Question:
I have a kitchen floor with sheet vinyl glued onto planks onto the subfloor.
I would like to put tile on it. Right now the kitchen is flush with the
hardwoods in the next room (house 50 yrs old) and I want to keep the
transition to a minimum.
Ideally, I could lay something like a caulking material down and set he tile
on that. I would keep the tiles on the small side. Possibly remove the
sheet vinyl and level out the floor first. From earlier threads here I saw
that putting thinset on a wood floor is bad news because as the floor flexed
the mortar would crack. I wonder if there are alternatives to mortar and
mortar grout, something that would have a little flex in it?
I was thinking plain adhesive caulk in a tube (100 tubes?) or that epoxy
garage floor covering that is being advertised on TV, but any ideas are
appreciated, especially tried and successful ones!
Answer:
Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Use whats been tried and tested. As
long as the floor is flat and structurally sound, meaning no
movement up or down, you can install 1/4" Hardy backerboard or
possibly install over sheet vinyl. Just make sure you use the best
tile adhesive on the market, not the cheap stuff! I would suggest
the backerboard. Use plenty of screws or ring nails.
Check the deflection as well. I bet that plank floor has more give than
not in it. Most people don't notice it or get used to it. Tile and
grout never get used to movement.
http://www.ttmac.com/deflection_limitations.htm
