A few questions before tiling my kitchen floor

[sherlockholmes]

First off, this is what I'd be going over with nice new porcelain floor tiles-

Not sure what they're made of exactly, some kind of plastic, but they've been down for over twenty years with no signs of lifting or damage. Just a shame it's so damn ugly. It's flat and level, the white bits are raised maybe 1mm. Can I apply BAL tile adhesive straight over the top? Should I use a self levelling compound first/lift them? It's concrete or possibly screed underneath, something solid and cement based at all events.

Second, should I fit the new kitchen then tile, or tile and then fit the new kitchen?

Third, is laying porcelain floor tiles much different/more difficult than ceramic wall tiles? I did my bathroom walls and a shower enclosure a few years back and although it was very slow, I was entirely happy with the finish. Any reason I shouldn't try my hand at porkies on that basis?

Thanks

 

[Richard C]

Not sure what they're made of exactly, some kind of plastic, but they've been down for over twenty years with no signs of lifting or damage. Just a shame it's so damn ugly. It's flat and level, the white bits are raised maybe 1mm. Can I apply BAL tile adhesive straight over the top? Should I use a self levelling compound first/lift them? It's concrete or possibly screed underneath, something solid and cement based at all events.

There are adhesives that can (supposedly) be used over vinyl (if that’s what it is) with the correct prep but I would never risk it. An SLC could work but there is always the risk of a reaction &, personally, I would remove it; if there is bitumen based adhesive underneath, you need to remove as much of that as you can but do not use a blown lamp or any sort of solvent & additional prep will be needed.

Second, should I fit the new kitchen then tile, or tile and then fit the new kitchen?

You can do it either way but tiling after reduces the risk of clumsy fitting damage & you don’t have to fully tile under the units but make allowance for the height of the tiles & adhesive for appliances

Third, is laying porcelain floor tiles much different/more difficult than ceramic wall tiles? I did my bathroom walls and a shower enclosure a few years back and although it was very slow, I was entirely happy with the finish. Any reason I shouldn't try my hand at porkies on that basis?

There is no real difference when laying the tiles themselves but Porc is harder & can be more difficult to cut with a manual tile cutter so I would advise you should have a reasonable diamond wet cutter to avoid costly mistakes.

 

[sherlockholmes]

Thanks, useful stuff. Looks like I'll be spending an extra morning scraping the floor

 

[Richard C]

Thanks, useful stuff. Looks like I'll be spending an extra morning scraping the floor

If that's all it takes you, it'll be 1/2 day well spent.