From commercial vinyl flooring to floor tiles

[mr_vampy]

Hi,

I'm about to help a friend lay some floor tiles, nearly 70 square metres. It currently has the commercial vinyl flooring down. I was wondering once the old vinyl flooring has been lifted from the concrete and all adhesive has been scraped off, do I need to apply anything to the floor before tiling, like a primer, or can I tile directly onto the concrete?

Also I have seen different size tile trowels, such as 6mm and 10mm square notched etc. Is there a recommended notch size for 330mm x330mm square tiles?

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

 

[ree]

Depending on exactly what kind of vinyl (vinyl sheet or cushioned sheet vinyl) is down and how its fixed its possible to lay over the vinyl.
Vinyl tiles must be lifted.

Use "thinset" cementitious powdered adhesive.

I would use a 6mm square notch trowel for 330mm tile - others prefer to use a 10mm rounded notch on floorwork.

If you lift vinyl to expose a concrete floor then scrape and vacuum and start ... no other surface prepping needed.

 

[OwainDIYer]

I was wondering once the old vinyl flooring has been lifted from the concrete and all adhesive has been scraped off, do I need to apply anything to the floor before tiling, like a primer, or can I tile directly onto the concrete?

Also I have seen different size tile trowels, such as 6mm and 10mm square notched etc.

Both depend on the adhesive and the flooring type.

"Adhesive manufacturers spend a great deal of time developing adhesives for installing specific floor coverings. It is essential that the correct amount of adhesive is applied and the method of application is normally the V notched trowel. If the notches are worn, the amount of adhesive applied is reduced and the open time of the adhesive is also reduced. The combination of these two factors makes it more likely to have a flooring failure, and the financial consequences can be horrendous."
http://www.f-ball.co.uk/technical_faqs.asp

 

[ree]

OwainDIYer, yeah thats right a 6mm notch for a ceramic 330mm tile. Whats your problem? Why are you referring a DIY'er, like yourself, to f-ball's sheet vinyl instructions? You only ever use a V-notch with soft, typically sheet vinyl materials. The consequencies can indeed be wicked if a say 3mm notch was used on ceramic tile.