How to Install Vinyl Tiles Over Ceramic Tiles in the Bathroom

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Things You'll Need

  • Vinyl tile

  • Sticky tile

  • Underlayment

  • Grout

  • Grout trowel

  • Power drill

  • Utility knife

  • Tape measure

Many homes have ceramic flooring in rooms such as the kitchen or bathroom. This type of tile can be hard to clean and even harder to remove when you want to put in a new floor. One option for installing a a new floor is to lay vinyl tile flooring over the existing ceramic floor. To do this, you must first make sure that the floor is level.

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Level the Floor

Step 1

Regrout the tile joints to make them level or flush with the existing tile. This will prevent the ceramic tile from showing through the vinyl floor. Use a grout trowel to fill in all of the grout lines to make them level with the tile.

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Step 2

Put down an underlayment, such as quarter-inch plywood, on the ceramic floor.

Step 3

Pre-drill holes through the plywood and ceramic tiles into the floor joists using a power drill.

Step 4

Place screws into the pre-drilled holes and secure them with the power drill.

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Installing Sticky Tile

Step 1

Place individual sticky tiles onto the existing ceramic floor. Sticky tiles do not require any glue because the adhesive is on the tile.

Step 2

Remove the wax paper backing and place the tile on the floor.

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Step 3

Cut individual tiles with a utility knife to make them fit, if needed.

Installing Vinyl Tile

Step 1

Spread adhesive on the underlayment using a trowel. Make sure the adhesive is a consistent thickness as it is being spread on the floor.

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Step 2

Place the vinyl tile on the adhesive and press down hard so that it will adhere firmly.

Step 3

Cut individual pieces of vinyl tile with a utility knife, if needed, to make them fit.

Tip

Remove the toilet so that the vinyl tile can be laid underneath.

Use a tape measure to find out the dimensions of the bathroom to determine how many tiles will be needed.

Warning

Pre-drilled holes are required so that the ceramic doesn't crack when you try to force a screw into the tile.

Grout lines that are not level with the ceramic tile joints will leave gaps in the ceramic tile that show through the vinyl floor.

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