Flooring Tile - Laying porcelain tiles
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ftan
04-14-04, 09:57 PM
I want to put porcelain tiles on my kitchen floor. Current floor is linoleum over plywood sheets. Under the plywood is an older linoleum and the subfloor. Kitchen is situated above a basement. (House was built in 1993, but kitchen floor was not level and the builder fixed it by shoring up part of the floor from the basement and installing plywood sheets over the existing linoleum to level the floor, and then putting a new linoleum on top.)
Can I just lay the tiles over the linoleum? I know it is not a good idea to do so, but removing and disposing of the linoleum is a big chore. Asbestos is not a concern, since the house was built in 1993, but it is still a big job to remove the linoleum and after I remove it, the exposed plywood will be uneven in spots because of the adhesive from the linoleum, which means I will have to sand the floor.
If the risks of cracks later is not that big, I may go ahead and chance it. Would it help if I lay backer-boards over the linoleum first? A friend mentioned that the old-fashioned way of nailing down a wire mesh on the floor before applying the mastik is better than backer-boards, is this true?
One final question, we plan to use 17x17 or larger tiles and I know the recommended spacing between tiles of this size is 1/8, but my wife prefers a tighter 1/16 spacing. Is this okay?
This will be my first time tiling a floor, so your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Can I just lay the tiles over the linoleum? I know it is not a good idea to do so, but removing and disposing of the linoleum is a big chore. Asbestos is not a concern, since the house was built in 1993, but it is still a big job to remove the linoleum and after I remove it, the exposed plywood will be uneven in spots because of the adhesive from the linoleum, which means I will have to sand the floor.
If the risks of cracks later is not that big, I may go ahead and chance it. Would it help if I lay backer-boards over the linoleum first? A friend mentioned that the old-fashioned way of nailing down a wire mesh on the floor before applying the mastik is better than backer-boards, is this true?
One final question, we plan to use 17x17 or larger tiles and I know the recommended spacing between tiles of this size is 1/8, but my wife prefers a tighter 1/16 spacing. Is this okay?
This will be my first time tiling a floor, so your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Daniel Wachtel
04-15-04, 01:21 PM
You may want to look at a floating floor that looks like ceramic tile. If you tile directly over the vinyl floor you are throwing your money away. The tile WILL pop, and crack. The grout WILL crack and break. Please look at a flooring that you will not need to replace in the near future.
floorman
04-15-04, 05:30 PM
With the 2 layers of vinyl on the floor now you would have to take the floor down to the subfloor anyway casuse you can't lay tile over 2 layers of vinyl let alone 1 layer.
No wire mesh is not better than cement board ,this floor needs to be sturdy with very little flex for these larger format tile.If you are spending all this money on these larger tile why would you want to take a chance of this floor failing by skimping on the prep work?This floor is only going to be as good as what it sits on and wire mesh is not the answer.
Tear the layers of vinyl out and take it down to the subfloor and start over:cool:
No wire mesh is not better than cement board ,this floor needs to be sturdy with very little flex for these larger format tile.If you are spending all this money on these larger tile why would you want to take a chance of this floor failing by skimping on the prep work?This floor is only going to be as good as what it sits on and wire mesh is not the answer.
Tear the layers of vinyl out and take it down to the subfloor and start over:cool: