Home flooring underlayment

[caver]

My house was built around 1976 per county records. It's time to do a quick remodel and unload it so I can move. I should have remodeled this place years ago but I hate finish work.

Back then I recall 3/4" plywood put down as a sub floor and then a thinner particle board over that as an underlayment.The kind of particle board that looked more like compressed sawdust. The previous owners had gotten some water on the underlyment from leaks and the particle board needs to be pulled up. I believe the subfloor is fine.
Not a big deal but curious as to what they use for modern underlayment? I was going to have tile put in the kitchen and the two upstairs bathrooms.
I talked to my old buddy and he says this new waterproof vinyl floor is the way to go. I've never put down ceramic tile and have no interest so would hire someone. But now the waterproof vinyl floor idea has me thinking. He even said as much as he dislikes the box stores he recommend a brand from HD.
*I may be able to keep some of the kitchen underlayment but curious if they still make the stuff or is there something better?
*Waterproof vinyl planks impress the women?

I'm starting to remove some stuff from the kitchen and all cabinets are going into a burn pile unless I can find a use for them.
I spent part of two days dismantling a double decker oven from the 70's that was a harvest gold color.

I took two years of Building Trades in HS and even worked part time for my teacher. Things have changed in materials and techniques plus my memory has faded.

 

[K5lwq]

I use to use cheap vinyl on new construction with concrete foundation before setting tile. The purpose for that was to keep the cracks that happen in the concrete from cracking the tile.

For wood sub floors I just put down Durarock then laid tile on that. Never a problem.

 

[Joe Hickerson]

Hi Caver, have been in the flooring trade since the 70's and recently retired and sold our retail store. Might be able to advise a bit as there are so many choices on the market, many with too much hype. Regardless of your finish choice, proper subfloor prep is essential. There are a couple good ways to underlay for ceramic/porcelain tile and some good and not so good products prepping for the old and new style vinyl products. Homes from the 70's had some interesting subfloor systems installed and may not be good for all of the offerings on the market today. You are welcome to pm me if you wish if you have some questions.
Joe H.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I personally really like the vinyl flooring its easy to cut and install, you can get it in a wide variety of style and color, it is no cheap by any means, some goes to $100 a box but its not like ceramic is cheap ether by any means. I would give a shout to Joe above about the sub flooring. You can't do something this long and not know what you are doing, that my opinion anyways ...

 

[2manyrocks]

Subflooring selection kind of depends on the finish flooring going above it. Traditional vinyl sheet flooring typically used luan with filler so the gaps didn't show in the vinyl sheet flooring. With vinyl plank, you'd need to research.

One thing that's very important is to get the thickness of the underlayment layer right so that the finish floor will be at the right height relative to the other finish flooring in your home.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I've recently put down snap together floating floor. Built my brother an ICF concrete house. He got a commercial grade and we put it on the whole enchilada. Laid my neighbor, cousin, uncle daddy's house with it. I like the stick together vinyl plank also. Some like the glue down vinyl tile, like in a grocery store. There are many colors. My parents have that in an ICFhome. I do not care to ever see a roll of linoleum again.

 

[caver]

Hi Caver, have been in the flooring trade since the 70's and recently retired and sold our retail store.....

Yeah I forgot to mention my buddy has been putting down flooring a good portion of his life along with his dad and brothers. He lives about 270 miles from me or I would hire him.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I used a roll of underlayment that was about like a thin sheet of vinyl and took a trowel with cork glue and spread it out on the concrete slab and rolled it flat with a 3" piece of pvc pipe let it set up for a couple of days and layed tile on it, haven't had a busted tile except where someone dropped something heavy on it once, I have seen slab floors with no underlayment crack and have busted tiles everywhere, I figure it's cheap insurance.