Flooring ideas for covering cracked bathroom tile archived

we used laminate tiles (from Lowes) that had a "slate" look to them. Did the whole bathroom for $20, a utility knife and a few hours of time.

A rug?

We’re having the offending tiles pulled up, plus a few more and laying some type of design tiles down. But the tile guy says it will only last about 2 years because the subfloor needs to be repaired. Hopefully we can afford a new bathroom by then.

jb: eeewwwwww

AES - Did you put the laminate tiles right over the old tiles? How long ago did you do it, and how's it holding up?

If the floor is really uneven, bathroom carpeting is the only thing to use. Even vinyl flooring will show the cracks and heaves after a while. Laminate products, planks or tiles, need a pretty smooth service.

Look into synthetic sisal carpets. They come in many colors and weaves. We have one in the kitchen and have been pretty happy with it.

http://www.sisalcarpet.com/weavesynthetic.php

Along the same lines you could look at Chilewich shag vinyl mats which come in several sizes and brighter mod colors.

You can tile right over existing tile. I did that 20+ years ago, it's held up perfectly. I leveled out uneven areas with thinset, so the new floor is very even. This raises the floor 3/8 of an inch or so, might impact tubs, but they make thicker wax seals for toilets just for that situation.

Strategically placed bathmats. Keeps the tootsies warmer in winter too.
(and can be washed/discarded as needed)

movingsoon-

we used the peel and stick laminate tiles right over the old tile. We didn't have much damage to the old tiles, except around the edges of the room, so we didn't use thinset like baileymac described. It's been about 15 months and still looks good.

My father in law suggested carpeting the bathroom with a remnant until we were ready to do the bathroom over. I just couln't not accept carpet in the bathroom!

We used the same peel and stick tiles mentioned above. We got them from lowes. We bought the larger squares to cover the floor faster. Since we have (porcelin) tile on the floor, the tiles did not stick very well and as soon as water hit it, they started sliding. We bought an inexpesive bucket of adhesive, spread on half of the floor and waited the recommended time until it was "tacky" then we laid the tile (with the already unpeeled backs). Once we finished one side we did the same on the other. Believe me it sounds more complicated than it was. The floor is positively beautiful and there isn't a hint of any tiles coming up. It definitely requires manual labor, but absolutely doable. At the end, I noticed some adhesive had squeezed through some of the tiles and turned black and dirty. All I needed to do was use a cloth and some rubbin alcohol and we were all set! I've used those tiles in my basement too and since the floor is rough I didn't need adhesive...and the floors are very uneven...I just made sure i swept and vaccuumed very well first.

YOU CAN DO IT!

But, can moisture get under that kind of tile situation?

I used peel & stick tiles a few years ago to cover a yucky bathroom floor. Taking them up was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I used a blowdryer to soften the adhesive and then a knife to reach in and scrape the tiles loose. Then, there were random patches of left over adhesive to remove. Awful -I'll never use those tiles again. If you can't replace the floor, it would be better just to float a piece of vinyl or linoleum over what's there.

The tiles are in such bad shape, I can't imagine I would take up the peel and stick, unless I was doing a complete gut. And since someone posted an general estimate of 15-20K for a typical bathroom gut, I'm hoping that won't be for a long, long time.

And while it sounds like a reasonable DIY job, I'm thinking I'll hire someone, so at least I can get angry at someone other than myself if the installation goes badly!

movingsoon,

put tile over tile. there are ways for this to be accomplished i've done it myself in my own abode and have not had a problem for three years. btw, not all bathrooms have to price out at 15-20 g. for the most part, high cost is due to "budget creep." there have been studies done on this though i can not site them here and now.

basically, the homeowner, having jumped into the deep end of renovation, decides to upgrade. instead of the two-hundred dollar pedestal sink, they buy a "Memoirs" at twice the cost. Grohe fixtures are great, but the finish items are five times the expense of the rough-in. deep bathtubs that can drown a cow are wonderful, but... and so it goes.

Keep the plumbing the same and the electric ( if possible - may need a dedicated 20 a. GFI circuit which can be pulled off another bathroom unless code has changed). Buy basic equipment, keep an eye out for tile sales, and be diligent about your budget.

but then again, if you are moving soon, you could just put down vinyl over tile.

We put a large piece of linoleum..(sp) over the cracked tiles. It made it look 100% better.

Water does not get under it...the additional adhesive in particular causes it to become sealed I think. As for the mess of taking it up off the floor...I thought about that at first and then said, "the only time these tiles are ever coming up is when I redo my entire bathroom" so who cares? Use linoleum if you want, but for me, a woman who is NOT a professional contractor, I found the tiles a lot easier than the prospect of dealing with a gigantic curly roll of linoleaum. In fact, here's a photo I can't believe I have handy...