[ecrovid]

I was surprised to note that my kitchen floor is disintergrating at the joints. It is a floor made from some kind of heavy duty "plastic tiles" (for lack of a better word as I don't know what this material is called) it is however very impressive and does look like tiles if you don't look closely. I would like to replace this and I have been to Hoe Depo. Is this easy to replace without using a specialist? Is this the kind of thing I can do on my own? My kitchen floor area is quite small but I'm wondering whether removing the flooring and then replacing it would be too much work for one person to accompolish well. Im normally good with my hands and can follow instructions but I would like to hear from someone who has ever done it. Thanks.

[labman]

Sounds like vinyl tile. How old is it? As soon as I shake this cold, I am going at the last of the 5 small tiled areas in my 1970 house. It just goes bad after while, the tiles slowly shrink leaving ugly gaps and often the tile cracks.

Depending on how old the adhesive is, you may be able to pry most of the old tile off with a putty knife. Use a propane torch or heat gun on the recalcitrant ones. If it is old 9'' tile, likely it contains asbestos. The dangers of asbestos are greatly exaggerated. It is legal and safe to remove small amounts of it and chuck them in the trash.

Once the tile is up, screw the floor solidly down to the joists with at least 2'' deck screws. Then remove all the old nails you can. Ones you can't get out, use a nail set or punch to drive them well below the surface. This is one of the most important step in the whole project. Think how many places you have seen nails or flooring edges pushing through the floor covering.

Next decide if you want to put down luan. I see it as more bother than it is worth another area to cause problems. The directions on many floor coverings advise against it. It is very commonly done. Those here liking it and I have sort of agreed not to argue about it.

If you do not put down luan, buy some floor leveler. Most flooring places sell an Armstrong product. Use it to fill over the counter sunk screw heads, nail holes, missing bits of plywood, and any other low spots. You can also bring low spots up with it.

I have been using seamless vinyl for most of my jobs. I take flattened out beer cartons and glue them together to make a full sized pattern. Accumulating them is the best part of the job. You can pick up small vinyl remnants dirt cheap. It has been over 40 years since I worked on a tile job, but likely it is easier than the vinyl. Remove the 1/4 round and maybe the baseboards. Makes cutting much less fussy. Again, it pry up with a putty knife. With a little care, you can reuse it.

And yes, all this works well as a one man job.