Kitchen floor remodel

[nochins]

I am DIY and view your forum many times. , but this is my first posting. I have a 15-year old sheet vinyl floor,(non-abestos), glued on top of 1/2" or 5/16" particle floor with a plywood sub-floor, 3/4"(I think),that I plan to replace. After reading some of the postings, I plan to remove the vinyl foor and particle floor all together with a circular saw and use a toe-kick saw near the walls and base cabinets.

My questions are related to the floor options I am considering. Ceramic tile, wood laminate, or the Home Expo Amtico vinyl tile.
1.If I replace with ceramic tile, Can I use 1/4" cement board on top of the 3/4" plywood sub-floor and then install ceramic tile because I am concerned with the dishwasher fitting under the counter with the new ceramic floor?

2. If I install wood laminate,(fake wood), Is 1/4" plywood sufficient over the existing 3/4" plywood sub-floor? Once again, the dishwasher clearance issue.

3. Amtico vinyl, I was impressed with this product at Home Expo. How do you rate this product? Can a DIY install this, these are basically commercial vinyl tiles? Do I install 1/2" plywood as the underlayment. Sorry for this long post.
Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions. Great forum.

[bbcamp]

Check your dishwasher, you may find leveling feet/wheels that allow you to acommodate a small change in floor elevation (remove the kick board on the dishwasher). You can also look at the top of the dishwasher to see if there is room for movement. You may have more options than you thought.


As far as the floor for tile, you need 1-1/8" under the tile. If the subfloor plywood is 3/4", then you need 5/8" backer board (although there is some discussion going on on this very issue). The tile pros will be along to answer your questions.


The fake (Pergo?) floor folks will give their underlayment recommendations, although I think that your floor, minus the particle board, should be OK. Check with the manufacturer.

Don't know squat about the vinyl floor tiles, but should be close to the Pergo in requirements.


Stick around, the tile guys will be checking in after work this afternoon.

[Bud Cline]

The particle board is/was more than likely an element of the vinyl flooring when originally installed and you are correct, they both have to go.

The next thing is to determine if you have enough room to install ceramic as far as your DW clearence is concerned. So as bb has said check to see what position your adjusting feet are in and check to see if there is any space between the top of your machine and the bottom of your countertop.

There will be one or two metal tabs under the countertop (attached to the DW) that should be screwed to the underside of the countertop. Take a close look here so as not to be tricked by the appearence of these metal tabs.

The adjustable feet can be accessed by removing two screws (usually) in the face of the kickplate under the front of the dishwasher.

[SC Tileguy]

1. You could use Ditra on the plywood to help with the DW clearance. It and the tile should add about 5/8"-3/4" depending on your tile thickness.

2. The 1/4" under the Pergo in the kitchen should work. You will need to decide which Pergo underlayment you will use (the foam or the Whisper walk) and deal with the DW clearance accordingly. Make sure you caulk around the edges of the Pergo under the DW to keep any leaks from migrating under the laminate. You may want to look into a waterproof laminate such as Venta Clip. I have installed Wilsonart and Armstrong in a few kitchens that are holding up well. Check with the manfacturer to make sure your warranty will be valid if you install it. I think Pergo requires a certified installer.

3. The vinyl will require an underlayment and some adhesive. A good DIY'selfer shouldn't have any trouble.

[John Bridge]

Welcome, Nochins. Please give us a better name to call you by.

You are in good hands.