How can I tell if my existing subfloor is strong enough to support a ceramic tile floor. Do I need to first strip off the vinyl floor and replace the subflooring? If I do lay the tile over the vinyl that will raise the bathroom floor above that of my bedroom and create a trip hazard. What is the best way to deal with that? Many thanks for your help.

Others will comment on the subfloor thickness and installation questions. But have you considered Congoleum's Dura-Ceramic tile? MUCH easier on the feet, easier than ceramic tile to install, and isn't "cold" feeling. Oh, it looks great too.

First thing to do is determine what your flooring is.

It's vinyl.

I was responding to

"How can I tell if my existing subfloor is strong enough"

A little stingy with my words.

If you don't know what the sub floor is, if you have a floor vent remove it and look at the edges of the sub floor. Let us know how thick and of what material. Also what is the joist spacing? You may need to add plywood (for strength) and cement board (for moisture stability of the installation), but there is a newer product used in place of cement board that is a sheet membrane that is less than 1/4" thick, so you can just add the plywood if needed then the membrane. It will raise the floor, especially if you need to add plywood, so some type of transition strip is needed at the doorways.

If your home is relatively modern, you probably have 3/4" plywood subflooring on joists 16" on center. If so, you do need to add another layer of subfloor before installing ceramic tile. If you do not have a floor vent as suggested by MCA (nice if you do) just drill a hole in the floor (not over a joist of course) to find out. You're going to be re-flooring anyway, a hole won't be a problem. Any size hole will enable you to measure thickness, using a 1" spade bit will enable you to examine the subfloor material to undersatnd whether it's plywood or ???.

Newer homes will often have a 3/4" subfloor and where vinyl will be laid an additional 1/4" underlayment of smooth plywood to give the vinyl a good adhesion surface.

Dura-ceramic is a hybrid product that can also be grouted.

Other DIY products include Snapstone ceramic tile. This is a product that can be laid over almost any surface. The floor is more forgiving (concerning slope) with this product than traditional ceramic tile. Snap requires NO backer board or mortar. The product sits in plastic trays with rubber feet to keep it from slipping. The trays interlock perfectly aligned with other tiles. Snapstone can then be grouted with their latex-based grout. It is a very durable product. I have used it.

There are a good variety of sizes and colors. There is also another brand name (Avaire?) by the same manufacturer of Snapstone. That offers even more variety in size and colors.

It is not cheap but for a bathroom it would not be a big investment. It has a lower foot print than standard tile with backerboard and mortars, etc.

www.snapstone.com

Thanks for all the responses. The house was built in 1963 and has 5/8" subflooring and 5/8" underlayment on top of joists that are 16" on center. Since we wanted to avoid raising the floor too much we opted to rip up and replace the existing vinyl and underlayemt.

Thanks for the update. I wish everyone would come back with a follow up.