New Kitchen Floor

[Chris P]

I am moving into a brand new house. The kitchen floor is vinyl. I want to put in tile. So I bought the tile and will be moving in in a week and want to do this asap.

I was just flipping chanels when I saw a reno show where the guy says that you cant tile up to the cabinets because then your dishwasher wont fit under the counter.

so now I am in a bit of a panic because I bought all this tile. any advise?

 

[Jadnashua]

Several issues...you need to find out if the floor is sufficiently strong to allow a tiled floor to survive. Normally, the vinal must come up, along with the probable 1/4" luan plywood under it. That will give you a little bit of leaway. You shouldn't tile directly to the plywood, since it is tricky, requires two layers of plywood installed just so (luan can't be one of them), and the very top end thinset that is very sticky and flexible - it is harder to work with, too.

If you floor and joists are sufficient to support tile, then you'd need a decoupling layer. Ditra from www.schluter.com is one that works, and is only 1/8" thick vs the minimum of 1/4" for a cement board (cbu). Check out www.johnbridge.com to use their deflection calculator to check out the joists and for tile questions.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jimbo]

I have been unable to get in a new dishwasher when the floor was tiled with saltillo, which with mortar have a good 3/4" thickness. Fortunately, that lady had saved some tile, and she had " her tile guy" come in, remove a few tiles, then replace them after the new DW was installed. Each DW may be a little different, but they all have adjustable legs, and will tolerate some tile in front. Depends on how much underlayment you will need in your specifice job.

 

[Mike Swearingen]

I'm a real estate broker, and I've seen added tile and wood floors trap existing dishwashers under counters, and the floor in front of the dw had to be destroyed in order to replace the dishwashers.
It's best to shim up the base cabinets prior to adding a thickened floor, if possible, which is what I did when I had tile added over our existing vinyl kitchen floor (used cement board over the vinyl).
I raised the base cabinets 5/8" and put a piece of 5/8" pressure-treated plywood under the dishwasher. Clears the new floor level just fine.
Good Luck!
Mike

 

[Geniescience]

Measure YOUR space

chris

a lot depends on your DW, your space, your situation. Look under the dishwasher, look at the legs, and see how much room you get when you turn the threaded leg back up into its shortest position. Each DW is a different size, and its legs are different too.

I know someone who almost couldn't get a new DW into the old space and nothing had changed. The two models were supposedly the same size. Go figure! He ruined his vinyl anyway.

david

 

[Mike50]

I have been unable to get in a new dishwasher when the floor was tiled with saltillo, which with mortar have a good 3/4" thickness. Fortunately, that lady had saved some tile, and she had " her tile guy" come in, remove a few tiles, then replace them after the new DW was installed. Each DW may be a little different, but they all have adjustable legs, and will tolerate some tile in front. Depends on how much underlayment you will need in your specifice job.

Very interesting. I'm thinking about a dishwasher next year maybe.
I did most of my home in saltillo Jim...kitchen included..
I didnt know this would/could be an issue.

I guess the good news is that most saltillo is so rustic and irregular---you can get away with murder. Exact color match and size issues don't apply....
I will watch this thread with curiousity...

 

[TedL]

Go to the installation instructions for the dishwasher. I put in a new Ken---- in Sept., and though I didn't need it, the min opening required was 33 3/4". This can vary by manufacturer.

Also, at least consider whether the countertop can be loosened and lifted to permit installation. It won't be doable too often, but when it can, sure beats tile R&R.

 

[Jadnashua]

I placed all of my cabinets, stove, dw, etc. up on a 3.5" platform so the counter height would be good for me. The "standard" counter height was designed for the average woman in the early 50's and hasn't changed. The idea work counter height is about 3" below your elbow with your forarm horizontal, and mine is still low, but I think saleable when the time comes. I don't worry about replacing the DW when the time comes! Getting the 400# stove up on the platform was a little messy, though! The frige is on the floor...

 

[Randyj]

Sometimes ya just gotta get creative. I've rolled out a 600# cast iron tub on 2" pipe because I didn't have help. It ain't rocket science..it's just figuring it out ....