I am planning to have tile installed in a small bathroom. I don't know much about this, but I am going to hire a professional and would like to know a little bit about what to ask.
This floor now has linoleum on it. Can the tile be laid over the linoleum, or will it have to be ripped out?
Can I rip it out myself, or is it a hard job?
Is there a certain brand of tile I should stay away from?
Any other tips you can give me would be much appreciated.
Many thanks.
Kate
No you will have to put down cement board or other type of tile backer , usually 1/2 inch...Your contractor will tell you what he prefers...You MAY have to rip out the old floor down to the subfloor depending on your situation...ie door heights ect...HTH...
"Kate" wrote
|I am planning to have tile installed in a small bathroom. I don't know | much about this, but I am going to hire a professional and would like to | know a little bit about what to ask. | | This floor now has linoleum on it. Can the tile be laid over the | linoleum, or will it have to be ripped out? | | Can I rip it out myself, or is it a hard job? | | Is there a certain brand of tile I should stay away from? | | Any other tips you can give me would be much appreciated.
I'm also in the process of redoing a small bathroom floor. Had to rip up two layers of vinyl tile, one layer of linoleum, plywood backing and tar paper to get down to the original bare floor. It wasn't that hard to do, using a wide chisel, a wrecking bar and a few other simple tools. Took me about an hour to do about 25' sq.
Our plan is to put down a new subfloor, then a backer for the tile. The tile has to be laid on this special cementitious board. The tile installer will provide this.
As to ceramic tile for the floor there are many brands, I know nothing about them because I haven't got that far but I would avoid any that's very slippery, of course.
The can be laid over the linoleum if backer board is installed over the linoleum
That is not a method I would recommend.
It can be a hard job depending on the current floor situation.
My kitchen had two layers of linoleum with very thin plywood between them. The plywood was "flooring nailed" through the first layer of linoleum into the T&G subfloor.
The first layer was glued to the subfloor and the second layer was glued to the plywood.
It was a LOT of work.
If oyu have only one layer and its glued down, you can scrape it off...hard work but doable.
I had ~170 sq ft and it took MANY HOURS ....I worked on it in 2 to 3 hour "bites". But mine was two layers & nailed ( I pulled more than
1000 flooring nails)I went down to the subfloor to minimize room to room flooring height mismatches.
What's your time worth? how strong are oyu? get a bid to remove, try removing bit of the floor .....if it's too hard, have the guy it for you.
cheers Bob
It does help. Thanks so much.
My small bathroom measures 8' x 4'. It is long, and narrow.
The previous homeowners tiled the master bath and it looks great. The tile squares measure 12" x 12". From what I am reading, I am finding out that the smaller the room, the smaller the tiles should be, but quite frankly, I love the look of the larger tiles.
Thanks for this information.
Much appreciated.
Wow, you had a huge project there. Did you lay your own tile, and were you pleased with the results?
This one bathroom only measures 8' x 4'. I have plenty of time, and am not afraid of hard work, but I am not so sure about the strength part.
I do plan to get a bid, and am hoping that with such a small room the cost won't be too bad.
My home is eleven years old, and there has only been one layer of linoleum put on this bathroom floor.
I sure appreciate your feedback.
Many thanks Bob.
I'm not a tile guy, not really much of a finish guy. Prefer plumbing, electrical, structural.
The final design of the kitchen has not bee set. We've been using the douglas fir T&G as an interim floor. We've even toyed with idea do sanding, finishing and using it as the kitchen floor . But I'm not a huge fan of wood floor in the kitchen.
Your bathroom is small enough for you to take on. That's only 32 tiles if you go 12 x 12. Throw a couple pieces down (out of the way if possible) so you can live with them for a few days.
32 sq ft of single layer linoleum is a LOT less work than 170 sq ft of two layers......I'd say, go for it.It's only 3 pieces of backer as well.
cheers Bob
Most decoraters would disagree. The larger tiles (up to 12x12) make a small room look bigger.
Go with what you like you have to live with it.
It would be worth your time to get a book about installing tile, either purchased or from library. It is a handicap to deal with contractors without a good understanding of the project. Some technical knowledge is a must, IMO, whatever the project and will likely save you money and grief. Then you deal as a knowledgeable customer rather than one who is easily fooled. Issues like subfloor flex, added height of the floor, removing fixtures are important to plan for.
I removed all previous flooring materials down to the original shiplap (1 x
3) boards. Re-enforced the shiplap with floor screws and then mortared and screwed 1/4 inch wonderboard over that. I then used a schluter ditra membrane and tiled over that with ceramic tiles. See more info here for schluter, good stuff.
YES, NO, ABSOLUTELY, MAYBE, IT DEPENDS, AND I DON'T KNOW.
Tile isn't rocket surgery, but there are a lot of nuances that one learns as one goes along, and does more jobs. If this is a casual bathroom, and you make errors, and it won't look terrible to company, do it. If it is a bath that you want to look good, have this first job done.
You can read how to's on tile that will give you a good idea on how it's done. But past that, the fine points on removing substrate, what and what not to tile over, what type of subfloor to use, getting it to stick right, getting the grout color right and the grout in there right, getting it level, getting the grout lines uniform, making good cuts, and many other things are things you learn by doing, and that's what you pay a pro for. Remember this: you are going to look at it for a long time, and visitors will too. You want it done right, either by you or a craftsman.
I have found that it was cheaper and I got a much better job by just having small jobs like that done by someone else. But my last remodel involved a lot of cutout fine work, and the job I got was absolutely dazzling, and I could not have done that good a job. The extra money was well spent. If you can find a good workman, it should be reasonable. Ask around friends and family to find a "good workman." Sometimes that is the hardest part.
I am going to do a paver walkway and pattern outside, and the main thing on that is preparation. I have a tile saw and the other tools. I can save a lot by doing it myself. But if I am a little out of being perfect, it won't be as obvious as in a small bath area.
Good luck.
Steve
Sounds like a good plan for me Bob. Good luck on your project as well. Many thanks.
Good advice. I need to read up on what happens with the toilet removal/replacement, etc.
I bookmarked this page. Many thanks.
I agree, and will probably just have it all done by a professional. This small room will have an oriental runner rug in it, so it won't all show, even if there is a flaw, unless it is on the outside of the floor.
Life isn't perfect, but I tend to want to be a perfectionist.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
What a pleasure to have a polite person on the group who appreciates the advice she/he gets. That pretty much applies to everyone who posts here, much nicer than a couple of other groups where I lurk.
That is impressive. I never thought about doing something a little different.
Thanks for this info.
Some ideas for you. You can do dazzle with simple things, and a little more money.
Just remember .......... you are going to have to look at it for a long time...........
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