D
Deleted member 65149
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Having scoured the Internet and become even more confused, I need some advice please. As mentioned elsewhere one of my jobs while my wife is away for a month is to do a partial refit of our family bathroom. One of the things I want to do is replace the existing carpet (eek) with stone effect Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT).
I seem to have four basic choices: (a) tiles that you stick down using liquid adhesive, (b) ready glued tiles, (c) click fit tiles, and (d) loose-lay tiles that rely on their weight and backing to hold them in place. I’ve never used types (a) or (b) and have always thought of them as thin and unforgiving, with the (b) versions being liable to coming unstuck. I’ve used click laminate flooring with, if I say so myself, great success. So I would expect the LVT click systems (c) to be equally successful. I’ve only heard of the loose lay (d) systems since looking for what to put down in the bathroom.
If I opted for type (c) everywhere says that I need to leave expansion gaps all round the outer edges. Because it’s only a smallish bathroom, I do wonder if that’s really necessary, and I don’t like the usual method of fitting quadrant over the gaps to hide them. As an alternative, I’ve considered cutting the bottom of the skirting board using my oscillating multi-tool saw, and simply letting expansion under the bath where the MDF panels are.
The loose lay tiles (such as those from Karndean) look like a good alternative because they’re construction is less vulnerable to changing dimensions so no expansion gaps are required. But they are expensive (particularly in the case of Karndean’s because I’d need to buy 2 packs of 10 tiles and have 8 tiles left over!)
So here are my questions. Whatever version I go for, if I can ever make up my mind and get colour approval from SWMBO, there will be the issue of fitting under or around the toilet (which I won’t be changing). Basically, should I cut around the base, or remove the toilet and place it back on top of the tiles? Cutting round could be tricky, but two of my few qualities are patience and persistence in getting it right. However, will it be ok to not leave an ugly expansion gap? If alternatively I take the close-coupled toilet off, could I possibly have problems refitting it with a 5mm tile underneath? Also, could the weight of the toilet (plus whoever is seated on it) press into the vinyl tile and compress it, leading to connection issues?
I seem to have four basic choices: (a) tiles that you stick down using liquid adhesive, (b) ready glued tiles, (c) click fit tiles, and (d) loose-lay tiles that rely on their weight and backing to hold them in place. I’ve never used types (a) or (b) and have always thought of them as thin and unforgiving, with the (b) versions being liable to coming unstuck. I’ve used click laminate flooring with, if I say so myself, great success. So I would expect the LVT click systems (c) to be equally successful. I’ve only heard of the loose lay (d) systems since looking for what to put down in the bathroom.
If I opted for type (c) everywhere says that I need to leave expansion gaps all round the outer edges. Because it’s only a smallish bathroom, I do wonder if that’s really necessary, and I don’t like the usual method of fitting quadrant over the gaps to hide them. As an alternative, I’ve considered cutting the bottom of the skirting board using my oscillating multi-tool saw, and simply letting expansion under the bath where the MDF panels are.
The loose lay tiles (such as those from Karndean) look like a good alternative because they’re construction is less vulnerable to changing dimensions so no expansion gaps are required. But they are expensive (particularly in the case of Karndean’s because I’d need to buy 2 packs of 10 tiles and have 8 tiles left over!)
So here are my questions. Whatever version I go for, if I can ever make up my mind and get colour approval from SWMBO, there will be the issue of fitting under or around the toilet (which I won’t be changing). Basically, should I cut around the base, or remove the toilet and place it back on top of the tiles? Cutting round could be tricky, but two of my few qualities are patience and persistence in getting it right. However, will it be ok to not leave an ugly expansion gap? If alternatively I take the close-coupled toilet off, could I possibly have problems refitting it with a 5mm tile underneath? Also, could the weight of the toilet (plus whoever is seated on it) press into the vinyl tile and compress it, leading to connection issues?
