Tiling questions

[bigealta]

Rip out the linoleum. Assuming it is a sheet not square tiles. If square tiles, make sure they are not asbestos containing squares. If they are leave them in place.
If no asbestos, Then check the subfloor. It may also need to be replaced.
Now you can start fresh with whatever flooring you want.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Don’t forget about the tile adhesive. They had asbestos too.

Asbestos Adhesives: Black Mastic, Sealants, Bondings | Health Risks

Companies that manufactured asbestos adhesives, such as black mastic asbestos, paid millions in damages to plaintiffs diagnosed with asbestos illnesses.

www.asbestos.com

 

[NHWS]

Vinyl planks or tiles may claim to be waterproof, but what the manufacturers mean by that is that the material itself will not be harmed by water during the warranty period. Water splashing onto the floor can still get around the edges. If you decide to use vinyl planks or tiles, put a waterproof membrane below them. It's possible to get mold growth between the membrane and the bottom of the vinyl.

Sheet vinyl is waterproof unless there are seams. If it is skillfully installed then the seams should also be waterproof, but many installers are not that skillful. Consumer grade sheet vinyl can be abraded or gouged. Generally good looking, much tougher commercial sheet vinyl is available.

No grout sealant will last more than a few years at best. Waterproof grout is available, but it also needs to be very carefully installed to avoid pinholes. A waterproof membrane is also a good idea behind tile. Some of the paint-on crack isolation membranes are also waterproof.

A more complete but more complex approach is to build the bathroom floor much like a shower floor, including a slight slant to move water towards a discrete floor drain. There are some plumbing-specific forms of sheet vinyl that are designed for use as part of a shower floor.

 

[begreen]

I’m curious about the linoleum in your first-floor bath that you mentioned. Is it actual real linoleum made out of linseed oil, or is it a vinyl product that’s just called linoleum? I’m afraid that I don’t know the answer to the question about tiling over either, but I’m always curious when someone mentions having a linoleum floor.

I don't know, it's from the mid-1980s. Mostly she has been leaning toward tile because of the color and design control. I am still hoping marmoleum tiles win out. I also mentioned cork, but she doesn't want a dark flooring there.

 

[begreen]

Don’t forget about the tile adhesive. They had asbestos too.

Asbestos Adhesives: Black Mastic, Sealants, Bondings | Health Risks

Companies that manufactured asbestos adhesives, such as black mastic asbestos, paid millions in damages to plaintiffs diagnosed with asbestos illnesses.

www.asbestos.com

Interesting point and a potential reason for tiling or marmoleum over the current floor.

Can You Tile Over Linoleum Flooring?

Learn about Tiling over Linoleum Flooring, with tips. With 6,500+ Customer Ratings, Guaranteed Quality Flooring found here. 24/7 chat support. Shop now!

www.floorcity.com

 

[begreen]

I reccomend regrout by mapei

KERACOLOR U UNSANDED GROUT​

mixed with

UltraCare Grout Maximizer​

if the grouts are very thin as I imagine. Dig them out as much as possible before regrout.

Thanks for the tip. I am on their website checking them out. Are these products sold in the US? Looks like Lowes might carry them.

What is the difference between "cementious" grouts and "unsanded" grouts? According to their website, Keracolor is not recommended for wet areas. The chart lists Ultracolor Plus for this application. Is that unsanded?

The grout seams are 1/8" I think,

 

[stovexxx]

Thanks for the tip. I am on their website checking them out. Are these products sold in the US?

What is the difference between "cementious" grouts and "unsanded" grouts? According to their website, Keracolor is not recommended for wet areas. The chart lists Ultracolor Plus for this application. Is that unsanded?

The grout seams are 1/8" I think,

They are products available in the U.S. in Italy they have slightly different names, I specifically did research in the U.S. mapei. Keracolor as you noticed, there is "sanded" and "unsanded" I recommend "unsanded" because your grouts are already present, you won't be able to expel them completely. "unsanded" is thinner, without sand, and it will be able to become hard and stick even if you apply little depth. "sanded" would like a greater thickness so as not to crumble. Ultracolor is an excellent product, better than keracolor, if the grouts needed to be completely filled, but you have too little depth in my opinion, Ultracolor is with sand, essentially, not good in my opinion in this case. So how to make Keracolor "unsanded" as good as ultracolor? Mixing it with the second product instead of water. It is a latex that makes the product water-repellent and very resistant. I did this reconstruction at my in-laws' shower, blocking infiltrations completely, and the grouts are still as white as they were 7-8 years ago when I made them. However, on this page you can find information and advice from them directly (for free)

Contact Us

Find out how to get in contact with Mapei for technical and sales assistance, for information about solutions and products, or to request our price list.

www.mapei.com

If you proceed with that solution I will be able to give further advice on how to proceed.

 

[stoveliker]

European terminology is different.

Unsanded is a much tighter product, much finer (before mixing with water).

It is the same (type of) difference between cement and mortar (= cement plus sand (plus lime)).

For water exposed material (like shower grout), if you can work with small volume (thickness) unsanded is better. Doing that too thick it'll crack.

 

[begreen]

Good to know, thanks for the great information. I will be calling in some tiling folks for consultation soon to come up with a remediation plan.

 

[begreen]

I need to close this thread, but I should let all know how it concluded.

We ended up going with Marmoleum in the bath and kitchen. It's a natural product that should outlast us. The upstairs bath remedy was more complex. Every tile person wanted to tear out everthing and then rebuild to the tune of $10-$15k. Most quoted with using the European products. Considering this, we were hestiant to go with tile again due to the concern over the grout molding so we got a quote for Kohler's panel refit over the tiles that was even worse at $17k because they want to redo everything including replacing the good shower door with Kohler products. That was not going to happen.

With more investigation and contacting others that had similar remediation, I found a company with local reps that bonded an acrylic epoxy over the tiles to seal them in. This is a multi-day process that involves cleaning, sealing, etching, and then application. The results looked good, but we had issues with the floor showing some delamination. The guy came back, but he made it worse. After complaining to the head office, they sent out their best man and he was a champ. He removed all product from the floor, prepped and then laid down a bed of special order epoxy to seal the base. After that set up, he came back and applied 2 coats of the white acrylic epoxy. There was no charge for the repair. Total cost was $3.5k. It's now about 1.5 yrs later and the shower still looks great. It's easy to clean and we wipe it down after each shower to keep it looking good. There have been no other issues and no sign of mold developing.