Tile choices over linoleum and/or plywood.

I want to put down a new kitchen floor in a property that I recently bought and that I will be renting out.

For now, I just want to do something that will make it look good without having to re-do the whole kitchen. I may re-do the kitchen at a later date. What is there now is a very solid piece of linoleum that is probably glued down over 1/4-inch plywood or Luan. I haven't tried peeling up the linoleum yet, and I am avoiding doing that for now in case one option will be to just tile over the existing linoleum.

I'm thinking my first option would be to clean the linoleum well and just put peel-and-stick tiles over the linoleum for now. If peel-and-stick is not a good idea, my second option would be putting some other type of vinyl tiles over the linoleum using a mastic adhesive. Or, if for mastic it would be better to try taking up the linoleum and use the mastic for the new tiles over what is left underneath, that would be my third option. A fourth option would be to put a sheet of linoleum/congoleum down on top of the existing linoleum.

Any thoughts or suggestions regarding any of these options would be appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S. I like ceramic tile, and I would do that if I it didn't involve having to take up the existing plywood or Luan underlayment. But, from everything I've read here and elsewhere, I don't think ceramic tile over anything that is there now would work even though the existing linoleum is very solid.

Reply to
RonABC
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I got a fairly decent peel and stick at HD, but it needed a primer and roller is mandatory. It has a 2 part glue that a heavy roller opens the seal so it bonds well. You have options

Reply to
ransley

My wife and I just bought a house and were in the very same situation. Didn't feel like taking up the luan et al. At our previous house, we had completely redone the floor, using new flooring and laying tiles on cement board. With this new place, that wasn't really an option we felt like going through. So when we were hitting up Home Depot & Lowes, we came across this stuff:

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We were able to retile our upstairs bathroom > P.S. =A0I like ceramic tile, and I would do that if I it didn't involve h= aving

Reply to
Matthew Dunphy

Can you explain what you mean a little more?

I assume that you are referring to the regular peel-and-stick tile that HD sells, correct?

By "primer", do you mean some type of primer to be painted onto the linoleum first before putting down the peel-and-stick tiles? If so, any particular type of primer? I know Zinsser makes a shellac-based primer called B-I-N that can be used on slick surfaced such as laminate cabinets

Peel-and-stick tiles have 2-part glue? I didn't know that.

I got a fairly decent peel and stick at HD, but it needed a primer and roller is mandatory. It has a 2 part glue that a heavy roller opens the seal so it bonds well. You have options.

Reply to
RonABC

Like ceramic? - then use ceramic.

This system works over any sound linoleum (except cushion-backed):

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Reply to
Bob(but not THAT Bob)

I worked for a flooring company years ago.

Dont waste your money on peel and press (P&P) tiles. They never hold up well. You can get a similar tile without the self adhesive for less money. Then buy some mastic adhesive (made for the tile), and use that. The job actually goes faster without having to fight with all that backing paper. Start your tile in the center of the room using a chalk line. Then spread the mastic in part of the room, and lay those tiles. There are instructions for laying tile on most tile boxes or look on the web.

I once put down a floor using mastic on P&P tiles and it held up well, but that was only because the tiles were already purchased. It took 3 times longer because of all that backing paper, and in the end was a waste of money to buy the P&P tile.

I've done several floors using just the P&P tile and all of them ended up being a poor quality floor which needed replacement in a year or two because the tiles kept coming off. And for a rental it will be worse because when tenants have tiles come off, they dont fix them like you would do in your own home. I know all about this having been a landlord for a while (a job I'd never do again).

Get a decent vinyl tile and some mastic and you will get a floor that lasts. However, if the linoleum was waxed with floor wax, you MUST remove that wax for ANY tile to adhere. They sell a wax remover, or you can run a floor sander over the surface to remove the wax and glaze. If you do sand, beware of going too deep because you could hit the backing which might be asbestos (gray). You dont want that in the air from sanding. It's harmless to remove without a sander though.

If you want wax remover, I would suggest a flooring store, not a big box home repair place. I doubt they carry it.

Reply to
Jimw

Thanks. I checked it out and the whole process seemed a little more complicated than I want to get into at this time. I tried checking out their videos etc.

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We were able to retile our upstairs bathroom > P.S. I like ceramic tile, and I would do that if I it didn't involve > having

Reply to
RonABC

Interesting. I never heard of this stuff before, but it's a possibility. They refer to another place where I would have to get info on how to prep the linoleum, but I didn't hunt that down yet. I'll also have to see where the product is sold.

Reply to
RonABC

I have the same general feeling as you about P&P tiles, and I have no aversion to putting down mastic and applying plain tiles over that. I'll have to check again and see what is available these days in terms of plain tiles with patterns that are not P&P tiles. Mostly, I seem to be looking at P&P's or solid pattern vinyl tiles, but I haven't noticed regular non-P&P tiles with a pattern. So far, I have only looked at HD and Lowes.

Reply to
RonABC

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