Self stick vinyl tile Questions

[Randy Mahoney]

My wife is remodeling her office. It is in a 100 year old building on pier & beam. We are located in the South Texas Coastal Plains. High humidity, high summer heat, mild winters. The original floor was long leafed pine with no sub floor. At some point the prior owners "upgraded" to 9" mineral fiber tile. It is cracked and brokes in several places. My wife wants to put down stick on vinyl tile.

Questions:

1. Should I lay a subfloor (1/4" or 1/2" ply) over the existing tile. Or not?
2. If I need to put a vapor barrier between new floor and old tile? Remember it's over wood on pier & beam if that even makes a difference. some have suggested it might.
3. If I do put down a vapor barrier, what would a suitable material be to use? Thanks

Randy

[Gene Casey]

Do not use stick on tile, it will buckle with the temps you have. It doesn't matter what type of subfloor or barrier you have, the adhesive will give out. If you are looking at inexpensive, which I assume you are, thus the stick on tiles, why not look at sheet vinyl.

[Colbyt]

I have no experience with "wood on pier & beam" construction but my gut feeling is that a vapor barrier might be in order under the new undelayment that you lay down to prevent the new tiles from cracking in all the same places that the old tiles did. And after you go to all that work why not use a commecial grade glue down tile that will last 10-20 times longer than the "stick on" stuff?

The "press on stuff" is a very short term solution. That might be okay in something you are short term renting. Don't plan on more than a few years out of them . If you proceed on this course just level the floor as well as possible with a latex leveling compound, remove all dust after sanding and press away.

Colbyt

[nospam]

Self adhesive tile is garbage. Get some REAL tile that you glue down. If you insist on the self stick crap, why bother with any preparaion of the floor. Glue them down, they may last a year or so, Some will some loose, and you'll have to add underlayment and do a real floor at that time.

[Randy Mahoney]

[Diane]

FWIW, I laid some medium priced Congoleum self-stick tile in the kitchen/dining areas of 4 rental apts 8-10 years ago. Have had no problem with it & it still looks very good. Base material was concrete which I primed with a sealer meant for tile prep. 3-4 years ago I laid some low-priced Armstrong in one of the upstairs baths - again, still looks good & no problems. Base material was plywood that was just prepped with cleaning & a few small,(leveling) fill-ins with drywall mud. Just put some more of that line of tile in another bath yesterday. Again base material was plywood, but this time, since the plywood was rough & sticky from the old, traditionally laid tile, I used an Armstrong fast set base - kind of a gray mud. Prep was sure easy and made laying the tile a snap. YMMV, but I'm pretty satisfied.

[Chet Hayes]

I used self stick in my laudry room, which is also a traffic area from the kitchen to garage 6 years ago and they are still perfect. I see no need for a vapor barrier over an existing wood/tile base. As to whether you need a sub floor, that depends entirely on the condition of what's there. If if't even and sound, then you can apply them directly.

[Randy Mahoney]

Thanks Diane & Chet. Personal experiences are always much more helpful that blanket statements without any back up. I think that I am good to go.

Randy

Chet Hayes wrote: