Putting VCT Tile over a nonvirgin subfloor.

[Al from Durham]

Why ask questions if you don’t want to hear the answers?

Have you not noticed that some of the answers turned out to be misguided?
People say all kinds of stuff off the top of their heads. Like you just did.
But if you don't have a conversation, you don't get to what's real.
C.J. was helpful and informative and never took an attitude. Thank you, sir.

And then there are going to be people whose thought processes don't dig real.
You find them in forums and in government and universities and places like that.

As for VCT tile, I like VCT tile. Kitchens should have VCT tile. It's traditional.
What do I not like? I do not like that schmaltzy embalmed fake wood rubbish.
It's gotten where that's the only thing you see anywhere and it's awful.
The mere fact that they call it "Luxury" ought to be a tip that people are being conned.

"It'll last for years!" VCT lasts for generations. And if it's so unstable, how come nobody has ever heard of that besides tile people? There's millions of acres of it out there. Has 60 Minutes ever done an expose' about VCT shattering and popping up? Has any consumer activist ever tried to cash in on the VCT crisis?

Hey, I'm stupid. All I know is what I see.

.

 

[Tile Tom]

Dude, VCT is for school bathrooms and low end “git er done” hood rental homes. Basically it looks like crap these days.


Judging by the pics it’s clearly not the Sistine Chapel it’s going in to. And clearly you don’t have the funds to do it correctly. So just put the **** down the way you think it should go and keep it moving man.


And for the record CJ is a nice patient man….. I am not

 

[Al from Durham]

I just unintentionally bumped into the Home Depot user reviews for Armstrong VCT tiles. It's page after page after page of people who are absolutely delighted with them. And many reviewers who said that if you buy them from Home Depot expect half of them to arrive damaged, which was my experience as well.

I won't comment on the people who differ from me (and them) in matters of taste, except to say that in many endeavors it's the people with the least understanding who are the most vehement.

I'm stupid. All I know is what I see.

And this is probably not going to happen anyway. If the house is to be sold, it probably should conform to whatever the conformists are conforming to these days. Which I guess is not VCT.

 

[MSLI]

Isn't that kinda what I've got now? You're not looking at the actual floor boards, you're looking at just what you're describing. I'd certainly use leveler for the areas that are a bit wavy, and screw down any upward blips, but I think that what you want is what I've got. I know from luan, this is luan, complete with vicious splinters.

Hi Al, as professionals we have an awareness from past failures done or seen from other crews. Making the level or attitude for creating conditions for success much higher than the average installer. One could look at that assessment as a strength or even as a weakness. So sometimes we just have to discern as best as we can, focus, trust, do it and find out for ourselves.

I must admit, that plywood looks tempting to glue over, but can it be made baby ass smooth

Best of luck, no matter what you decide, we thank you for coming here engaging in the process, and please share the results and any feedback afterwards.