I'm looking to replace my kitchen countertops. After receiving quotes for laminate, I'm leaning towards granite. Currently we have vinyl flooring. Was looking to do laminate flooring but possibly doing ceramic flooring. Would you do ceramic flooring for granite countertops? How common is using larger tiles be? Also do you have to remove all the lower kitchen cabinets to do the floor?
House flooring recommendations/advice
- Thread starter ILOVETHIS
- Start date
A friend recently did his counter tops and kitchen floor. He used quartz on the counter top since it's apparently less maintenance than granite. I believe quartz is less porous (so it is less prone to staining) and does not require to be sealed or re-sealed like granite does. I am not sure about the cost difference between the too. He used porcelain on the floor because it's supposed to be more durable than ceramic. He bought the floor tiles at a place called Olympia Tile www.olympiatile.com. Not sure where he sourced the counter top material from, but Olympia probably does those too.
He did not have to remove the kitchen cabinets because they "float" on metal legs. So they were able to install the tiles underneath the counters without moving them. Your counters probably have a removable base board where you can see inside. If your counters are one piece i.e. no metal legs, then you'll likely have to remove them, which is a major renovation job.
He did not have to remove the kitchen cabinets because they "float" on metal legs. So they were able to install the tiles underneath the counters without moving them. Your counters probably have a removable base board where you can see inside. If your counters are one piece i.e. no metal legs, then you'll likely have to remove them, which is a major renovation job.
Ceramic tiles for the kitchen are the best in my opinion because they do not mind moisture (like hardwood does).
Olympia is the place to go for tiles, but they are also very expensive. Another place with a reasonable selection at better prices is New Canadians Lumber. Also, "Tile and Stone" is much less expensive, but the place is fucking chaos and completely disorganized. Drives me crazy to go there.
As far as your floor goes.
1. You need to remove the old vinyl flooring
2. Tiles need to be founded on a very solid subfloor. Experience has taught me that ONLY 3/4" tongue and groove plywood is acceptable for that. So if you have weak subfloor, then you need to glue and screw 3/4" TnG plywood down. (Better yet, rip out your old subfloor since adding 3/4" to your existing floor will raise the finished floor elevation by 3/4" plus the thickness of the tile and thinset.
3. Once you put down a proper subfloor, you need to use either mesh with mortar, or better yet, Schluter decoupling membrane.
4. Always use spacers when laying tile, or better yet, these.
5. You need to rent a water saw from Home Depot to make your cuts.
If you want to do a proper job, you need to rip out the entire existing floor (unless it's already 3/4" tongue and grove plywood, which I severely doubt.) That means out come the cabinets.
It's a big job, but with a little get up and go, you can do it.
Lastly, the natural stones such as limestone and marble look sexy as hell, but they require a very very solid floor since they are very soft and weak stones. They are doing some great things with porcelain these days and Olympia has a great porcelain selection. Porcelain does not absorb moisture (like natural stones do) and it's cheaper.
Olympia is the place to go for tiles, but they are also very expensive. Another place with a reasonable selection at better prices is New Canadians Lumber. Also, "Tile and Stone" is much less expensive, but the place is fucking chaos and completely disorganized. Drives me crazy to go there.
As far as your floor goes.
1. You need to remove the old vinyl flooring
2. Tiles need to be founded on a very solid subfloor. Experience has taught me that ONLY 3/4" tongue and groove plywood is acceptable for that. So if you have weak subfloor, then you need to glue and screw 3/4" TnG plywood down. (Better yet, rip out your old subfloor since adding 3/4" to your existing floor will raise the finished floor elevation by 3/4" plus the thickness of the tile and thinset.
3. Once you put down a proper subfloor, you need to use either mesh with mortar, or better yet, Schluter decoupling membrane.
4. Always use spacers when laying tile, or better yet, these.
5. You need to rent a water saw from Home Depot to make your cuts.
If you want to do a proper job, you need to rip out the entire existing floor (unless it's already 3/4" tongue and grove plywood, which I severely doubt.) That means out come the cabinets.
It's a big job, but with a little get up and go, you can do it.
