To get this bathroom started, I get to break stuff. Well, …only the old vanity.
The toilet gets removed first, then I started on the vanity. The vanity was only held in place by four(4) 3″ screws, …crazy. Once the vanity was gone, I began removing the vinyl flooring, which came up quite easy.
The builder seems to use a thin layer of veneer wood under the vinyl tile – I’m thinking the purpose behind this was to give the vinyl tile adhesive something to grip to. Either way, both of them came up very easy.
Once that was done, I had to go over the entire sub floor and pull up any brad nails that were still in place – pain in the ass.
In order to allow the tile mortar the best hold possible, I went with 1/4″ Wonder board, or cement board. This stuff is heavy, and very messy when you cut it. But it is worth it in the end. I needed two 3′ x 5′ boards to cover the bathroom. I used a PL bonding agent underneath the board for maximum holding strength, and secured it with 1 1/4″ flooring screws every 8″ for support and strength.
With that done, I let it sit overnight so the bonding agent would dry. For this step, it took approx. 7.5 hours. Tiling will be next.
