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sammy_gw

self stick vinyl tiles

sammy zone 7 Tulsa
16 years ago

Have any of you ever tiled a floor by yourself?

We are converting our dining room to a library, and want tiles so the dogs can be in there. (Why am I worried about dog dander and fur on the floor, and not the books?)

The carpeting is too filthy with the dog dander, and also my gardening does not help keep it clean. It looks like for about $200, I can tile the floor with self stick tile. Have any of you ever done that? What do you think?

Sammy

Comments (12)

  • petaloid
    16 years ago

    We put those in our kitchen & utility room years ago and it didn't work out so well.

    If you are wet-mopping and enough water stays on the floor to seep between the tiles, it can cause the edges to unstick, so consider that.

    The vinyl tiles we used have become scratched over time, so think about the dogs' nails and if they might scratch the tiles.

  • dirt_yfingernails
    16 years ago

    I bought some nice quality self-stick tiles for my bathroom in the old place. After many frozen - then thawed and flooding waterlines and a couple of sewer backups, I have to report never a problem with them. They are all still sticking tight after 15 years, including 3 years of our abandoning the house, no heat. They were fairly expensive but since it was just a small room, I spared no expense. They are still nice and shiny, too. Never any wax added to them. Wish I had the same tile in my current bathroom.

  • farmgirl
    16 years ago

    I did my bathroom floor with self-stick. Lasted until I replaced with ceramic tiles. Make sure you prep the sub-flooring properly for good adhesion, whether it is wood or concrete, like removing all of the old glue from old tiles, filling cracks cleaning thoroughly. I used Armstrong tiles that had a textured faux slate surface with a matt finish; no-wax and durable. There is a solution I applied to the concrete made just for self-stick tiles. It really grabs onto the tile, so make sure you have the tile placed right the first time. Lay out your pattern first and number with chalk, pencil or eyeliner pencil for easy removal. My brother suggested using a long-bladed paper cutter to make straight cuts. Much easier than cutting with a utility knife and straight edge. As far as cleaning went, I used the usual mop solutions like Spic & Span with no problem. However, the shiny no-wax vinyl might require gentle treatment. With dog claws in the picture, the softer vinyl tiles might not last as long as a commercial or industrial grade tile.

    One other suggestion: Find the center of your room and work out from there. Easy to do with a square or rectangular room by running strings from the diagonal corners and mark where they cross. I hope this helps.

    Carol

  • sammy zone 7 Tulsa
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    You have given me so much to think about. Petaloid, I really appreciate the warning. Decobug, about 5 years is what I have been thinking for $200. That sounds reasonable to me, but we may need to up it a little for a surface that would keep the dogs from scratching.

    dirt_yfingernails, that sounds good. I hope your experience is not unique and that I am happy with them.

    Carol, I am so glad you brought up the matching. That is the last thing I want to do, and will do my best to avoid a combination that must be matched.I definitely will put down the product that makes them adhere. Do you know if they sell something that will loosen them when we need a change?

    Sammy

  • farmgirl
    16 years ago

    Sammy:
    I bought my supplies at Home Depot. They carry the Armstrong products I mentioned as well as the vinyl tile glue remover. To take off old tiles, you will have to scrape them off. I used a wide blade putty/drywall knife. I started at an outside edge and pried them off. Then apply the remover with a disposable paint brush, wait awhile and then scrape it off. You then wash the surface to remove all the product. Get industrial-type rubber gloves as the remover will burn bare skin. Keep a bucket of clean water handy to wash off any that gets on you. Believe me, that few seconds it takes to dash to a sink seems to take forever! The product to fill concrete cracks is a skim coating. Easy to work with. Work it in small batches as it dries quickly. If you don't already have them, buy strap-on knee pads, the type used by tile setters with hard knee covers. Later, use them in the garden. Better than foam kneeling pads.

    Once you get the prep work done, applying the tiles goes quickly, especially if you don't have a design pattern to follow. Just make sure you butt the tiles edges together as closely as possible before you press the tile to the floor. Then press firmly into place. Afterwards, I did a dance across the floor to make sure everything was down tight.

    Carol

  • kayealexandra
    15 years ago

    I read that to roll on shellac over sheet vinyl first - let it dry, than add the self-stick tiles. The shellac is supposed to cover the pring on the sheet vinyl so it does not come through to the self-stick tiles. Anyone hear of this or tried it? Any suggestions or thoughts?

