how can I put ceramic tile on an existing linoleom floor without removing (slab on grade)?

Question

there is only one sheet of linoleom on the floor. If I can do this is there a special adhesive aside from the mortar base that I need to use?

Answer 1

floor scraper (home depot) = $40
rented heat gun (home depot) = $20
Hours of scraping vinyl off concrete = $ 0
doing the job right = priceless

do it the first time right, and you will be so much happier in the long run

Answer 2

Mortar doesn't stick to linoleum; as the tiles are loaded, the linoleum will "give", breaking the mortar loose. After a year or so, you will have a mess of tile AND linoleum to clean off the floor.

I do a lot of work on my house, and doing it right saves you time in the long run. I have scraped lots of linoleum off of floors; I got a 4' long scraper from a hardware store. It plows through the work pretty quickly. Once I had to sharpen it every half hour or so to get some brown mastic off of a concrete slab; but it still made the job easy.

Answer 3

I recommend you remove the linoleum, otherwise, the tile may start coming off in a few years. It's not that hard to remove the linoleum or vinyl - just heat and peel. This can be done with a household iron and a towel. Then use an adhesive remover and scraper to get rid of the goo on the cement surface.

Answer 4

you need to put down a tile backer board. screwing this sheet down on top of the vinyl flooring will give you the correct surface to install the tile on.

Answer 5

You MUST remove the linoleum or the project will be a disaster! I would call in a professional to do this job, as it is tougher than you imagine.

Answer 6

You should apply cementous backerboard directly over the lineoleum, secure with screws, and affix ceramic to backerboard.