Do any of you know if I can apply those thin squares of adhesive backed vinyl squares over small, irregular sized tile and grout from the 1960s?? Perhaps even regular vinyl could go over it? But then I'd need an installer...I'm trying to do it the inexpensive way. Must anything be done to the original floor first, in preparation for the adhesive backed vinyl squares? Do you know what I'm talking about?? They are squares of vinyl with peel off backing and you just stick them on...I think anyway!! We have one leftover peel off adhesive square in the basement left from the previous owners who used it in the powder room, but I don't know what the original floor in there was like or if they coated the floor with anything first.

Any experience would be appreciated! Thanks!

By Crystal915 on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 11:55 pm:

I don't have any real experience here, but I would be REALLY hesitant to put those vinyl squares in a bathroom, especially over a less than perfect base. I'd be worried the moisture would cause them to lift. Anyway, you might just want to chip out the old tiles, and lay down the new vinyl. Are you or DH handy?? It might be something you can do with a little guidance from Home Depot, or some how-to books!

By Bea on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 12:33 am:

The imperfect base will show through very quickly. We put them over top of old linoleum that had cracked and peeled. The old floor shows through now.

By Feona on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 07:02 am:

I know someone who did it. But I forget what the base was.... It was easy and cheap. So cheap you can try it. What is going to cost you $25 dollars to try it? Ask at home depot though.

By Feona on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 07:04 am:

You can put a 1/8 inch or 1/4 plywood down first if the floor isn't smooth. Then peel and stick tiles.

By My2girlygirls on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 07:21 am:

There is also a floor leveler that you can use. It pours over the entire floor and it will self level over all of the imperfections. It is not an easy job though. I would hire someone. We also had our floor installer put a patch compound over the low spots in the floor before applying a new sheet of vinyl, however I don't know exactly what it was. Sorry. He just spread it on the floor with a trowel, let it dry and the floor was level and he put the sheet vinyl right over it.

By Yjja123 on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 04:08 pm:

If it is an uneven surface it will cause the vinyl to crack. You have a few options if you really want to use vinyl...
Put a thin wood floor over it
Pull up the old tile--sometimes not as difficult as you think
There are a few products that you can use to even the floor....a self leveler that is like a liquid you dump that goes in all the cracks & crevices & a filler you smear into all the cracks.
You could use a marine paint and simply paint the floor a new color.
The big question is what shape the floor is in? Is there a lot of damage?

By Kate on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 04:12 pm:

Marine paint? What is that? Yes, it's in good shape and seems perfectly level to me....

By Yjja123 on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 04:32 pm:

OK-- marine paint is paint for boats. It paints vinyl great and is very durable.
If your floor is level you CAN put the vinyl tiles right over the old tile. Just make sure none of the old flooring is loose.

By Kate on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 04:37 pm:

Do I need to prep the tile first? Or just peel and stick??

By Yjja123 on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 05:19 pm:

Clean it really well. There is a cleaner called TSP that is great at deep cleaning and provides a grit for the vinyl to stick to.

By Vicki on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 05:52 pm:

Isn't the grout a little lower than the tile?? You need to make sure the surface is level. The floor itself isn't what you need to be concerned with.

By Kate on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 06:30 pm:

I need to worry about the tiny lines of grout?? This is itty bitty tile....old fashioned stuff. There are three different sizes of tile on the floor, one being one inch square, one being two inches square, and one being one inch by two inches. I didn't think I had to worry about lower grout...

By Yjja123 on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 06:41 pm:

IF the floor is flush you will be OK. The concern is if there are big gaps. Gaps can cause the vinyl you put over it to be stressed and crack. If you have tile that is grouted well--meaning there isn't a big indentation in the lines--you will not need to worry about it.

By Cocoabutter on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 06:49 pm:

In any other room than a bathroom, I don't think it would be a big deal. But when you consider the moisture and water that are likely to affect the floor covering in a bathroom, you are better off going the safest route.

When we moved into our house, the bathroom had those sticky squares over the top of older (MUCH older) sticky tile squares, and BOTH layers of tile peeled up off the floor within a couple of years after we had moved in.

I would recommend taking the original tile off the floor and starting with a flat even surface. Even if you have to replace the floorboards.

By Vicki on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 07:32 pm:

I would not put them over a area that is not perfectly flat. Yes, I do think that in time, the new vinyl will go down into to groves of the grout lines and you will see them like in the photo that Bea posted. I would take up the tile or put a thin sub floor material over them. I think it would be worth the extra effort.

By Pamt on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 09:28 pm:

I would also think that the bathroom would NOT be the place to do that because of moisture getting into the seams and causing big problems regardless of the flat surface issue. I would just paint or re-tile myself.

By Kate on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 10:14 pm:

Sigh....this floor is PINK!!! I want it GONE!! I've lived with it for 12 years!! I also have a dreadful blue and gray one in the master!! When we gutted our kitchen 12 years ago we did have the kitchen and bath guy look at the bathrooms and he said it would take a ton of work to get the tile up and it would be very expensive.

By Pamt on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 10:29 pm:

Do a retro pink and black bathroom and MAKE it work. You have 2 girls and it could be really cute.

By Feona on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 07:39 am:

I have seen people paint over their horrible cracking tiles with marine paint white. I thought it was enamel paint but I guess it was marine paint. Looked fine for what it was.


I think if the tiles you have are not damaged or cracked you would decrease the value of the bathroom in resale by putting in peel and stick tiles. Unless you can peel the peel and stick tiles up when you want to sell. I think they are hard to pull up though. But you should be happy walking into you bathroom too. So I don't know what to tell you. New bathroom rugs? New shower curtains? New curtains? New towels... no idea....

The people I know who did the peel and stick tiles in the bathroom didn't own the house. Marine paint the same....


I can certainly understand not wanting to spend $10,000 for a new bathroom...