ᐅ Vinyl Flooring over Tiles: Surface Preparation

Created on: 27 May 2014 15:19
J
jules
Hello everyone,
I would like to install vinyl flooring over my extremely unattractive, uneven tiles. I was told that the tiles need to be sanded down, skim-coated, filled, and treated in other ways before the vinyl flooring can be glued down. That sounds reasonable, but after seeing the price for all that work, I needed to sit down for a moment.
My question is – is all of that really necessary, or are there other options to reduce the amount of work involved?
I’m happy to pay for quality work, but not more than it’s actually worth.
J
jules
28 May 2014 23:07
So, sanding first and then leveling? I have someone who can do it, but it’s not cheap.
I also want to add that the house will probably be sold again in 5 years, so the investments should be kept reasonable.
J
jules
28 May 2014 23:08
One more question I wanted to ask – how was the workload? Manageable? And what did it look like under the tiles?
Y
ypg
29 May 2014 13:24
This is a tough job involving a dust mask, a lot of dirt, and physical effort. I wisely chose not to participate and instead focused on my work until a construction waste container was full.

I’m not sure I would consider this investment if the property is going to be sold anyway!
J
jules
29 May 2014 22:34
Haha, sometimes that’s the best strategy.
Yes, in the background there’s always the thought of selling and what is really necessary... Thank you.
A
Alex90
2 Jun 2014 14:08
There is also vinyl flooring that can be installed using a "click" system, or am I mistaken? You just put a thin cork underlay beneath it, and that’s it... That’s how we did it at a friend’s place!
J
jules
4 Jun 2014 11:28
Yes, it exists and it will be installed in my basement entrance area. I don’t really want it in the hallway or kitchen now.
I have had six different people come by, and five out of six said that leaving the tiles, sanding them down, and applying filler one or two times should be a good solution for the next few years. I’m not looking for something for 30 years at this point.
Vinyl and carpet will be installed, and I’m glad that everything will be finished by the move-in date.