Is it necessary to install an uncoupling membrane over concrete when tiling a small area, like 6’x6′?
and
Thinking of not removing baseboard and tiling up to it. Is this a bad idea because you need room for the tile to expand and
contract, which placing it under the baseboard allows or it doesn’t really matter except aesthetically.
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yo
I cuss out every damn one of those that tile up to and bury base. In most cases with stock current basebd, it looks terrible too.
Similarly, not undercutting jambs.
As for membrane-dry and no cracks, probably not. Potential for a crack from out of an outside corner? maybe so.
For a small space, without cracks, you probably do not need a membrane. It's a bit of a gamble, but probably a winning bet, if the concrete is sound. (We tiled our downstairs bath 33 years ago and it's still fine.)
Do pull the baseboard. Sometimes you need to bury a bit of trim, but in most cases it's much easier to pull the baseboard and trim (or undercut the trim) than to tile up to it, since you don't need to be as careful with your cuts, and don't need to grout/caulk the gaps. Plus the job will look better.
To undercut vertical trim (like door trim), place a piece of the tile on the substrate (ie, the concete, in this case) adjacent to the trim, lay a Japanese saw or small carpenter's saw down flat on the tile piece, and saw away. (With the thin Japanese saw blade you may want to add an extra cardboard shim or some such under the tile, to provide enough space. With a carp saw the thickness of the saw blade is just about right to compensate for the thinset thickness.) Or you can just remove the vertical trim and shorten it before re-installing.
For small amounts I've used the afore-mentioned multitool with scraper blade. Not practical to do more than a few sq ft with it, though.
But for our two baths I used heat and paint strippers.
(Do keep in mind that many types of vinyl flooring contain asbestos. And also remember that you can install tile over well-adhered vinyl -- the vinyl actually serves as an anti-fracture membrane.)