do i remove toilet, vinyl tile and sink cabinet. under lay for tile? what holds ceramic tile down?
It's easier to tile if you remove everything. I would also recommend using cement board on top of your underlay providing it's in good shape. Tile is held down by a thick paste (actual name escapes me at the moment) which is spread on the floor tiles firmly pushed down while using plastic spacers to keep them all in alignment. Grout is then used to fill those gaps. All of these items can be bought at Lowes or some such place. Also if you use cement board with the tile as well you may want to use 2 wax rings because your commode will set a little higher will help (hopefully!) prevent any leaks.
Yes its best to remove everything but the cement board is 3/8 to 1/2 in. thick and the tile being placed on it is about a 1/4 to 3/8 depending on the amount of thin set used. Can you place a threshold down at the doorway to accommodate for this difference in height? And if the wood below the tile floor is not at least 1 in. thick then the flexing of the floor will always cause cracking of the grout lines if not the tiles them self. These are a couple things people overlook when wanting a tile floor. Good Luck
you really should pull the vinyl up, even if it's a hassle, because it could buckle in the future and affect your tile work. Go to your home store and see if they have a solvent that will loosen the adhesive holding the vinyl down, then scrape it all up. Hopefully it will be concrete underneath and not another layer of vinyl (happened to us in a kitchen once). Clean it really well, then do your tiling. Be sure to use the correct adhesives and grouts. There is also a sealer you can use that will insure the grout never stains, something *she* will appreciate when she never has to get on the floor with a toothbrush to clean out the muck between the tiles. :) Good luck and happy holidays!
yes, you should remove everything and install cement board as your new underlayment
