Home hardware question: vinyl tile

[gwilks98]

Not sure if this is the best spot for home improvement, but...
If I wanted to put Vinyl tile down over old ugly flat stone tiling, what is the best way to prepare the floors surface before applying the tile's adhesive? (Note, this is a bathroom.)

(I'm guessing an underlayment is not necessary.)

[zippyjuan]

Not the usual topic for the "Hardware" forum but fine.
The biggest thing for you to be concerned about is the flatness and smoothness of the floor the vinyl tile is going onto. Any bumps or textures will eventually show up throught the tiles. Even just a bit of dirt. If there is grout spacing between the tiles you already have down, that will show. If it is nice and flat, no problems. I tore out the linoleum in my bathroom and put down vinyl tiles over the cement. I did not put anything over the door sill to the shower/ bath area and because it is not the exact same level as the rest of the floor, I now have some cracks and seams in the vinyl tiles there. I also missed a couple bits of dirt which have left some bumps. Vinyl will also tend to shrink over time so you will eventually see some spaces develop between the tiles. But it is very cheap and easy to do youself and not as cold to the feet as say real tiles would be.

[Prngr44]

You may be better off ripping up the old tiles before you lay down your vinyl tiles.

If you're using the tiles where you just peel off the backing, I'd suggest getting extra adhesive to apply in the higher traffic areas since that other stuff doesn't always cut it.

[Jeffbx]

Yeah, if it's tile, you'll want to remove it first.

[Chgoman]

One more vote. Take up the old tile and put the vinyl directly on the subfloor.

[renovation]

You may be better off ripping up the old tiles before you lay down your vinyl tiles.

If you're using the tiles where you just peel off the backing, I'd suggest getting extra adhesive to apply in the higher traffic areas since that other stuff doesn't always cut it.

like others have said remove the old tile and just plan on adding a sub floor.

[gwilks98]

removing the old tile gets tricky as it may contain asbestos. I'd rather not mess with it.

[Markel]

If I wanted to put Vinyl tile down over old ugly flat stone tiling...

removing the old tile gets tricky as it may contain asbestos. I'd rather not mess with it.
Is the old tile "stone" (stone appearing ceramic?) or "vinyl" (or a predecessor)? If it is hard ceramic-like material, I wouldn't think that asbestos would be a concern. If it is the old pre-vinyl materials it may contain asbestos, in which case you might just want to screw down a thin layer of underlayment on top of it.

[renovation]

removing the old tile gets tricky as it may contain asbestos. I'd rather not mess with it.
if there 9x9 size square tile then you can bet there asbestos. if thats the case for sure put a layer of wood sub floor over it and then install the new tile.

[Chgoman]

Being a bathroom, it will raise the floor too high having a new subfloor and then vinyl on top of that. You're really going to have to make a decision between leaving it as is or removing the old tile. If you do remove the old tile, get a respirator (not just a 'doctor's mask', but an actual respirator with filters) which you can pick up at Home depot for about $30 if you do it yourself.

[TruckStuff]

My .02: If it really is stone tile, you won't have to worry about asbestos. We are finishing up a complete gut-and-remodel of a bathroom at the moment (moved a wall and everything). You will be better off taking out what is there simply because you don't know what's underneath of it. As zippyjuan mentioned, when tiling a floor, the subfloor has to be even and level, otherwise you will get cracks and gaps over time. Also, you may want to use a self-leveling compound to ensure that everything is kosher with the subfloor.

I wouldn't worry too much about a variation in height of the flooring, as that's almost impossible to avoid. You can get a piece of molding to bridge the gap.