Replacing Vinyl floor.

[bassNspear]

I just want to see what you all think.

I have sheet vinyl in my bathroom and kitchen, and i want to get ride of it.

What do you think is the best way to do it. Put something over it or take it out and replace it with something?

[MuleShack]

That depends on what you want to put down in stead of the vinyl.

in our first house we had vinyl in the bath rooms and the kitchen. in the house we built a couple years ago we went with tile in the baths and like it a lot better.

If you go with tile you would have to rip out the vinyl and put down the cement board and then tile over it. (assuming it was on main floor and not in basement concrete) I dont think it is too dificult to remove sheet vinyl.

[IFallsRon]

A lot will depend on how well the vinyl is attatched to the subfloor. You'll need a smooth surface below whatever you want to put down. I replaced subfloor on one project. The new plywood made the floor look like a showroom install.

[bassNspear]

what i was thinking is two different things. To either put that snap in hardwood flooring, or they have this new title that you will stick over the top of the old stuff. Not surehow good it is, but thats why im wondering what is best.

I would perfer to not have to pull the vinyl up if i dont have to.

[Surface Tension]

You can lay vinyl over it if the old floor is in good shape. If you have a deep texture you'll need to trowel on a leveler.

[Sifty]

If you are installing vinyl over vinyl you will need to remove the old wax off the existing floor.

Frank is right about the texture of the old floor if the pattern in it has any depth at all you will need to fill it with some type of filler or the pattern will "bleed" through.

Sifty

[Jim Almquist]

When I remodeled the kitchen of a house I once owned we removed the vinyl and realized it already had another layer so we removed that layer but the floor was real uneven with the old glue so we put down lueon (sp).We screwed the stuff down and filled the screw heads with Rockhard.It made a great flat and clean surface to lay new tile on. If the surface is not clean your tiles will forever stick and re stick every time you walk on them and that noise will drive you nuts after awhile.

[sparcebag]

If the existing vinyl is in good shape(no curls,gaps,tears)Try the no glue vinyl it lays in nice and also hides some minor flaws.Check into it.

[Sifty]

It is very common to put down a 1/4" underlayment in a remodel some installer will put in down in new constrution as well.

There are about three different type's of underlayment that are use Lueon is the most common.

The only thing I would do different is use a good filler.

Ardex is product we use and have no mold issues with. Rockhard may grow mold.

Sifty

[GotOne]

If you going over existing vinyl flooring, inlaids will be ok, can't go over foam backed or too thick of existing cushioned vinyl flooring. Remove all old contaminants on the surface of the existing flooring. Existing flooring can only be single layer. Use an embossing leveler (latex-modified) on the existing vinyl flooring. Use exterior grade lauan underlayment if you use it at all. Lauan is notorious for bleed through, voids, etc-not covered by the vinyl manufacturers if have this issues. If you remove the old vinyl flooring, make sure it's not too old of flooring that contains asbestos. Best way to remove is to cut into 4 or 8 inch strips and peel/strip the printed layer from the felt backing. after the wear layer is removed wet the felt backing with a mixture of soap and water and wet scrape the felt down to the underlayment.

[bassNspear]

this is looking to be alot of work.

[muskyhunter57]

If you go with a snap together floor also known as a floating floor be it wood or laminate you can over it. A qiuck way to check the number of existing floors that are there is to pull a heat vent if it is in the floor and look to see how many layers are there. If you go with one of these new tiles super thin but durable, when installed properly.I would get right to the bottom. These tiles have zero flex and will snap if installed on a ridge or gap.

[GotOne]

If you go with a floating floor, make you allow for the proper expansion around the perimeter of the installation, all vertical surfaces and under cut the doors. Also, they have some pretty tight tolerances for "subfloor flatness"-like 1/8" in 6'. Doorways under 4' need "t-moldings" and room greater than 30' or 35' in length or width will also need additional expansion cut in. If you don't follow these guidelines, you could have some buckling and/or joint separation issues.

[bassNspear]

i was thinking of using that snap in for the kitchen and bathroom. Put it down over the top. Use spacers on the outside so you can allow room for movement if there is any at all.

Not sure if i should do wood or title or what i should do, but i want to do somethign that i can put over the top. I dont want to have to remove it, and then fix the floor. Simple and easy.

What you all thinK?

[sparcebag]

Put a straight edge on the floor and chech for humps and how even it is if its within reason,like was stated 1/8-3/16s in 6 ft.I'd go for it.These floor materials usually call for a type of underlayment,rosin paper,or somekind of seperation and cushin from manufacture,and I see no reason it cant go over vinyl,unless stated in directions.

[bassNspear]

the floor is pretty level and smooth.

What is the best snap in material to use for this other then wood. I just finish wood in the living room, which is looking awesome, but now have to find something for the kitchen and bathroom

[Stratosman]

The laminate might not be the best idea in the bathroom...that stuff doesn't like water at all. Look into Adura luxury vinyl tiles, they make product that looks like tiles or wood planks or you can combime into a pattern if you wish. They are applied by troweling on adhesive over the existing vinyl, provided that it is in good shape and is properly embossed, (filled). You can either butt joint them or leave space for grout...There is another similar product the is called Dura Ceramic. Or if you are real ambitious, nothing looks better or last longer than a quality ceramic or porcelain tile floor!

If you need to rip out the old vinyl and underlayment, its not that difficult to remove really, just get under it with pry bars and work out the staples, easy to do 400 feet in a short day...

[bassNspear]

i dont want to remove it. Its horrible to get it off. We redid the living room with the snap in wood, and there was a piece that we had to pull out in the entry way and it was horrible. Didnt want to come up at all. I will not do that again.

I would like to do snap in in the bathroom and the kitchen, just not wood.

[paceman]

I had the same thing with vinly in the kitchen/bath. I also had carpet in the living/dining room. I tore out the carpet but left the vinly in. I used laminate in the living/dining/kitchen and tile in the bathroom. It was pretty easy to do and looks and feels great.....

[bassNspear]

did you do snap in?

[paceman]

Yes the laminate was snapped in...

[bassNspear]

thanks for the help!!