Question

I want to put down ceramic tile on the kitchen floor. The floor currently has vinyl from the 70's and is flush with my hardwood floors in the dining and living room. My question is do I need to take out the subfloor and replace it so once my tile is laid it will be even with the hardwood?

Answer

It is very important when putting in a ceramic tile floor that the floor is stable. The building code requires 1-1/4" of solid wood. In new construction, we put down two layers of 5/8" tongue and groove plywood. This usually makes the ceramic tile floor higher than the hardwood, so we use a transition strip. In your house check the total height of the sub-floor. You can do this easily by looking at the heating duct cutouts, if you have them. The maximum height difference, according to the code, is 5/8" between floor finishes.

Dave

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