Tiling on vinyl and grouting upto base units

[Mrthra26]

Hi there,

I am about to tile a kitchen floor with 10cm slate tiles. The units have recently been fitted.

Couple of questions.

1. The floor has vinyl (marley) tiles stuck down onto concrete. I have tried using a heat gun and a hammer & tough scraper but with no joy. They chip (as expected) and are hardly coming away. If a scarify them and use a flexible grout and maybe apply pva to the surface would that work ok?

2. Secondly do you grout along the sides of the recesses for the washing machine, d/washer/ fridge bearing in mind there are no kicker boards there? If the wood contracts at all will that not crack the grout? I suppose using a flexible adhesive & grout should sort that?

Many thanks in advance for your help!

 

[gcol]

Hi there,

I am about to tile a kitchen floor with 10cm slate tiles. The units have recently been fitted.

Couple of questions.

1. The floor has vinyl (marley) tiles stuck down onto concrete. I have tried using a heat gun and a hammer & tough scraper but with no joy. They chip (as expected) and are hardly coming away. If a scarify them and use a flexible grout and maybe apply pva to the surface would that work ok?

No need to key them. Just make sure they're clean and free from grease. Flexible grout is unnecessary too, just ensure that it's powdered adhesive and is suitable for porcelain tiles - that'll mean it's designed for surfaces with low porosity like your vinyl tiles.

2. Secondly do you grout along the sides of the recesses for the washing machine, d/washer/ fridge bearing in mind there are no kicker boards there? If the wood contracts at all will that not crack the grout? I suppose using a flexible adhesive & grout should sort that?

If I'm reading you correctly, no you don't need to do this. If there's a gap that you would like to fill to stop fluff from accumulating, then you'd be better using a thin bead of clear silicone.

 

[Mrthra26]

Hi there,

I am about to tile a kitchen floor with 10cm slate tiles. The units have recently been fitted.

Couple of questions.

1. The floor has vinyl (marley) tiles stuck down onto concrete. I have tried using a heat gun and a hammer & tough scraper but with no joy. They chip (as expected) and are hardly coming away. If a scarify them and use a flexible grout and maybe apply pva to the surface would that work ok? .

No need to key them. Just make sure they're clean and free from grease. Flexible grout is unnecessary too, just ensure that it's powdered adhesive and is suitable for porcelain tiles - that'll mean it's designed for surfaces with low porosity like your vinyl tiles

2. Secondly do you grout along the sides of the recesses for the washing machine, d/washer/ fridge bearing in mind there are no kicker boards there? If the wood contracts at all will that not crack the grout? I suppose using a flexible adhesive & grout should sort that?

If I'm reading you correctly, no you don't need to do this. If there's a gap that you would like to fill to stop fluff from accumulating, then you'd be better using a thin bead of clear silicone.

1. I have used powdered ARTEX and its superb but it’s the hassle of mixing it up I suppose! Although I am using SLATE tiles I should look for an adhesive/grout suitable for PORCELAIN tiles?? Homebase make the ready mix – would that not be sutiable?

2. I was thinking that where there is a gap between a base unit and tile you would generally fill it with grout. My worry was that if the unit flexes or contracts the grout would crack. I have realised that this is not a problem and there is minimal movement from kitchen units once installed.