How do you do stick on flooring?
Question:Iam thinking about taking out the carpet in my house and I can't afford very much right now. So what is the process and the price rang. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Answers:
Stick-on tiles range from under 50 cents per square foot to almost $2. I would highly recommend the Trafficmaster brand (available at Home Depot or Lowes, I forget which.) I did several rooms with this and it is around $1 per tile. If you use cheaper tiles you really will have to put down a layer of luaun or light plywood after you remove the carpet or the lines in your wooden floor will show through. The Trafficmaster is heavy enough that it will not show through. They make beautiful patterns that look like real slate and wood. People who saw my floors thought that they were actual stone and parquet.
Despite what the previous poster said, it's not a good idea to start in one corner. Very few rooms are really square and you will end up with an uneven line of tiles along the far walls if you start this way. Instead, measure the midpoint of each of the 4 walls, draw a line between each opposite wall (so the room has a big cross drawn across the floor) and start your tiles from the MIDDLE lined up along the pencil line and work towards the edges. That way, you will be trimming the edges and they will all be more or less equal cuts of tile. If you have quarter round trim along the floor boards now, pull it up before you lay the tile and then put it down again. If you don't have quarter round, you may want to install some once you are done. Good luck with your project -- I think you will be pleased with it if you use the Trafficmaster.
I did my dining room and kitchen last summer. I used 6 boxes for a total of $126. Prices vary. Each room is approx 9'x12'.
The trick to help the tiles stick, is to give the floor a good washing with fingernail polish remover to get the shine off of the old flooring underneath. This helps to remove any oils and grease that would stop the tiles from sticking. I also started in the most visible corner of the room and worked my way out from there keeping the tiles straight.
Gently put the corner down first, all in the same direction .( there are usually arrows on the back to help.) Don't push hard against them or they can buckle later if the house shifts slightly or there is a major temperature change.
The two rooms took me about a day and a half to finish. and a year later they still look great!
I hope this helps!
for curves and strange shaped areas use brown kraft paper and a sharpie to make a template then cut the square according to the template
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