Chances are a heat gun and scraper will do it.

I don't think you want an engineered wood floor in a bathroom, in any case. Water splashes cause it to spot and discolor.

Tile of some description would be your best bet, it would last forever with the right surface prep.

Curious as to why you think the engineered wood wouldn't perform well over the lino.

My gut wants to agree with you on taking it up.

unless you want to scurry in there with a cloth and wipe up any water spots as soon as anyone vacates it.

I'm going by friends who have laid it in areas near water (and pets who are sloppy drinkers) and have had parts of it fail due to spotting and discoloration.

Thanks.

It may be better to lay something over it.

I was originally considering tile, but I was concerned the lino might be too resilient, and the tile might have a tendency to crack. Hence my question about engineered wood.

I still think I might give the wood a try. What do you think?

I have a "wood" floor made of rubberish material out on my (unheated and can-get-VERY-cold-in-winter and can-get-warm-in-Summer) sunporch that has taken a fair amount of abuse over the last six or so years.

It cleans with a damp mop, it looks like wood, it really does--it fools people--and it takes spills and keeps on going. It is "dirt colored" dark "wood" (matches the dirt in the yard)--the grain on it looks real. I had a flooring guy come with a crew and put it in, I did not "DIY." They glued it down.

I put something similar in a tiny entryway in a cottage--it did not glue down, it had these tabs and it stuck to itself. Cut easily with an exacto knife. I used a lighter "wood" pattern in that installation. That stuff has been going for about four years and still looks new. Damp mop--nothing else. Real easy care.

It generally comes in 3 1/2"-5" planks that can either be glued, nailed, or floated. Bruce, Armstrong, Shaw, etc., make the stuff. I'm looking at either gluing down to the vinyl underneath, or just floating on top. I'm leaning toward floating; if I end up needing to replace boards it will certainly be easier if it isn't glued down.

I know wood floors aren't the best for bathrooms if you get a lot of water. Our girls are grown and out of the house, so the shower in there is rarely used anymore, as opposed to when they were still at home (seems like someone was always in there in those days). I think the plywood core will do better than the laminate products, and the wear layer of hardwood can be refinished at least once (possibly up to 3 times, depending on the product).

I figure the total floor area at about 30 sq. ft., including the area taken up by the vanity, which should account for waste (although there shouldn't be much).

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward just laying it down over the tight vinyl (it is vinyl, not a true linoleum).

Thanks for the response.

The guy said they're great in bathrooms, very forgiving on an install, and you can just glue the thing over your old lino if it's tamped down and not cracked/peeling. The glue does stink, but it's gone in a day or two.

I was a painter for 30+ years. I've smelled my share of stink.

Real linoleum can last 30-40 years; sheet vinyl does not.

You might want to think about installing a 1/4 inch plywood underlayment over the existing material to smooth the surface, and then real linoleum. It's warm to the feet,and is long-lasting and eco-friendly.

Here's an article:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,202857,00.html

http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/linoleum.html

And the Armstrong linoleum you linked to looks very interesting.

I suppose I'm just drawn to a certain look I hope to get with engineered hardwood (hopefully not warping, etc.). Plus, I have all the necessary tools, and I feel more confidant doing the install than I would with linoleum.

Hmm...you've given me something to think on here. I suppose I'll ask my wife what she would prefer, and if we want to pay for professional installation of linoleum.

Thanks for the response.

I spoke with a local flooring contractor today, and he assured me that as long as the sheet vinyl was fully glued down (not just the perimeter and seams) that it would be a great base for a floating engineered floor. He said it would also be fine for a glue down as long as the surface was properly prepped.

In either case, he recommended putting down a very thin sound dampening underlayment/pad.

I'm now considering whether there might be any utility in coating the tongue, groove, and butt ends/cuts with a thinned out varnish to increase water resistance at those vulnerable points. It's only 30 sq. ft., so it wouldn't take long.

A contractor told you what I might have ! Good for you !Now on the floating floors, I have floated over concrete floors many times, some with sheet flooring some without.

There is a underlayment for those floating floors especially for concrete .It is more spendy but how much square footage can there be in a spare bathroom!

With that I would guess you are good to go !

As was said- if the floor that exists is glued down good- there shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck with your project.

I'm definitely going to go with the underlayment, as I'm told it makes the floor sound more solid,reduces any squeaking, etc..

Decided to go with 18"x18" porcelain tile set in Thinset on a diagonal layout. More work, but a better surface for that bathroom than engineered flooring would have been:

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Grouted with PolyBlend "Delorean Gray," and with toilet re-set. I ran a heavy bead of "White" GE Silicon caulking around that tub (after I took this photo) :

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I installed some 31/2" wood base to replace the old vinyl cove. The wall color I originally chose was SW Kitchen and Bath Paint tinted to "Natural Choice," but when I got it on the wall it dried with a faint yellow-ish/gold-ish cast. So, I added a couple of drops of blue from my tint rack, and got a color I was quite pleased with. It reads a bit "greener" in the photo than it appears on the walls. Base was painted with SW ProMar 200 in un-tinted "Extra White" eggshell finish:

[IMG][/IMG]

reading through the thread I was kind of shaking my head at your bent to the fake wood then surprise! big tile and dark grout - looks really good with the cabinet and white walls.

It was a bunch more work than a floating floor would have been; I had to remove the linoleum and glue, then, because the builder had originally sprayed the slab with a curing agent which left a semi-glossy sealed surface, I had to scarify the concrete with a grinder and diamond wheel in order for the thinset to bond well.

Dusty piece of work, that last bit.

A really beat up, faded, 25 year old tract-grade cabinet. I sanded it down and did a hard wash with lacquer thinner and a rag, which took out most of the stain color (looked like it was originally ZAR "Golden Oak&quot . That left it a very light brown-ish color, and very smooth to the touch.

I then restained it with ZAR "Moorish Teak" and then applied some coats of tinted lacquer (Mohawk's "Medium Mahogany" followed by "Dark Mahogany," and then some shading with "Dark Walnut).

My wife is happy...so it's all good.

On to the laundry room, as I work my way from the back to the front of the house.

tract grade cabinet that is a quarter century old probably rivals a more expensive one today. You certainly made that thing look like it's worth a million bucks!!!!

Do the "Before and After" with the laundry as well...you just might motivate some of us lazybones!