For the majority of homeowners, replacing a floor entails installation. Most homeowners hardly ever see those open, straightforward stretches of brand-new OSB or plywood subfloor that flooring professionals get to work with. Instead, a different kind of flooring, such as wood, laminate, tile, or vinyl, serves as the foundation. Installing new flooring takes a lot of work, so any time-saving techniques are appreciated. You might be in luck if your current flooring is robust. When possible, it can make sense to forego the laborious step of first removing the old flooring and simply installing the new flooring on top of it. Linoleum, sheet vinyl flooring, and tile vinyl that has been bonded down can all serve as substrates for ceramic flooring installation if they are in acceptable condition. Check to see if your floor can accommodate ceramic tile . The subfloor and joists that make up the floor structure must also be in good shape, with little flexing and deflection, even if the resilient flooring is acceptable. By doing this, you can be confident that the floor will be able to support the heavy weight of the ceramic tile and cement-board underlayment. When to Abstain from Directly Tiling Over Vinyl Flooring: The floor will be too high: The thickness and overall height of the flooring will increase if a new layer of flooring is laid immediately over the previous one. This is less of a problem with vinyl flooring than with laminate, engineered wood, or solid hardwood flooring since it is so thin—12 mm at most. However, even with vinyl flooring, the extra thickness of the floor can occasionally lead to issues at door frames or along baseboard trim. Vinyl floor, not a suitable base: While well-bonded, ordinary sheet vinyl frequently serves as a suitable foundation for ceramic tile, the same cannot be said for other resilient flooring types. Loose-lay (perimeter-bond) sheet vinyl is inappropriate as a substrate for ceramic tile because it can slide beneath the new flooring. Ceramic tile cannot be installed underneath resilient flooring with a cushioned foundation. Because luxury vinyl flooring is frequently installed as a floating floor without glue, the majority of its planks are not appropriate for tiling over. This implies that the flooring may move beneath the tiles, probably damaging the grout joints.
Ceramic
Can Tile Be Installed Over Vinyl Flooring
If the resilient flooring is in good shape and is glued to a strong subfloor, it is possible to lay tile over vinyl flooring. Prior to installing tiles, you will need to remove any vinyl flooring that is too high or constructed of luxury vinyl planks. Before tiling the vinyl, it needs to be clean and intact. When remodeling a property, unless you are starting from scratch, you will have to work around the pre-existing floor that the previous owners had installed. While you might occasionally be fortunate enough to enjoy old marble or hardwood flooring, you will typically have to deal with old vinyl. Vinyl flooring, which first appeared on the market in the 1920s, rose to the top spot among homeowners during the 1950s and 1960s. Vinyl flooring is very likely to be present in an older homes today. Laying tile over vinyl flooring is possible, but not always since this material is so incredibly resilient and long-lasting. When the vinyl flooring was created and installed is the first crucial factor to take into account. If this was before 1975, the sheet might contain asbestos, a substance highly associated with cancer and other diseases. In this situation, you should consider removing the flooring and hiring a specialist to remove the old vinyl for you! You can safely tile over more recent vinyl flooring if you're trying to replace it. Learn when you ought to and ought not to! Before installing ceramic or basalt stone tiles without first removing your vinyl flooring, you will need to take into account additional factors in addition to its age. Indeed, installing cement board panels may be necessary for addition to applying your ceramic tiles. When these two components are combined, the flooring is significantly heavier. It is crucial to check that the flooring and subflooring are free of flaws or flexing that could result in structural damage. Naturally, you'll want your tile investment to last as long as it can. Already bending vinyl flooring can result in lead and bumps, which can cause the tiles to break. Before placing tiles, take into account the following factors: Is the condition of your vinyl flooring good? The substrate must be solid and undamaged. Is the existing flooring too high? What material makes up the subfloor? Ceramic tile installation is not appropriate for all vinyl varieties. Tiles can be installed on linoleum or regular vinyl sheets but not on luxury vinyl planks that have not been put down. In fact, there is a good chance that these will migrate and harm the tiles.