Lastly, the natural stones such as limestone and marble look sexy as hell, but they require a very very solid floor since they are very soft and weak stones. They are doing some great things with porcelain these days and Olympia has a great porcelain selection. Porcelain does not absorb moisture (like natural stones do) and it's cheaper.
Olympia is NOT expensive IF you know how to get your tiles.
First go to Olympia and write down the tile model identification letter or just take a picture of the tile+info tag. Second, go to a retailer Olympia supplies, there is one called Molson flooring in Markham and give them the quantity and model number of the tile you wish to purchase. The retailer will then contact Olympia and get the tiles at factory price. Then they sell it to you at a markup. In the end the price difference if you do or don't do this is 50%. Basically you save 50%. You're welcome.
Oh Olympia delivers it by freight truck.
First go to Olympia and write down the tile model identification letter or just take a picture of the tile+info tag. Second, go to a retailer Olympia supplies, there is one called Molson flooring in Markham and give them the quantity and model number of the tile you wish to purchase. The retailer will then contact Olympia and get the tiles at factory price. Then they sell it to you at a markup. In the end the price difference if you do or don't do this is 50%. Basically you save 50%. You're welcome.
Oh Olympia delivers it by freight truck.
An interesting option on flooring is cork - it comes in squares like laminate tiles, but I've seen a house with it and it looks great. Stays warm on the feet and has a little give too, so easier on the joints.
Timbit
Timbit
First you have to determine if your joist are large enough in order to support the weight of tile/natural stone. Go to this webpage, it calculates the deflection/strength of your joist. Input the dimensions and span of your joists. and it will tell you whether tiling is possible.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl
Thanks, I will keep that in mind.
What I have done in the past with Olympia is buy my tiles through a tile setter that I know. That gets me 40 percent off.
I have given advice and put in a number of these floors.
First, take off the vinyl floor and see what you have. Chances are you have a 1/8" layer of good one side plywood that the vinyl is attached to. You need to remove that.
Then, depending on the age of the house, you will have 3/4" thick planks, or 1/2" plywood or aspenite. Whichever you have, screw it down with 1 1/2" screws about every 6" into the joist under. Then add a layer of 3/4" tongue and groove plywood, screwed down every 6" like you did on the layer below. Glue is optional.
From there, I would take james advice in number 3 to 5.
Regarding the difference in floor height, that is fairly common. To do a proper job, you should remove the cabinets, and run the 3/4" underneath them.
You might also considering putting a heating mesh in the grout. Makes the floor very comfortable and not cold.
First, take off the vinyl floor and see what you have. Chances are you have a 1/8" layer of good one side plywood that the vinyl is attached to. You need to remove that.
Then, depending on the age of the house, you will have 3/4" thick planks, or 1/2" plywood or aspenite. Whichever you have, screw it down with 1 1/2" screws about every 6" into the joist under. Then add a layer of 3/4" tongue and groove plywood, screwed down every 6" like you did on the layer below. Glue is optional.
From there, I would take james advice in number 3 to 5.
Regarding the difference in floor height, that is fairly common. To do a proper job, you should remove the cabinets, and run the 3/4" underneath them.
You might also considering putting a heating mesh in the grout. Makes the floor very comfortable and not cold.
I just did quartz counter top, plywood cupboards, large ceramic tiles.
Only thing to know about tiles is that they can be a bit hard on your feet so I wear sandals which takes the edge off. Not sure if it is the cold from the AC or the the fact that tiles don't have any give to them.
Can't recommend the company who did the kitchen because it is almost two months and there are three drawers that have yet to have the facing mounted.
Same with the flooring guys. Or more accurately. Guy. He took almost two weeks to tile 900 square feet. Flooded my basement by leaving the water on. But the replaceds the drywall in the finished ceiling that they ruined.
Quality of the work was excellent, speed horrible, price average.
Stripped the floors down to the wood and removed the old kitchen cabiniets and went wall to wall with tiles.
One thing to keep in mind prices of tiles at tile places are sometimes negotiable. Saved 20% but it was still very expensive 4.50/sq foot. But these are really nice big thick tiles.
