Ceramic tile in basement---?removing old tile.

[Dave B]

I have a small area (8 x 12) in my basement I want to put ceramic or porcelain tile on.

Right now there seems to be a layer of thin,hard rubber or vinyl tile cemented directly to the underlying concrete.

I know the right way to do this is to remove the old tile.

My question is can I get away with not removing the old stuff which I know will be a royal PITA.

The area involved gets very light traffic--it's also dimly lit----If I get a few small cracks or blemishes--I doubt if it will even be noticable

The basement is bone dry---and the existing tile seems solid--no signs of looseness or peeling off.

Is it worth taking a chance or is this a guaranteed disaster?


(I did my first tile floor in my life last year. I followed the advice of this board and it came out looking great and 8 months later----no problems have appeared. Since I trust the advice of this forum so much----please tell me what I want to hear...."nah--you don't need to remove the old tile".....

Thanks--Dave B

[sandbagger]

Originally Posted by Dave B

----please tell me what I want to hear...."nah--you don't need to remove the old tile".....

me thinks you have this forum confused with something/someone else.

The guys and gals here will give you what they know works based on lots of real-world experience. Personally, that's the only thing I want to hear.

that said, sounds like you already have a good handle on the consequences of going over the old tile. You have to assume most of those things will happen, and if they don't it's a bonus. If you're OK with that, then start tilin'.

Personally, 8x12 is small enough that I'd scrape off the old tile and prep the floor. Then you can put some new lights in the room to show it off!!

[floorman67]

well stated sandbagger.

if you tile over it, plan on it failing.

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by floorman67

well stated sandbagger.

if you tile over it, plan on it failing.

How would you define "failing"?

I can live with a few cracks down the road.

As I mentioned--this isn't a "showpiece" area.

The main reason I want masonry here is it's in front of a fireplace and although the basements quite dry---if I do get a plumbing leak from the heating system--it'll wind up here.

I could live with the existing tile if it wasn't the ugliest looking crap in the world.

[floorman67]

Originally Posted by Dave B

How would you define "failing"?

failure, fail, failing ...
1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end(s).
2. omission of occurrence or performance.
3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short.
4. cessation of proper functioning or performance.

Originally Posted by Dave B

I can live with a few cracks down the road.
As I mentioned--this isn't a "showpiece" area.

The main reason I want masonry here is it's in front of a fireplace and although the basements quite dry---if I do get a plumbing leak from the heating system--it'll wind up here.

I could live with the existing tile if it wasn't the ugliest looking crap in the world.

Yes, you stated a few times now how your wants and desires are dictating your justification of wanting or needing to improperly install it.

Fact is, no one will be able to tell you exactly what your floor will do. We havent seen it. All we have to go by is what you are telling us, which quite frankly, isnt alot to go on, except for the very fact that you want to install it on a surface that isnt an approved surface. A surface, mind you, whos condition is unknown to us, whos condition and adhesion, or a lack thereof, could exponentially increase any negative effects possible from improper installation over it.

The flooring trade is full of people who refuse to install properly, and truth be told, we dont think very highly of them becasue they give us a bad name.

I dont know what else to tell you. So very many negative things COULD happen and quite possibly some that no one will be able to think of.

If you are looking to get flooring professionals to help ease your mind and help you justify improperly cutting corners to save time and money, i dont think that is going to happen on this board .. at least not from me.

Good luck with your project.