Can I Put Tile Over Vinyl Tile?
When installing new tile in a home, whether it is on the walls or the floors, one of the largest keys to success involves preparing the subfloor or underlayment. An inappropriate or unsturdy base for your tile will lead to failure and potentially dangerous conditions for your area in the future. Tile manufacturers limit the types of materials over which tile can be laid; vinyl tiles will support new tile installations as long as they are properly prepared. Does this Spark an idea?
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Vinyl on Concrete
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You can install new tile over vinyl tile as long as the vinyl tile is fully stable and secure. The optimal vinyl installation over which to install new tile is vinyl that has been glued down to concrete, which ensures that there will be no changes to the substrate, such as those from moisture and temperature fluctuations in the area. As long as the vinyl tile is firmly secured to the floor (which you can check by running your hand over the area to check for bumps or loose edges), you can install tile directly over the top.
Vinyl on Wood
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Vinyl tile attached to a wood substrate requires a little more preparation. A wood substrate is more likely to change and shift as temperatures and humidity levels fluctuate. Wood absorbs more moisture, and so these shifts can cause cracking in new tile or bumps in the floor. If your vinyl is attached to a wood substrate, cover the vinyl with cement backerboard, which is a cement-cored board surrounded by fiberglass. This material is either glued or screwed to the vinyl tile and prevents shifting due to moisture.
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Preparing the Vinyl
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Once you have either determined that you can lay the tile over the vinyl or have added your backerboard substrate, you must ensure that the top layer of subfloor is completely clean, flat and stable. Inspect the backerboard or vinyl tile for cracks or bumps, and repair them with either filler putty or a floor grinder. (This shouldn't be an issue if you just installed backerboard.) Clean the surface with a solvent cleaner like mineral spirits to remove surface dirt, dust, wax, grease or oil buildup as these containments will affect the way the tile adhesive bonds to the floor and to the tiles themselves.
Slippery Vinyl
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If your vinyl tile is particularly glossy or slick, the mortar for the tiles may slide too freely over the surface and not bond correctly. You can solve this problem in a number of ways. Roughen the vinyl surface with rough-grit sandpaper or a floor grinder to create a slightly textured surface to which the adhesive can bond. You can also lay skin fabric over the tile; this material creates a new surface over the vinyl for the new adhesive to bond to.
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References
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