Make sure you don't go with a porous type of stone for your tile or else you should probably seal it.
I think you mentioned ceramin which is non porous if memory serves corret.
I am by no means well versed in this. All I know is from hearsay.
Only thing to know about tiles is that they can be a bit hard on your feet so I wear sandals which takes the edge off. Not sure if it is the cold from the AC or the the fact that tiles don't have any give to them.
Can't recommend the company who did the kitchen because it is almost two months and there are three drawers that have yet to have the facing mounted.
Same with the flooring guys. Or more accurately. Guy. He took almost two weeks to tile 900 square feet. Flooded my basement by leaving the water on. But the replaceds the drywall in the finished ceiling that they ruined.
Quality of the work was excellent, speed horrible, price average.
Stripped the floors down to the wood and removed the old kitchen cabiniets and went wall to wall with tiles.
One thing to keep in mind prices of tiles at tile places are sometimes negotiable. Saved 20% but it was still very expensive 4.50/sq foot. But these are really nice big thick tiles.
Make sure you don't go with a porous type of stone for your tile or else you should probably seal it.
I think you mentioned ceramin which is non porous if memory serves corret.
I am by no means well versed in this. All I know is from hearsay.
Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it.
After looking at my current floor and situation, I may not chose ceramic. I guess you can say its a lot of work. First, that would be a lot of height added. The person that did built this house did shitty work. The heat vents are all crooked. I'd have to trim or get new doors as they won't fit with new floors.
I know ceramic is more luxurious. But does anybody have experience with luxurious vinyl plank or tiles. I live in a 2000 sq foot home. Would it be wise to put vinyl in?
After looking at my current floor and situation, I may not chose ceramic. I guess you can say its a lot of work. First, that would be a lot of height added. The person that did built this house did shitty work. The heat vents are all crooked. I'd have to trim or get new doors as they won't fit with new floors.
I know ceramic is more luxurious. But does anybody have experience with luxurious vinyl plank or tiles. I live in a 2000 sq foot home. Would it be wise to put vinyl in?
$5000 install and removal of old tile floor/laminate + 400 cost of dumptster + 800 worth in screening, mortar,grout etc.
Another guy quoted me double somewhere in the range of 11K plus dumpster and materials.
Also can't recommend the tile guy I used because he left the vent holes rough. I couldn't put the vents back in. Had to grind it out myself. He also left a ton of debris in the vents. They were stuffed with plastic bags and what not but still a ton of rubble left behind.
I have put the Allure floor product from Home Depot in a few locations.
Loved the finish, and easy to install. Also waterproof with a 25 year warranty. I even used it in a commercial application....turned out great, and can withstand high traffic.
I considered Vinyl flooring as well. Nothing wrong with it. Plenty of pros..... cheaper and good with water.
Going with tile was more just about my tastes and thinking it would add to resale value.
Tile is superior to vinyl in all respects.
It really is that simple.
Vinyl is something you put in a kitchen in 1972. It adds no value whatsoever to a house. (Truth be told it might add negative value because it would need to come out.)
If tile is too much work, consider hardwood.
It really is that simple.
Vinyl is something you put in a kitchen in 1972. It adds no value whatsoever to a house. (Truth be told it might add negative value because it would need to come out.)
If tile is too much work, consider hardwood.
Quartz counter tops are made of ground quartz sealed in clear epoxy that is then cut and polished like marble, your counter top is pretty much one big slab of epoxy sealer. Natural stone need much more care and can get stained. An alternative you might want to look at is Corean, it is a synthetic marble. If you scratch or stain it it can be re-polished.
I thought the OP was talking about Vinyl laminate. Which is on par with laminate in my opinion. They are cheaper solutions but don't enhance value of home like tile or hardwood.
One thing I forgot to mention about tiles. Even though the cuts were done outside the removal of old tile plus installation was a super dusty process. They set up sheets to block stairs but the main floor was filthly. Took at least four intense cleanings to get the floor to be clean.
I personally didn't like the look of vinyl laminate. But if choosing a vinyl laminate the pro of it is that it is better with water than normal laminate making vinyl laminate better suited for kitchens than standard laminate.
