a piece of trim on stairs that is less than at least 3 inches wide you run into the issue of having a stand-alone piece that is too small to effectively handle the weight of continual foot traffic.