ᐅ Remove the tile floor or install parquet/vinyl flooring over it?

Removing just the tiles is really not a big deal.
For us, it was the tile adhesive.
Removing the adhesive took us at least 20 times longer than removing the tiles.
The stuff was incredibly stubborn, bonded to the screed – awful.
Never dealing with tiles again...

minimini schrieb:

Cutting and installing is definitely much cheaper, so we end up with a little over €40/m² (about $40.50/sq ft) for all the work.

That was the breakdown from @hampshire, right? So, I asked two other floor installers, and they quoted €40 per square meter (about $40.50 per sq ft) just for cutting and installing. That’s still €30 (about $30) less. They estimated removing the tiles at another €20/m² (about $20 per sq ft), although the plan was to do that myself. They said they could grind off the adhesive. I think I need to negotiate with him again. My suspicion is he’s including his commission in that price since he said the floor installer he works with would handle the parquet installation, but at first he said he would do it himself.

Yesterday, I talked to a floor installer (he wanted to install the parquet as a floating floor, which I’m not sure I want), and he said vinyl flooring in the attic would not be a good idea. There are two roof windows, and he said depending on how warm it gets up there, vinyl might not be suitable. What do you all think about this? The other person didn’t advise against it. Also, there is currently carpet with wood underneath. Is it that easy to lay vinyl on top of that? And how is the impact sound insulation, since the wood transmits the steps more? Does anyone have experience or advice on which alternative flooring would work in this situation?

HubiTrubi40 schrieb:

There are two skylights there, and he said that depending on how warm it gets, vinyl might not be ideal. What are your thoughts on this?

The floor should be able to withstand the temperatures. I am generally skeptical about vinyl flooring because I find the new smell unpleasant. It just seems suspicious to me. That’s subjective – others might like these floors.

Hutchinson123 schrieb:

Removing the adhesive took us at least 20 times longer than removing the tiles.
That stuff was incredibly stubborn, completely fused with the screed—horrible.
Never again tiles...

If the tile adhesive is so strongly bonded, does it really need to be removed or ground off? I spoke with a tiler yesterday who said you can sand it down, but it might get warm and then stick again... I didn’t quite understand that (or maybe I’m confusing it with carpet adhesive?). In any case, you could also cover the tile adhesive with a leveling compound if necessary. What do you think? That would somewhat ease my worries because I believe tiles are still easier to remove.

Just sanding?
That would require a very powerful tool because the tile adhesive can be up to 1cm (0.4 inches) thick.
You can see the marks from the notched trowel.

We removed all of it using a rotary hammer. Now we understand why this material is called tile mortar.
You could even use it for bricklaying.
It has nothing in common with what you would normally consider adhesive.
It’s basically like stone.

We only smoothed the last small residues with a renovation grinder.
Removing everything with that tool wasn’t possible.
But professionals might have different equipment available....

Of course, you can fill everything with leveling compound.
That wasn’t an option for us because we wanted to maintain the same level between the kitchen, living room, and hallway, and we installed vinyl flooring continuously from the living room into the kitchen.
Since there were no tiles in the living room before, that obviously wouldn’t have worked.

Hutchinson123 schrieb:

Otherwise, of course, you can fill everything with leveling compound, sure.

Yes. That probably wouldn’t be much of an issue for us. My bigger concern is that my all-round contractor has become increasingly expensive, and I’m currently considering hiring someone else. But I will speak with him again.