Flooring Tile - Wall tile over vinyl?

OK so here's a new one. We are remodling my kitchen. The previous owner put vinyl sheet flooring on as a backsplash. It does not come off, the adhesive seems to be liquid nails or some such. Can I rough it up with sandpaper and use mastic over it or do I have to remove and replace the wallboard (not fun because of the electric).

Your best chance of success here is to remove the vinyl from the wall. If it doesnt come off easy, consider taking down the wallboard with it and replacing it. Tiling over the vinyl will add a lot of weight to the vinyl and adhesive thats holding it, and that weight will probably cause the bond between the wall and the sheet vinyl to fail or the vinyl to separate.

Thanks, I figured as much. Extra work, just what I needed!

Or you could install 3/8 cement board or hardiboard over the laminate. Just make sure you locate and attach the cement board to the studs. Another thing to watch out for with this route is the electric outlets, put extensions on first (learned that the hard way).

I think this is easier than ripping out drywall and flex shouldn't be an issue for a backsplash.

The current backsplash is vinyl, not laminate. If you put cement board over the existing, you will need to have a plan to cover the edges of the cement board, maybe matching mudcaps. Its not really all that hard to cut out drywall and replace it, and you dont need to do a super duper taping job masterpiece since you will be tiling over it anyway. Just get the drywall joints flat. Working with the cement board to do the cutouts for the electrical and cutting the board and securing it to the studs is a bigger pia than working with the drywall. Cement board over the existing vinyl will also push your finished backsplash out further than you wanted it to.