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I'm planning to install a new kitchen including ceramic floor tiles. The current flooring is a laminate which covers the original vinyl tiles on asphalt. The vinyl tiles are well stuck down and getting them up would be a major task, so ideally I would like to tile over them. My question is: do you think that this a good idea, and is there a suitable floor levelling compound would adhere to the vinyl tiles?

No, no and no.

Rip up the whole lot, including the vinyl....In the long term, twill be worth it...

Yep, rip it all up. I would suggest porcelain tiles will be better than ceramic in a high traffic area, if your tiles aren't perfectly flat the edges of ceramic will chip badly and even if they are perfectly flat it won't take long for them to be covered in scratches. Porcelain will still chip and scratch but at a much slower rate than ceramic (depending on the grade of both)

Yup, totally agree with the above, there are no shortcuts to a longterm good job, hard labour and patience i'm affraid, put a straight edge over the prepped floor to see if a levelling compound will help the tiling go smoother ( after removing the vinyl tiles ! ) good luck

Hi

Thanks for your replies.

When the vinyl tiles are removed, will asphalt be a suitable surface for the levelling compound or is there a special one for it?