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harestream · 10-07-2006, 06:49 AM

Thanks for your feedback guys. wow your floor looks great! I love the color! Ok, so what im gathering then is to do the following.

1. i think ill add a second layer of thin plywood (the guy at home depot said if we were going to use armstrong tiles then to use the luan) what do home depot people know though... we plan to not treat the under/original layer and screwing a top layer on top. (our main concern is that if we wanted to ever change/replace our tile, that we can lift it out without damaging the original floorboard, thus not having to replace the whole flloor.

2. put on a few coats of the west epoxy with some sort of laminating epoxy (any name I should look for? any recipie for this?) mixed in with it

3. sand, and throw the squares on.

this seems a bit easier than my original game plan. and sounds like it might work better.

thanks.

dufferin · 10-08-2006, 07:32 AM

Hi,
we bought vinyl tiles, everything is cut and fit in place very well,
but reading the thread I know wondering if I should go with a subfloor or if I should permanently glue the tiles on the original floor, wich is in good shape.
thnaks

LI Pets · 10-08-2006, 07:49 AM

Wait, think about adding a layer of foil insulation between the luan and old floor!

markdoane · 10-08-2006, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dufferin

Hi,
we bought vinyl tiles, everything is cut and fit in place very well,
but reading the thread I know wondering if I should go with a subfloor or if I should permanently glue the tiles on the original floor, wich is in good shape.
thnaks

There were three reasons I added a 1/4" underlayment on top of my subfloor.

1. The subfloor had some dimples in it from agressive tightening of the elevator bolts. You can see that in the seam between the wheel wells, below.

2. I was concerned about "ripping" of linoleum at the subfloor seams. Since I went to tile instead, this is less of a concern.

3. I wanted to be able to remove the floor at some future date if I didn't like it. I used 3/4" staples, so prying up the underlayment would easier than removing tile.

None of these reasons may apply to your project.

Here's a picture:

prairieschooner · 10-08-2006, 10:00 AM

harestream,
The best part about the West System Epoxy is that there are many many fillers that can be purchased to mix with the Epxoy and modify it's use.
There are fillers to laminate. The best thing is to get one of the brochures and then buy what you need. Here is a link to West System Epoxy;
http://www.westsystem.com/

There is also a Dealer Locator here.
Steve

harestream · 10-08-2006, 06:48 PM

thanks for the west systems link. well I came back from Home Depot, of course didnt get my project started (i didnt know you couldnt buy the fun colored tiles at home depot unless you special order by the BOX) - so i have to find another way to buy a few tiles of a few colors.. anyways. i bought some luan and also a 4x8 of some 3/4" to replace my rot spots. I like the idea of a flooring cement that I can put down between the old subfloor and the new luan 1/4 layer. I also have screws that i plan on using. Does anybody have a flooring cement they could reccomend that will work well with the layers?
also, must I treat the luan with anything before putting down the adhesive for the tiles? is this when the west systems is supposed to come into play?
thanks to all. Hope you all had a productive airstream rehabbing weekend.

-Kelly

LI Pets · 10-08-2006, 07:05 PM

Adding a layer of 1/4" luan or anything like it will not strenthen the floor much.

I would and did use the west system but I put down a layer of 6 OZ fiberglass cloth then put the epoxy resin on it until it all looked wetted out.

Now I can jump up and down on it, it is way more stable and water proof.

You can put tile or pergo or anything else you wish to do.

I'm laying down a 1/4" layer of Promax foil bubble R-14 insulation, then pergo.

Normally you put down a layer of blue foam with Pergo, the insulation takes its place.

wannaroam · 11-07-2007, 11:40 AM

May I chime in with a question or two?
We are at the stage to put in new flooring. I have run the gamut in ideas from cork (my first choice) to marmoleum. Right now cost is definitely an issue, especially with a 34'.
The PO had put in a parquet floor - badly - which we tore out. He used so much glue that we dug quite a few chunks in the subfloor trying to remove it.

We now have decided to use the Armstrong tiles. The cost is good, it will hold up to my two dogs, and will not be affected if the AS leaks. ( I have great concerns about that with any flooring based on MDF).

Now, should we put down some luan to even out the floor? Or use a leveling product instead? I am leaning toward the luan, but my husband isn't; he is concerned about height. But with the luan and the tile I can't imagine this would be any higher than the original carpet.

What say you?

InsideOut · 11-07-2007, 06:17 PM

Before putting down our linoleum, we just used a leveling compound to fill-in the low spots. Whatever you do, be sure it is clean before putting down the VCT, any 'irregularities' can telegraph through - including seams between luan sheets. The leveling compound allws the base trim pieces to remain...it doesn't raise the floor level.

Shari