My parents have asked me to lay some porcelein tile in the kitchen. There is currently some vinyl tile on the floor (the sheet type, not individual squares) and I assume it has been glued down. Is it okay to put the tile on the old flooring? If so, do I need a special type of mortar mix, or will the standard type work. I was wondering about the mortar bonding properly with the current flooring.
I would appreciate any help and input. Many thanks! Ryan
It wont bond to your floor, find out the thickness of the wood, you may need cement backerboard or wood underlayment for strength, so the tile doesnt flex and crack, drill a hole and see how thick it is . Depending on tile type, 1' is minimum, pick your tile, see what it requires. you need a subfloor that wont move or the job wont last.
Also be sure your floor joists are strong enough first. Some floors cant take tile unless completely strengthnd, literaly have someone jump on it while you look in the basement for movement, it depends on how well the house was built. But you already know if its well built or not. Just check it all first.
Actually, the house is on a slab foundation, so directly below the old lineoleum there is concrete. Would you still recommend using backer board on this? How to go about fastening it? Hammer drill some holes and use mollys to anchor it? I thought about 1/4" board if this is the last resort.
Thanks Ryan.
Rip out the floor and go right on the concrete, use a flat blade shovel or a heavy floor scaper to get up the glue.
On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 11:53:44 -0400, "Ryan" wrote (with possible editing):
Assuming you really mean porcelain and not ceramic...
Porcelain tile is very brittle. You must remove the vinyl and its adhesive. Be sure you have those little plastic spacers before you start and layout very carefully. If you haven't done this before, you really should hire a pro. If you don't want to, then do a complete dry layout before starting. Bear in mind, good porcelain tile is very expensive and easy to ruin.
that's not correct.
you can tile over linoleum if it's well stuck down. if it's loose at all, it has to come up. rough it up a bit, and use latex modified thinset.
read a good tiling book, or go to a real tile store, not a big box, and ask questions.
It is possible to put down mortar and tile over linoleum as long as you scuff the linoleum with a sander beforehand to get adhesion. Make sure you look at things like door clearance, etc. before you go putting down any additional floor covering, you may find that things don't work properly when you raise the floor level.
Henderson the HACK , have him warranty it for 30 yrs A joke ,, a hack...
First of all, how old is the vinyl floor? If it predates about 1978, DON'T go sanding it without testing it for asbestos content. Not only did some vinyl contain asbestos, but the adhesive did as well.
On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 08:05:49 -0700, "Charlie Spitzer" wrote (with possible editing):
You might well be correct, but an acquaintance of mine tiled over linoleum with porcelain and it has cracked in several places. He (being more than a little upset) had a pro look at it, and the pro told him that you should never install porcelain tile over anything but a very rigid subfloor.
Again, Charlie, you might well be right. I have no direct experience with the stuff.
Whatever turns you on shit-stain.
Partly depends on whether or not the old stuff has an embossed design or is smooth surfaced. If not smooth, the design may show through the new floor.
Never put tile over linolium, Only and idiot that knows nada would do it. Linolium flexes , and mortar doesnt bond to plastic, You want a
5yr job ok . you want permant dont do itLinolium over linolium is ok if the first surface is sound , and smooth.
On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 21:00:36 GMT, "Caroline or Greg :P" wrote (with possible editing):
Yes, you can. Removing the old floor is preferable, however. The only controversy is whether or not it's safe to lay brittle tile (porcelain) over linoleum.
I don't think that is accurate. There is a mortar just for linoleum. I did it on 2 floors, and haven't had a problem. I am on a slab, so there is NO give on my floor.
Home depot sells a mortar that will bond with linoleum.
Wait 10, 20 ,50 yrs. You will be the ASS that experimented, and HD now wont warranty your PUSS,,,,, Wake UP It lasts thousands of years done right ,, Bozo, YOU a BOZO , BOZO
The linoleum may not be glued. Many times just the edges are glued or not at all. I would pull out an appliance and see if it will come up. That way you don't rip any of it and create an uneven surface. I would also research any mortar that sticks to linoleum. Linoleum is a very slick surface and it may not last. And then you'll have a mess on your hands. You could try buying some of the mortar and doing a test. Glue down an old tile and then see if you can pull it off the linoleum. Let us know how this works.
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