peel n stick tiles

[midnightrumbler]

Hey guys,

I will just get right to the point here. I have pulled up the old tiles in my bathroom and they used what appears to be a light brown glue substance to hold them down. I am guessing this is very very old as the old tile came up no problem and this glue is flaking in spots. Before i lay down my peel n stick, what will need to be down to ensure that they stay down for many years to come?. Also, when i pulled up the tiling i noticed around my toilet that there is alot of rot around it. What would be the best bet to replacing this. My bathroom is about 10x20 and i do not want to really pull up the hole sub floor. Basically just cut out the rot and replace that, i have old cast iron piping, will there be any problems when removing the old flooring or is the piping securede into a joist? also, will i need to buy a new hold down kit for the cast iron piping or should i reuse the old one?

[LazyPup]

As far as the plumbing goes you should not have any problems there. The cast iron pipe should be supported by metal strapping attached directly to the joists.

When you take up the damaged sub floor, i would consider trying to replace it with the same material to insure there are no problems getting the edges to match elevation.

Properly the subfloor should fit right up under the toilet "closet flange", with the underside of the flange just resting on the subfloor. The code prohibits the top of the flange being level with or recessed below the subfloor.

If you do have to build up the subfloor above the top of the closet fange, you can get a "Build up flange" to set on top of the existing flange. It is basically just the top ring of a closet flange with a rubber gasket material on the underside. It is laid directly on top of the existing flange and bolted in place.

In the past when laying the peel and stick tiles i have had a lot of problems with keep them stuck down. It was formerly my practice to roll on a light coat of tile adhesive and allow it to tack before laying the tile. Recently at the recommendation of one more knowledgeable than I on floor tile, i tried using the "latex Primer" on the subfloor before laying the tile. I could not believe the difference. If you use the primer as suggested you better be proud of where you lay the tile because it is stuck for good...I would never consider laying peel and stick without it now.

[midnightrumbler]

Thanx for the helpful tip there lazypup although i do still have one unasnwered question. When laying down the peel n sitck or the surface primer before the peel n stick, do i have to remove the old glue residue or can i scrape it off the best i can or can i simply go over it with the surface primer?. Also, i am not very familiar with the surface primer, is this a glue or just a smooth coat?

[mrcaptainbob]

Whatever you can do to smooth the surface. The smallest bump will telegraph through and look larger. Holes also show. Try using a hairdryer to soften the adhesive and a putty knife to scrape it up. A heat gun would be best for this.

[BevTheBuilder]

I have a question about the peel & stick tiles as well. First of all, can you stick it on over the old lino? I'm thinking that you can, as when we had new lino laid on the main floor, the hubster and I removed the peel and stick ourselves, to save a few bucks. There was old lino underneath it but considering the condition of the tiles we were removing (black gunk oozing up from underneath...disgusting), I wondered if it had to do with the installation over the lino.

Secondly, I have heard a few people say that installing peel & stick in the biffy is not the way to go, due to moisture in that room. It was suggested that the tiles would not stick properly. Is this bogus info? I would like to use the tiles in our guest & master bathrooms, as I think it would be the most cost efficient way to go. Hubby's in the military, we move every 3 yrs or so and I don't want to pay big bucks for flooring, I just want something that looks nicer than the 1980's stuff currently laying there!

Any advice appreciated! Thanks much.