LESLIE: Next up, we have Chris from Ohio who’s looking to tile the kitchen.
Chris, where are you putting this tile?
CHRIS: It’s on the kitchen floor.
LESLIE: On the floor. Have you already picked a tile?
CHRIS: Not yet. My wife is still looking at (inaudible). But we were wondering – my father-in-law said something about putting down like a – I think it’s like 1/4-inch plywood on the floor right over the current tile so we won’t have to worry about pulling it up.
TOM: Over the ceramic tile?
CHRIS: No. We’re just looking for like – looking at a floor of a cheaper, vinyl tile.
TOM: But right now, Chris, do you have – what kind of tile do you have in the kitchen?
CHRIS: It’s the vinyl …
TOM: Alright. So your question is should you put an underlayment on top of the vinyl to start clean with the next layer?
CHRIS: Yeah.
TOM: Well, I think it’s possible, Leslie, but he could face a risk with too thick of a floor.
LESLIE: Yeah, it depends on what’s happening with your appliances right now and what’s happening with your cabinets. Because if you put down even like just a 1/4-inch luan and then your vinyl tile, you’re already taking away a 1/2-inch. So you’ve got to assess the situation as to how will it affect your appliances, how will it affect your cabinets on the bottom. If you’re going to put some sort of baseboard or something underneath there, is that going to even fit. So you need to look at those situations.
And I think you’re smart to think about putting a subfloor because if you’re doing a vinyl tile over that, you may have some sort of problem where your adhesive interacts with what’s previously there and that could cause a major headache in the long run. So make sure you have enough clearance to allow for that extra subfloor.
CHRIS: Oh, OK. Because this is my very first actual home improvement project I’ve ever done and this is the first house I’ve ever bought. And the stuff that’s on there now, it’s already starting to come up anyway.
TOM: Well, we feel very honored that you’re going to call us for advice on your very first home improvement project, Chris. Good luck with that and please do call us if you’ve got any questions along the way. 1-888-666-3974.
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