Floor options in bathroom

Ceramic tile.

Yes you can install over the old IF it's flat and well adhered to the underlayment. Of course, if this was the case why would you want to replace it? (Okay, "butt-ugly" would be a good reason.) If it's textured you need to put a leveler over it, and any bumps or seams will show through in the new material. It's best to pull up the old vinyl, and maybe the underlayment too, and get a perfect surface to start with.

Regarding other options, please be more specific. Are you looking for intallation options? Other floor covering options? Converting the room to a home theater? :)

There's lots of good answers available here, you just need to ask the right question...

Laminate but you have to follow instructions. We did it and so far so good.

What other floor surfaces are available that I could do myself -- If not a DIY project what other floor surfaces are reasonable for a bathroom? TIA

Vinyl and tile (stone or ceramic) are the best for bathrooms since they are waterproof. Both are DIY compatible, with tile being a bit more of a challenge but nicer IMHO. I just completely renovated a bathroom and put down 12x12 tile over an electric floor heating system, and it's gorgeous. It was my second experience with tile (did a kitchen backsplash a few years ago) and went just fine. If you choose tile, don't cut corners on the subfloor prep and you'll be fine.

For a great web resource for tile information, see the tile forums at

For vinyl (or other floor types), see a general "home improvement" book, either Home Depot's orange 1-2-3 or Black and Deckers big blue book.