Stick luxury vinyl tile on top of ceramic tile in kitchen?

amother

Powderblue

Tue, May 16 2017, 8:46 pm

Did any of you stick luxury vinyl tile on top of ceramic tile in your kitchen? Thinking of doing this, what are your thoughts?

MagentaYenta

Tue, May 16 2017, 8:49 pm

amother wrote:

Did any of you stick luxury vinyl tile on top of ceramic tile in your kitchen? Thinking of doing this, what are your thoughts?

The tile should get pulled and a new subfloor put down. If you are using an expensive vinyl, you want the subfloor to be smooth and even and level. In many cases the vinyl warranty will not be valid without a new subfloor.

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, May 17 2017, 3:01 pm

Funny you should mention it. ApartmentTherapy.com just had an article about this--someone wrote about her experience doing exactly this. Baaaaad news.

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, May 17 2017, 5:45 pm

go to apartment therapy.com and search Peel-and-Stick Tiles: A Cautionary Tale (Or, I Tried Peel-and-Stick Tiles and They Almost Drove Me Insane)

MagentaYenta

Wed, May 17 2017, 5:50 pm

amother wrote:

go to apartment therapy.com and search Peel-and-Stick Tiles: A Cautionary Tale (Or, I Tried Peel-and-Stick Tiles and They Almost Drove Me Insane)

I think the OP is talking about the high end vinyl tiles like those from Armstrong that are available for residential and commercial applications. Those vinyl tiles require serious prep and knowledgeable installers. Some have to be 'grouted'. The are a far cry from the .99 ones I buy to line my cabinets.

saralem

Wed, May 17 2017, 7:05 pm

We reno'd our kitchen this year and did this. At first the contractor thought he would have to demo the ceramic tile floor but didn't in the end. Saved a ton of money. I put down high end vinyl plank flooring and it worked just fine. The flooring I chose has a cushioning surface under the vinyl. And BTW I really am happy with the choice. It's perfect for kitchens and bathrooms.

amother

Powderblue

Wed, May 17 2017, 8:28 pm

op here. Forgot to mention that part of the ceramic tile floor underneath is not even, so they would have to fill it in with something and then stick the luxury vinyl tile on top. Do you think that could work.

saralem, what was your floor underneath made of?

amother

Royalblue

Wed, May 17 2017, 8:35 pm

We were told not to do this. Demo'd the ceramic tile, built a new plyboard floor over the old plyboard wooden floor and had the vinyl tile installed on top of that. Vinyl must be completely level in order to hold long-term because there's no grout placed in between the tiles.

amother

Powderblue

Thu, May 18 2017, 6:28 am

Are anyof you in Brooklyn and can recommend the guy who did yours?

saralem

Thu, May 18 2017, 6:16 pm

I am not in NY, so you can't have my contractor!!
I had 12x12 ceramic tiles with grout. there were some uneven areas, and even a spot that had no tile (under the original oven). they put down plywood over that spot, and were able to lay the vinyl plank on top of the whole thing. Demo'ing the ceramic tile is really costly--and if not needed, why do it?

MagentaYenta

Thu, May 18 2017, 7:32 pm

amother wrote:

Actually some of the high end vinyl tiles such as those by Armstrong and others have a grout requirement. It is quite different than a ceramic grout.