Do I have to remove the vinyl tiles before tiling a floor?

[dizzy]

Sorry if this has been asked before but we are being told different ways to do this.
We are having a new kitchen and the floor is vinyl tiles over ceramic tiles (all very sound). Can I tile over the top of this as its proving a nightmare to remove. Ive been told to tile on top, remove the vinyl and remove the lot by different trades men.
Also would you tile the floor before the kitchen is put in. We are having a built under cooker and integrated appliances and havent thought about differing heights. I was going to tile afterwards just under the plinth but Im not sure if this is a good idea now.
Thanks for any replies.

 

[Softus]

It depends on your interpretation of the word "difficult", but if any flooring is flat, firm and difficult to lift then by definition it's a good substrate on which to tile.

The only other question would be whether it offers a sufficient key for the adhesive. If the tiles are non-porous then scratch them up good and proper and coat with a primer made for a non-porous surface.

Regarding tiling under the units, there's really no point. However, I recommend that you tile under the appliances and also make sure that the worktop is high enough to accommodate both the tiled floor and the appliance height. The alternative is that you watch a tradesman sweat and curse when he has to try and get an appliance out over the edge of the tiles - do stand out of punching distance though.

 

[dizzy]

Thanks for replying, you made my day! Was dreading someone saying 'all the tiles have to come up before you re tile'. The tiles that are down are very sound so we will tile over them.

 

[Softus]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but there is another consideration.

I'm not sure whether or not you lifted some tiles and not others.

If so, and the surface isn't uniformly flat, I strongly recommend using a self-levelling latex-based screed first. However, this adds height, so you'd need to be able to accommodate the extra in whatever room this is going to be afterwards, and at the point where that room meets another one.

 

[gcol]

If you're having a new kitchen fitted, I'd recommend tiling the whole floor rather than just under the kickboards. That way, if you need to change something in the kitchen, or indeed if you come to put yet another kitchen in at a later date you won't have to worry about whether the new one will cover the untiled portion of the floor. The tiles will by far outlast the kitchen.