Dear James: My linoleum kitchen floor is worn, and I want to replace it with ceramic tile. The floor now feels somewhat springy. Will that be a problem for the ceramic tile?—Brad S.
Dear Brad: A kitchen is the perfect room for a ceramic tile floor. Spills are easy to clean up and it resists staining. Another seldom-recognized benefit of ceramic tile is its thermal mass. It will hold heat from cooking and baking in the kitchen to help warm the room during winter.
The springy kitchen floor is probably very comfortable to stand and walk on and it reduces noise when walking on it. This is not a problem for most types of flooring and can actually be somewhat of a benefit, but not for ceramic tile. Ceramic tile needs a very stable subflooring so it does not crack….