Tiling over Vinyl applied to a Concrete Floor

By Mark J. Donovan

Question: I have an old vinyl non-cushioned floor with no asbestos. It has a slight texture and is securely stuck to the concrete slab floor. The floor appears to be smooth with no bumps etc, however there are a few holes in the vinyl. I am redoing my kitchen and am considering installing ceramic tile, porcelain tile or possibly some kind of natural stone tile directly over this vinyl floor. Is this possible and do you have any suggestions?

Answer: In general you should try to remove the old vinyl if at all possible, however I know from personal experience that this can be extremely difficult. This said, in some cases tiling over vinyl is possible.

A couple of important points: Tile is very rigid and thus will not flex without breaking. If the vinyl flooring has a great deal of resiliency/flexibility in it, the tiles could crack. Also, if the vinyl is not securely fastened to the concrete floor, then the tiles again could break or lift up.

If the existing vinyl is securely fastened to the concrete slab, and the vinyl itself has limited compressibility, then you will probably be okay to install the tiles over the vinyl. The original vinyl should be removed if either one of these conditions are not the case.

If the vinyl is a non-cushioned type and is securely fastened to the concrete slab, you can probably get away with installing the tile directly over the vinyl.

Finally, make sure you use the tile manufacturers recommended adhesive or bonding agent for vinyl surfaces.