Let me preface this by saying my knowledge of flooring is near zero. But I've done a bit of research. I've attached photos for reference. It has been long overdue for the flooring in this bathroom to be replaced. Its currently fitted (use this term loosely) with what I believe are vinyl tiles over floorboards. Three options I've explored - Lino, vinyl tiles and ceramic tiles. Lino seems like the easiest and cheapest option. But i feel it just feels and looks cheap.. Vinyl tiles I'm not sure if they are even worth the bother as they seem to give up under the influence of water. Ideally for me it'd be ceramic tiles. However as there are wooden floorboards underneath I suppose I need a subfloor of some sort. I've looked at several YouTube videos and just can't figure out where to start or what would be most appropriate subfloor... Or even if ceramic tiles are even appropriate at all. I didn't find one video where someone is fitting ceramic tiles over wooden floorboards in a bathroom.. So you can understand my confusion! Any recommendations/advice? Would it be worth getting someone into to do it? (as in, would it be costly) the floor space in the room is very small 2m by 2m.. If that!!
Small spaces can be a pain to work in hence the reason for minimum install charges, I would advise getting a professional to do the prep work and fitting. If you do decide to crack on yourself ceramics will be the most expensive (mainly due to preparation costs) then LVT and finally sheet vinyl will be your most economical. For LVT and sheet vinyl the floor will need plying out first with a minimum of 6mm flooring grade ply then either the joints get feather finished (the most economical way with the wood worst finish) or a minimum of 3mm fibre reinforced screed over top for a smooth finish. Now tiles do it once and do it right or it gets really expensive to rectify later belt and braces is 6mm of hardibacker (concrete board) minimum of 10mm fibre reinforced screed, then use a decoupling mat such as Schluter Ditra matting to reduce vibration transfer between the subfloor and adhesive, now you’ll need to use flexible grout and adhesive to prevent cracking over time, hope that helps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the response very helpful. In summary - LVT & Sheet vinyl - min 6mm of Ply and min 3mm of finish (by finish I assume this is the material that bonds the ply to the vinyl?) Ceramic - min 6mm concrete hardibacker + min 10mm fibre reinforced screed (I assume this is to bond the hardibacker to the decoupling mat?) + decoupling mat Few questions - how do I determine what thickness I need for the hardibacker/ply/screed... Is it just preference? Also, I'm sure as a result of the installation of the boards the floor level will rise higher than outside the bathroom? In this instance what would usually be done since having a little step is not preferred? (as in would the doors need to be trimmed and the level outside the bathroom need to be raised? Or are there ways of getting around this?
