Installing Porcelain Floor Tile Over Vinyl

Watch our how to install ceramic and porcelain floor tile videos and learn the steps needed for a successful installation.

Installing porcelain floor tile over vinyl.

The trouble is that thinset generally requires a textured surface to bond at. You will need to spread the thinset out over the vinyl with a notched trowel. This isn t possible with every flooring material but it s often possible to install ceramic porcelain or stone tile over resilient flooring including standard sheet vinyl vinyl tile or linoleum. 1 remove both layers of vinyl before tile install.

Stone floor tiles are more vulnerable to movement than ceramic floor tiles by the way. Installing ceramic tile over vinyl or linoleum surfaces can be more complicated than expected and probably should be avoided whenever possible. 3 spread a thin layer of concrete over the vinyl and install tile. The pad will also scratch the vinyl so there s no going back.

Heaping layer on top of layer of flooring goods is never a good idea when installing new floor covering products. Self stick vinyl floor tiles are a great flooring option because they are durable affordable easy to install and available in a variety of styles and colors. I ve been told to. However if you can t remove the old surface or otherwise decide to install over it lay a backer board with thin set over the old surface to serve as your new subfloor material.

Not every form of resilient flooring is suitable for receiving tile directly. Latex fortified thinset is a product that allows for superior dimensional stability as well as some flexibility. Movement in a ceramic or stone tiled floor assembly can be disastrous for the new ceramic or stone floor tile and should be avoided at all costs. The plan is to install 12 12 ceramic tile.

Screw the vinyl down at the joists to make sure the vinyl and sub floor are secure. The best candidate is fully adhered glued down sheet vinyl flooring. Use an abrasive pad or scrub brush soaked in water and vinyl floor stripping to get off all the dirt and wax on the floor. When installing new stone ceramic or porcelain tiles over a vinyl tile subfloor thinset is definitely the way to go.

2 install and nail backerboard over the vinyl then install tile.