LESLIE: Austin in Hawaii needs some help with a flooring project. What can we do for you today?
AUSTIN: I am doing – I’ve got a hardwood floor in my house …
TOM: OK.
AUSTIN: … and it’s about a 10×10 room and I’m turning it into kind of like a dog room and stuff like that.
TOM: OK.
AUSTIN: And I just have a question as far as if I’m going to be running just some tile over it, what I would use and how I would prepare the hardwood floor for the tile.
TOM: (overlapping voices) So you want to tile over …?
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Are you thinking about ceramic tile?
TOM: Yeah, over a hardwood floor?
AUSTIN: Yeah, over the hardwood floor. It’s termite damaged and stuff like this, so it’s not really repairable except for like wood putty and stuff …
TOM: OK.
AUSTIN: … and I’m just kind of going to go over with it a cheaper tile just to do it and it’s not really a room that we’re going to be using other than the dogs, so …
TOM: Alright, so you absolutely don’t care about the hardwood floor anymore?
LESLIE: And never, ever want to see it ever again?
AUSTIN: Not at all.
LESLIE: (chuckling) OK.
TOM: Alright, then go ahead and glue new tile right on top of it.
AUSTIN: OK. What kind of glue would I use for that?
TOM: You can use a thinset; like a tile adhesive.
AUSTIN: OK.
TOM: Basically, clean it, obviously, so you’ll have good adhesion.
AUSTIN: OK.
TOM: But you can glue right over that and that would be a fine base and then after it dries you can grout it and you’re done.
AUSTIN: Right, then I shouldn’t have to sand the wood or anything like this.
LESLIE: No.
TOM: No, as long as it’s flat. Remember, tile doesn’t bend, so (chuckles) – especially if you use bigger tiles. You need to make sure they have good, flat, total adhesion to the surface but, as long as it’s flat, there’s really no reason to do anything to it. You can put tile over floor; you can put tile over tile. I mean the glue is going to stick.
AUSTIN: OK, great.
TOM: Alright, Austin. Sounds like the dogs are going to have a very nice room.
AUSTIN: I hope so.
TOM: Alright.
LESLIE: Well, when the dog lives in Hawaii, they get a pretty good life. (Tom chuckles)
AUSTIN: Yeah, yeah. That’s true, that’s true. (Leslie chuckles)
TOM: Austin, thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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