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Rathji · 11-07-2010, 04:50 PM

Rip out the old vinyl, if the subflooring is OSB, then you either need to remove it or just put on regular plywood (3/8") over top of it. The reason you do this is both the vinyl and the OSB will absorb water from the adhesive and cause the floor to swell.

As for tiling, it really is easy.

Rememeber your rooms are (probably) not square, so get a string line set up close to one edge of the room in such a location that you wont have something stupid like a 1" gap to cut in along the walls and start laying from there. Have all the tile at the same temperature of the room you will be laying it in. I think they suggest the tile be in the room for 2 days prior to laying it.

Make sure the floor is prepped, level and clean before you start. Finding out you missed a nail from your old baseboard or there is a giant bump on your floor as you set a tile on it is a huge pain.

We had one person constantly mixing adhesive, one person doing the cutting and one person laying the tile and marking cuts and it flowed pretty smoothly. Try and get your tile saw set up some place that is close but won't be in the way. It makes a pretty decent mess depending on the type of saw you have, and remember that you want your tile to be the same temp as the room you are laying it in, so no storing the tile in the garage when it is -20 and cutting it there and bringing it to a much warmer room.

Figure out a good ratio of adhesive to water early on, so you don't need to be constantly guessing as it goes along how much water you need for each batch. You can buy a mixer attachment for a drill that can work for making sure the adhesive is well mixed, but it takes a ton of time to do it that way. When I did it, I got so sick of making sure it was smooth that I just made it pretty good and then smoothed out the little lumps as I applied it.

Make sure you use the little spacer things (white T shaped dealios).

It really is possible to spread it out. When I did my Mom's house we ripped everything out 1 weekend. Put the new plywood won the second weekend. 3rd weekend we put the tile down, and this required about a 24 hour 'stay off period' so the tiles would set, although that is being ultra safe, because I have walked on tile after 3-4 hours and it wasn't an issue, just need to be really careful. 4th week we grouted. During the following week she sealed the tile.

The main things to watch out for are making sure the tile is level and evenly spaced. Something might not seem like a big deal when you put it down, but when you run your bare feet across the raised edge of a tile every day for the next 15 year it gets annoying. Also, I found knee pads are very nice, but I have a knee injury so I may be overstating their usefulness

11-07-2010, 04:50 PM	#5
Rathji Franchise Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Supporting Urban Sprawl Exp:	Rip out the old vinyl, if the subflooring is OSB, then you either need to remove it or just put on regular plywood (3/8") over top of it. The reason you do this is both the vinyl and the OSB will absorb water from the adhesive and cause the floor to swell. As for tiling, it really is easy. Rememeber your rooms are (probably) not square, so get a string line set up close to one edge of the room in such a location that you wont have something stupid like a 1" gap to cut in along the walls and start laying from there. Have all the tile at the same temperature of the room you will be laying it in. I think they suggest the tile be in the room for 2 days prior to laying it. Make sure the floor is prepped, level and clean before you start. Finding out you missed a nail from your old baseboard or there is a giant bump on your floor as you set a tile on it is a huge pain. We had one person constantly mixing adhesive, one person doing the cutting and one person laying the tile and marking cuts and it flowed pretty smoothly. Try and get your tile saw set up some place that is close but won't be in the way. It makes a pretty decent mess depending on the type of saw you have, and remember that you want your tile to be the same temp as the room you are laying it in, so no storing the tile in the garage when it is -20 and cutting it there and bringing it to a much warmer room. Figure out a good ratio of adhesive to water early on, so you don't need to be constantly guessing as it goes along how much water you need for each batch. You can buy a mixer attachment for a drill that can work for making sure the adhesive is well mixed, but it takes a ton of time to do it that way. When I did it, I got so sick of making sure it was smooth that I just made it pretty good and then smoothed out the little lumps as I applied it. Make sure you use the little spacer things (white T shaped dealios). It really is possible to spread it out. When I did my Mom's house we ripped everything out 1 weekend. Put the new plywood won the second weekend. 3rd weekend we put the tile down, and this required about a 24 hour 'stay off period' so the tiles would set, although that is being ultra safe, because I have walked on tile after 3-4 hours and it wasn't an issue, just need to be really careful. 4th week we grouted. During the following week she sealed the tile. The main things to watch out for are making sure the tile is level and evenly spaced. Something might not seem like a big deal when you put it down, but when you run your bare feet across the raised edge of a tile every day for the next 15 year it gets annoying. Also, I found knee pads are very nice, but I have a knee injury so I may be overstating their usefulness __________________ "Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job is when we're working by the hour." Last edited by Rathji; 11-07-2010 at 04:52 PM.