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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Title says it all---I have been trying to hire someone to rip up ceramic tile and then lay sheet vinyl. For whatever reason, I cannot find anyone to do this. Lots of contractors want to re-do the ceramic tile because it's sooo much more expensive than vinyl. At this point, I don't even get call backs.
So I'm thinking I may have to fix this on my own. I had loose ceramic tiles over wood subfloor. I tried to re-attach them and the floor is now not level. Also, part of the floor buckled because apparently I didn't leave enough space for expansion. I'm thinking about removing some of the tiles that are loose or buckling, using floor leveler, and then vinyl planks on top.
I'm afraid to remove all of the tiles because 1) I don't know how to repair the subfloor and some of the tiles are still really stuck down. 2) I'm not planning to remove my toilet.
Can this possibly work? FWIW, it is a really small bathroom.
BTW if you have loose tiles you can get a tile scraper (looks like a long 'crow bar' with a blade end) that you can use to scrape up the other tiles. You will then need to put some backer board over floor and then lay the new floor.
I'm not a contractor, but my first thought would be the vinyl would not stick properly due to the unevenness such as the on the grout lines and the tile itself having texture to it.
I was thinking about doing sheet vinyl and using shoe moulding and caulking (around toilet and shower) to hold it down.
You will not be happy with the result. Sheet vinyl needs to have adhesive spread on floor and 'stuck down' all over or you will get ripples, bubbles, wrinkles etc.
Getting up the old tile in a small bathroom is about a half hours work for a competent person.
Than you have to fix the subfloor. No way around that. How hard that is will be based upon what you find. It is likely if tiles were coming up that you need a backer board of some sort laid. Laying tile or vinyl at that point is quick and simple. And of course you pick up the john...it is very quick and simple to do.
You might check around for renovation contractors...guys who fix up after flooding and such. Generally very good at this sort of thing. And they can be reasonable once they find no insurance company involved.
I'm afraid to remove all of the tiles because 1) I don't know how to repair the subfloor and some of the tiles are still really stuck down. 2) I'm not planning to remove my toilet.
Can this possibly work? FWIW, it is a really small bathroom.
Don't be afraid, it's quite simple to repair the subfloor (assuming it's not rotten through, but even that is a DIY job if you'll spend some time with youtube). It's even Easier to remove and replace the toilet.
What you're proposing wouldn't work IMHO. The sheet vinyl would crack along the grout lines, buckle, bunch and just generally be an ugly mess under foot. Probably none too comfortable to walk on either, once it starts shifting. There's a slim chance it could work, but it's really not worth doing more work just to see that you need to go back and rip out everything you Just did, plus everything else you should have done in the first place.
If you're uncomfortable with the work, it's something ANY handy person can do. Use someone local (I look for the locals who are one step up from hanging out at the hardware store looking for day labor), It'll probably cost you $60 to them plus materials.
I have two layers of stick on tile in the bathroom. The bottom layer was laid over a new floor. The floor wasn't flat, and the corners on the time came off and some tore. I requested a solid layer just go over that, and be even. I wanted a layer of waterproof something put down, not wood. The guy used wood. The tiles worked loose once water leaked between them.
Next, I want the walls to get insulation as I had requested. And I want the whole mess off the floor. The wood was pressed wood and is falling apart. I want cement board and may go with real hard tile. But no more plastic tile. It splits and if any water gets under it swells up and tears. They 'sealed' the kitchen floor with the same crap and it need replacing too. The wood is wet where tiles left a tiny space for water to get sucked up and crumples rather than drying. The underfloor will determine if the one you put on the top is a waste of time or not.
Make sure the person doing it REALLY knows what they are doing and uses the materials you requested.
Do you know what type of wood was put down? From my understanding you need plywood of a certain thickness to go under tile and usually a layer of cement board over that. Seems like most people you find doing tile will lay it over anything and by the time you have problems they are long gone. I would bite the bullet and have the tile removed...might need to do self leveler to make sure the subfloor is perfectly level. Taking the tile up will add some cost but you won't have to worry about having the thin sheet vinyl conform to grout lines on the floor. With thinset on the plywood under your tile I'm not sure if that plywood could be cleaned off or if you would need another layer laid down.
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