self stick floor tile, vapor barrier
you don't need a vapor barrier. you need a extremly flat surface luan is great for tile. if you don't have a good surface then put luan down. use ribbed nails so they don't pull out of your sub floor use floor leveler to fill the seams unless you run tile along the seam
use luanue it is recomended as a prelayment over plywood for tile it comes in 4 by 8 feet sheets.....its less that 1/4 thick and lightweight........
Luan is not a vapor barrier. The best vapor barrier you can use is already down. Just apply it over the old floor. Make sure you don't have seam-over-seam.
Staple the Luan over the tile make sure you use alot of staples to make sure your floor doesn't give at all and use liquid nails adhesive to help hold the Luan down. Also make sure no staples are sticking up because that would damage the floor tile. Then use a primer to paint on the luan to help the adhesive stick. I would also reccomend using addional adhesive. The adhesive on the back of the tile doesn't hold up very well. Spread vinyl floor tile adhesive over the floor and once it is tacky put your floor down. Make sure to let the floor acclimate to the room at least 48 hrs before installation. After you lay the floor it needs to be rolled with a 100lb. roller.
I just replaced the bulk of my mobile home flooring with 12x12 self stick tile from Fred's.... 1. Take off the old flooring (Carpet or tile.) and get it back to bare wood (Plywood)..... 2. Repair any bad sections of old plywood... 3. Level any joints between patches and any nail heads (I use drywall screws...A lot better hold and faster to put in when using a drill.)... Also the best patching material is Bondo...The wood filler takes forever to dry and will not form a Strong surface...Bondo drys to HARD plastic within 15 minutes...And is very easy to sand or form with a Bondo file... Be sure that everything is smooth or any hail heads or depressions will show under the tile later on... (Bondo also hold up better in wet areas like the bathroom) Pop a chalk line down the center of the room and start putting the tile down from this center line...Its not as noticeable to have something slightly off along the wall line as it it in the center of the room...Also when you get to the walls or in those little tight areas you will want to measure and cut some of the tiles....To do this you need to measure where the tile is to be cut (Remember the arrow direction) then lay the tile over an old piece of tile (So you dont cut the good flooring) and using a steel straight edge and a knife scribe a line...Then bend the tile along the line and it will break cleanly along the line.. Pay attention to the arrows on the back of the tile and always point them toward the same direction... This makes the pattern come out right... The glue on the tiles will hold them in place if the floor surface is clean and dry... If the energy blanket under the home is gone it will still take YEARS to do any damage to the new plywood floor that you replaced...
