help with peel and stick vinyl tile installation for bath and kitchen

[gordita]

we live in a 1985 built townhouse that has linoleum in the kitchen and the powder room next to it.
I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even know if it is linoleum or a vinyl sheet.
It's one ugly floral sheet on the floor.
The bad news is that our neighbor just installed these peel and stick tiles in their kitchen the last weekend and sure enough, once my wife saw this, you can guess what my July 4th weekend project is going to be.

however, the good news is that our existing bath and kitchen floor is in pretty good shape and looks like I should be able to just put some primer on top of the floor and then install the new vinyl tiles.
as regards to the molding, I will have to remove all existing molding, buy new ones and then nail them on?
so far so good.
I do have two issues.
#1) wife insists we have to re-do the adjacent powder room. how do I go around the toilet and install these new tiles? how do I cut the tiles in that shape? that's the toughest part.
The alternative method is to remove the whole toilet, re-tile and then put the toilet back on...is this a relatively easy DIY job? i'm handy with basic tools and jobs, no problem, just never done much with plumbing before.

#2) part of the kitchen has pantry cabinet doors just like sliding wardrobe doors in the bedroom. if I were to put new tiles, this will raise the floor and maybe the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor will not exist? they won't be able to slide anymore?
how do I fix this?

any suggestions/comments/tips will be highly appreciated.

and no, I cannot make my wife change her mind. This is pretty much set in stone.
Also, as concession, i will be allowed to play golf today, tomorrow and saturday! so tackle this project, I must!

 

[Greenman]

Pull the toilet and run the tile under it, don't even consider going around it.

The pantry door's probably have some method of adjustment, look at the hardware. If not, triming them down isn't a big deal.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I always wondered how you go about getting those vinyl squares installed without gaps and perfectly parallel to walls.

 

[DrPizza]

It'll be much better to remove the toilet. Turn the water off, flush it, and get as much water out of the tank before you disconnect the water to it. You'll need a new wax ring for it. I'd recommend a pair of vinyl gloves, a disposable putty knife (for removing the old wax; the stuff is sticky & yucky) Takes just a couple minutes to remove the toilet, a minute to clean the old wax off it, and just a couple minutes to put it back. only 2 bolts hold it down. Those are cheap enough that you might even want to replace those; it just makes it easier when you put new ones in. Another $1; sometimes they're in boxes with the wax rings.

Also, since you were questioning how to cut the tiles in that shape - one of the easiest ways to mark tile is to line up the tile that's going to be cut right on top of the tile that it's next to. Use a 2nd tile placed against the barrier as a guide to drawing your lines on the first tile.

 

[nanette1985]

Tiles have the paper on the back, when you want to cut a tile to some odd shape, take one of the papers and cut that to give you a template.

A good-looking tile job is all in the prep. Make sure the floor is level and clean, and prepare it as per the tile adhesive instructions. Work from the center out, make chalk lines so that you've got straight lines - this is how you get it perfectly straight and parallel to the walls. Plan from the center, but adjust it if you discover that the wall edge will have a little piece of tile. Take note of temperature and humidity to see if you need to make allowances for that.

Tile comes in different thicknesses. Since you have a decent layer underneath, you don't really need the cushioning you get in some of the thicker tiles. A thinner tile might be the right thing for your sliding doors. If not, take them off and use a plane to make the doors smaller. You may have to do this with entrance doors, too. You can often reuse the molding, if it's in good shape.

Have fun.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Don't waste your time with the primer. You did say the existing floor is in good condition. The new tiles will stick better to vinyl than to primer. Just clean the floor good before you begin.

 

[gordita]

great suggestions/comments/tips.
looks like the toilet thing will not be that bad.
when our neighbors did their kitchen only (no powder room), they tiled the floor adjacent to the refrigerator and then simply moved the refrigerator to the tiled floor and then put the new tiles underneath the fridge's old location.

this way, they would not have to disconnect the power to the fridge and not empty it either.
would this be ok to do?
I thought it took a bit for the tiles to cure and we should not step on it for awhile.

 

[Elbryn]

another problem to be wary of is when tiling around doors, you may end up needing to cut the molding on the doorframe for the tile to fit if there is a thickness difference. or take off the door molding, either way. there should be no problem with sliding your fridge onto tiles, so long as the sliding doesnt move the tile position.