Levelling compound over thermoplastic tiles / bitumen

Please help.

I'm on the 5th floor of a tower block. The whole of the floor of the flat was covered in marley tiles which were removed by a professional because they contained asbestos - I am left with concrete floors with patchy bitumen. In the kitchen there are also holes in the underlying concrete and what I think is some patchy screed? possibly. Generally the floors look pretty flat. I would like to lay vinyl. Please what do I need to do. Very inexperienced. Very broke.

 

Grind off or scrape off as much of the old adhesive off. Then vac it all.
Prime and smoothing compound at approx 3-4mm.
That should get it nice and smooth.

 

One of the problems with these type of forums is that you will always get the proper, correct and professional solution. Why is that a problem? Because many pros think these jobs are easy. They don't consider that you might be elderly, don't want the disruption or can't afford to call in a professional or even afford the materials. I was faced with a similar problem many, many years ago with the dreaded Marley thermoplastic tiles in my kitchen in a sixties house. Ripping them up is a nightmare. In the end I removed any broken pieces and filled the gaps with levelling compound. Once I had a solid surface I tiled over with stick on vinyl tiles which was a great success as it sealed off the whole floor. These lasted well throughout the 90's. I then replaced these with some more stick on vinyl tiles on top which by then had improved tremendously. In fact I set them with spacers and grouted between them. Despite being only a mm or so thick the grout remained between them and the vinyl tiles below for over ten years till present and almost everybody thought, because of the grouting and relief in the tile they were genuine ceramic slate tiles. (I can almost hear the groans from the pros!) I'm not doubting the experts advice and that will provide the ultimate and long term solution but not everybody wants or needs the ultimate! Of course I now have to decide what next. But I reckon I can smooth the joints and be left with a hard flat floor that will take the new click flexible floating LVT tiles with the built in underfloor. We'll see!
I should have added there is only about 6 sq m of exposed floor)

 

You said it yourself, you'll always get the 'professional' advice!
We're not going to tell you the incorrect way to do it just because you are 85yrs old.

No disrespect but I've come across DIY installs like you've described and I dread to think what it looks like but if you are happy with it then that's what counts....but grouting a plastic tile

 

You pay your money, you take your choice.
As Rugmuching says, it would not be much of a forum, if we gave out poor advice, but no-one is forcing you to use a pro.
A bit like filling a dent in your car with chewing gum. Shit idea, but if your happy with it, crack on.

 

fair enough but you did it yourself!!!! If it failed then you would have only yourself to blame. It’s held out for years that’s great for you, but as a professional we have standards to follow and have to do it correctly.
If it fails on us we are liable and have to repair and compensate

 

You can do what you want in your own house. As long as you mrs says so


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No disrespect either but a pro told me I would have to have my patio dug up and relaid because two sandstone slabs were loose on their concrete base and wouldn't be level with rest otherwise. I lifted them and rebonded them with a mix of power bond and exterior tile adhesive. Not moved or wobbled in two years so far and level within a mm after repointing. But I do agree with why you pros have to maintain standards and also think the standard of pros on forums is higher than in my Essex "real world". It is not a criticism of what you are saying - I'm just making the point that if only it was that easy for everybody. But the point is being missed that things might have to be done reasonably and effectively other ways if perhaps not quite so good. It doesn't say this forum is for pros only and some DIY advice may also be welcome for the elderly or cash strapped. If you can strip out and refloor a Kitchen in a day for £200 then great, we'd go for it, but it is often over a £1000 and if a person doesn't have that money all is not lost. Have you ever tried spacing a vinyl relief slate effect tile and grouting it? Has anybody other than me? I doubt it! You might be amazed, as I was, that it stayed put and waterproof for ten years! It was others that judged it was a ceramic tiled floor, not me. Yes, it is worse for wear now and a ceramic tiled floor on a newly screeded concrete base wouldn't be but that wasn't the point. I'm not implying what I did or what others might do is better but it doesn't have to be a botch just because it is "alternative".

 

Leave it out rug. I bet you grouted loads of Amtico contour once upon a time.


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FairPlay FairPlay. As long as it does the job. But for us as professionals we have to install to the manufacturers guidelines or we become liable. Im sure most of us on here have done jobs for people that are not 100% by the book to save the customer a few quid and win the job. But you start to realise its more risk and less reward.


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...no, I just buy the vinyl grout strips and put them in instead!

 

There's Pro's and there's Pro's, some can call themselves a professional and sing you the right tune just like there's the ones that have been watching YouTube vids and speaking to the bloke in B&Q

 

Haha naaa merit, I have a silicon gun for that mate

 

Or watch that bloke on TikTok

 

Unfortunately I often seen to get the latter - but then that's Essex for you.

 

I thought that was a wind up but see they do actually exist! Are they any good?

 

You can see my floor doesn't look that bad after 10 years - except by the sink where the vinyl layer has worn through:-

 

Funnily enough having looked into this further it seems that in the U.S you can buy special groutable peel and stick vinyl tiles and special vinyl grout for doing it. I think they do it with normal peel and stick ones as well. I've seen pictures of some stunning professional results - even better than mine Perhaps it wasn't such a daft idea after all.

 

It’s just flexible epoxy grout isn’t it? Amtico used to do it for their vinyl tiles. It always cracked tho so stopped doing it


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