Can I put a subfloor over old vinyl tiles?

Question

We are installing a new floor and want to put an underlayment subfloor down first. Can we put the underlayment over the old vinyl tiles or do we have to pull up the vinyl tiles prior to instlalling the underlament. The extra height the vinyl adds will be minimal.

Answer 1

Yes. That is the best thing to do. Many times old tiles come up grudgingly and piece by piece. A real thankless job indeed. Only drawback is that you may need to trim the bottoms of some door. But still that is much easier than stripping the old ones. Use as thin an underlayment as you can find. 1/4 inch luann is best bet.

Answer 2

I believe that any home improvement project is worth doing right. In this case that means that you should pull up the vinyl and start fresh. It will not be easy, but did the vinyl go down over another flooring, in the same manner that you want to do? What is the quality of the Subfloor (the real subfloor, upon which all of you weight will ride when you walk across it)? You will not know the answers to these questions unless you remove the vinyl, and it is important to find out. Do it right and in the long run it will add value to your house.

Answer 3

As long as the tiles are sturdy and level. Any bumps will create a problem. Also, I would screw the new subfloor with screws every 6-8 " apart.

Answer 4

We did our kitchen that way, and to compensate for the slight height difference between the kitchen and the adjoining rooms was to get a thick threshold to go between the two rooms. You can't tell.

Answer 5

if it was me, I'd be wondering what was under those tiles that are there, before I made them part of a support structure. If they're over concrete, I'd probably leave them.. but if they're over wood, I'd bite the bullet and peel them up

Answer 6

Yes you can and many do. Make sure your flooring is down tight