sanity (or perhaps insanity) check

[Banty]

It's completely glued down (or at least a lot more than perimeter), good condition, farily new (installed in 1996).

Still remove it?

Banty

Banty

[Noozer]

If you are using the spacers correctly, they should stick up from the floor. There's no way that you could leave them in place.

These are the little "+" pieces. You stand them up between the tiles. The cross part of the "+" (the "-" part) fits on top of the tile. The bottom part of the "+" gives you the gap. The top part of the "+" gives you something to grab to remove them.

[G Henslee]

Nice try, but that's nonsense and you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

The spacers are stuck in as one installs tiles. There's no set method of "fitting them on top of the tile" in order to be "correctly" using them. Stick the things in there to get the spacing, then yank them out with small needlenose piers before grouting.

[G Henslee]

Based upon *your* desc. I wouldn't remove it. Remember, that vinyl sheet performs two services for you. Anti-fracture as well as a moisture inhibitor for hydrostatic pressure. You should use a latex modified thinset.

[kzinNOSPAM99]

Is that a joke? So I guess all of the 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 etc inch spacers all give you a real spacing of 1/8 in or whatever that's the thickness of the things.

You lay them down flat, not vertically. Sheesh.

The tool "especially engineered for removing them" costs about $5 at the despot. As Mr. Henslee notes a pair of needlenose pliers would do just fine.

[G Henslee]

It is to me. What he's advocating necessitates using 4 spacers at each corner.

They're about 1/8" thick, yes.

See, already a pro ;o)

[Banty]

I'm not sure what you mean..

Anti-fracture meaning good for the tile which will go over, or an advantage I'll lose with tile (I know that..)? And where does being a "moisture inhibitor for hydrostatic pressure" come in? If it's relevant, this kitchen is over a heated bottom floor/basememt in a hillside ranch.

Thanks, Banty

[World Traveler]

Rudy -- Either you haven't been married very long, or there is a grammatical / logical problem in your last sentence -- I think you meant to write:

"I will have to fill them with matching colored wax "crayon" if it bothers my wife." :-)

[Backlash]

I don't lay the spacers down flat. I stand them on end in the correct orientation, use more of them, and they are easy to pluck out before grouting. They don't have to be at the corners to properly align the tiles if you use two per side. This way you can use them over and over again. Placing them after laying the tiles lets you squirm the tile to seat and level it to the others. I just finished grouting a bathroom this morning, and used a flexible 3" putty knife, along with a drywall coumpound tray, to force cuts of grout into the cracks to keep from scratching the marble tiles with the normal method. After a little setup time, a damp sponge was all that was needed to diagonally clean the grout lines. I tried this for the first time on this room, and I really liked the process and the results.

RJ

[G Henslee]

Anti-fracture. Slabs crack. A membrane can inhibit the crack transferring through the tile.

Hydrostatic pressure and moisture?

[Rudy]

Just had 18th Anniversary last week and actually, she will be doing it, if it needs doing. She's a hell of a worker. We just got thru shovelling/spreading 4 yards of roadbase 3/4" minus driveway gravel (~4 TONS) after dinner to get ready for our concrete driveway. We'll be doing the same with another 5 yards for the patio/hot tub slab at the back tomorrow. She also stained and "poly"-ed 1000 lin ft of vertical grain 1X6 Fir and painted another 1000 lin 1X6 MDF baseboard and all the walls in our new house. I get to put the Fir and MDF up but shes definitely the painter/spackler. R

[Banty]

::snip::

That's what I wondered if that's what you meant.

Like I said (perhaps not clearly enough), the tile is not on a concrete slab - it's on the floor above the basement.

Banty

[G Henslee]

Then you have a whole different set of conditions and issues to deal with.

[Banty]

::googling for original post in thread::

...thought so.

Nope, this discussion wasn't specific to tile over a slab floor.

So - what issues affect tiling over glue-down vinyl on a second floor?

Banty

[G Henslee]

Nor was it not specific. What's your point?

Proper sub-floor construction, substrate, issue of flex, etc.

Check for some links I left in the Three-season porch deck tiling....... thread, and maybe others.

Good luck.

[c_kubie]

I have seen the leave in spaces will discolor the above grout with age. Not sure why this happens, but the grout is consistantly miscolored at the corners

Thankfully it wasn't my tile. I perfer the rubberly '+' shaped spacers that stay on top the tile with only one leg in.