  • ti009_grow
    13 years ago

    I recently used a product from Novalis - self stick vinyl tiles that look like wood. Read some good review about it but now I wonder if the company put some fake reviews to get people interested.

    IT DOES NOT STICK. I hired a professional contractor to clean the floors, primed it, then stick. Few days later, the seems started to bend upwards. This is bare cement floor and smooth.

    BUYER BEWARE. Got it from Lowes, who forward me to the manufacturer who says we did something wrong during the installation. cost me $900 for materials alone + labor.

  • mrskjun
    13 years ago

    ti009, I have the Novalis self stick vinyl planking in my kitchen. I absolutely love it. I've just pulled up all of my old carpeting and am going to lay the tile in the rest of my house this weekend. Did you go over it with a rolling pin as you laid it? I haven't had a single problem so far. You might want to check the flooring forum. Lot's of folks have used it and you might find some tips. Good luck.

  • snappy_grass
    13 years ago

    My experience with self stick vinyl tile --

    I bought enough to cover 400 sq ft on concrete. I was hoping to just peel and stick, but after several tiles I realized these were in no way going to stay down on their own, they were not laying down all the way and I could pull them right back off easily. The floor was painted with flat latex, perhaps a primer would have been a bit better but even still I think the quality and amount of glue on the tile backing is what matters most here. Try one or two tiles first without applying extra glue, if its not really tight and flat on edges, the whole tile, and it peels right up with little effort, no good. What I did fixed the problem perfectly. Get some vinyl tile adhesive and get the proper trowel for applying vinyl tile adhesive. Important - Do Not substitute with something else here. The glue and trowel for vinyl tile are both designed to work for this application exactly. Ok so, a few things, the glue is VERY sticky, messy stuff, you will need some clean rags or paper towels work great and some mineral spirits or paint thinner, to clean hands and tools. A 4" putty knife to slap the glue down helps and your new trowel to spread glue evenly. Measure to the square foot and mark the areas one section at a time, spread glue in that marked area and let it set for several hours. It should change color and become very tacky, lay your tile down and it will grab snug and tight. Clean as you go, try not to get on your hands or tool handles. My new tiles look awesome, and are now glued down very tight and flat. Also, since you are using the extra adhesive anyway, assuming you are, you might want to consider non self stick tile if you can get a better tile or deal. It's not hard, just messy if you aren't careful, make sure you vent the room during install, scrape off any bumps, fill any holes and vacuum the floor first too. Good Luck.

  • LuGal78
    12 years ago

    Hi Sammy!

    I read the Novalis peel-and-stick vinyl planks -- feedback? forum (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flooring/msg0911023312366.html?148) here and saw plenty of pics of people who laid them on different floor surfaces. The key is to know your floor surface and what you will need to make your project last. In this case STICK!!! LOL

    I installed the Novalis peel and stick planks in gunstock about two months ago and I can't tell you how HAPPY I am with it. I did sweep, mop and made sure that the floor was clean before applying Henry's tile primer which I totally suggest as it makes the tiles stick real good. A pain if you have to pick the tiles up for adjustments though!

    Here is a pic of the work in progress from start to finish...

    {{gwi:203083}}

    Like I said, I did this two months ago and I have had no lifting nor bending. I also have two Black Labradors and the floor has not sustained any scratches. If an inexpensive upgrade look of wood is what you are looking for, look no further! The planks only cost me $.88 per plank at Lowe's and all in all, I spent less $200 between all the materials I used.

    Good luck on your project!!! =)

  • homer_zn5
    9 years ago

    Ia free with Sammy. I just installed the driftwood planks from Novalis over ancient vinyl roll flooring. I cleaned thoroughly, sanded, and primed with the Henry primer. Went down great. Looks great. Zero lifting. This stuff looks fantastic! I'm stoked!

    [URL=http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hfaucett/media/20140423_192550_zpsnzhe5yrm.jpg.html][IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/hfaucett/20140423_192550_zpsnzhe5yrm.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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    [URL=http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hfaucett/media/20140425_164054_zpstmuddex1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/hfaucett/20140425_164054_zpstmuddex1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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