Can Ceramic Tile Be Installed Over Vinyl
If done correctly and within certain restrictions, ceramic or stone tiles can be laid over vinyl material. Porcelain tile is a form of ceramic tile. Only the vinyl's ability to adhere to the substrate will determine how well the tile will adhere to it. Certain polymer-modified thin-set mortar adhesives can be used to glue the tile to the suitably prepared vinyl if the vinyl is firmly connected. To enable the bond, all coatings on the vinyl must be removed. Any asbestos-containing vinyl cannot be sacrificed, but it can be covered with tile using a mortar bed, backer board, or uncoupling (a specialized sheet that certain manufacturers sell as a substrate). Regardless of the uses mentioned above, you pick the floor that cannot deflect too much. We would suggest the following if tiling over vinyl tiles were an option: Ideally, remove roughly 80% of the remaining old vinyl adhesive residue to reveal the concrete floor below. Depending on the background, direct fixing of the ceramic tiles glass may be done using BAL Rapid-Flex One or another compatible BAL Adhesive if you can achieve this using a long-handled scraper or needle gun (if appropriate) or another form of acceptable mechanical abrasion instrument. Only if the exposed concrete after treatment to remove the residues looks porous or absorbent should priming be required. In this instance, vacuum up all stray dust and prime the surface with BAL Prime APD (Diluted 1:1 by volume with water). If you can't get rid of 80 percent of the residue, apply BAL Level Max in a bed depth of at least 3 mm and let it dry for at least 4 hours before you start tiling, provided that all loose vinyl adhesive residues have been removed mechanically. The remaining residues are solid and well bonded to the concrete. The old vinyl tiles can also be leveled using BAL Level Max if you cannot remove them, so long as they have been primed with BAL Bond SBR (undiluted). After four hours, this can then be tiled. BAL Rapid-Flex can be used if the existing vinyl tiles are clear, stable, and flat. Without a BAL Bond SBR, one can be applied straight to the vinyl tiles. It is crucial to make sure that some sort of waterproof tanking layer is present and situated inside the floor construction if the floor is a part of a wet room, meaning that water from the shower head falls directly onto it. This will help to prevent water from penetrating through the floor. We would advocate a solution such as BAL Tank-it.
Can Ceramic Tile Be Installed Over Flooring
Ceramic tile provides a luxurious, long-lasting floor finish, and in many circumstances, a new tile floor can be installed directly over an older one. The condition of the existing tiles and the structural integrity of the floor joist system are crucial considerations when making a choice to rip out the old tiles or place the new ones on top. Ironically, you have a better chance of effectively tiling over an ancient floor if it is in good condition. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, so carefully balance the positives and negatives. Because ceramic tile floors are so heavy, adding another layer will strain both the floor and the structure underneath. It might not matter much if the space is small, like a bathroom. The extra weight, though, might be harmful if the floor is large, like those seen in grand great rooms. The only way to be certain is to speak with a structural expert, who can check the floor joist system to see if it can support the extra weight securely. Installing a new ceramic floor tile over an existing one boosts the finished floor height ranging from 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch. Although it might not seem like much, this could have an impact on how easily doors open and close, necessitating door planning. A 1/2-inch difference could potentially pose a tripping danger if the new floor is next to a lower existing floor. The removal of the old ceramic tiles might be a headache if the original flooring contractor did not install the floor properly. The underlayment and the tiles are joined together by the thinset used to bed the tiles. The underlayment itself must be changed if the hardened thinset cannot be scraped off. For this, the underlayment and grout joints must be sawed through and jointly lifted up.
Chiseling away the grout surrounding a single tile and breaking it out is the only way to determine whether the thinset or mortar obstinately adheres. It could be easier to install the new tile over the old one if the thinset underneath is attached to the underlayment and needs to be filled in.