Does anyone recommend self stick tile?
Question:I have a faded vinyl roll out floor in my kitchen. I want something fresh but the estimate I received for a new vinyl floor to be installed was around $600. I really didn't want to spend that much, but I will if need be. I was considering self stick because they are cheap and I can do it myself. Does anyone reccamend them? Do they look decent and can I lay them right on top of my existing floor? Is there something I can coat te top with so the edges don't peel? Or, should I splurge and just do the new floor installed?
Answers:
Jackie,
I'm going ask you a couple of questions which help you make your decision easier. Take into consideration size of your kitchen, how damaged is the original vinyl, how embossed is the vinyl ,do you need an embossing leveler. have you done a layout for the self stick tiles before? Wait sounds like a lot to consider -- here's the layout always measure your kitchen east to west and north to south find the center point of the kitchen why you do this is to snap chalk lines both ways this give you four quadrants (squares) after you snap the lines do a dry lay of the tiles along the lines, this gives you a better idea if you need to adjust your lines to better accommodate cutting and aesthetics ( so it looks right to you) remember to leave a quarter inch between the tile and the wall ( for expansion and contraction) . Also what type of base board do you have? if it is vinyl just pull off and replace with new . If wood (carefully ) take off and put back on. that way if your cutting isn't the best it will hide it. If you could email me there is a couple of tile techniques to cutting that will make your job go easier and look more professional.
They are a good easy quick fix, but they do not last in the long term (2-3 years) You have to use a product that removes the sheen from the existing floor, and you can use a leveler if the existing floor is really uneven (missing chunks of the existing sheet good) and then make sure it is really clean and start sticking the new ones on. it makes a hug difference if you press them down with a heavy roller after laying them too, they will stay down better.
It depends on big your kitchen is. And don't use the really cheap tiles... as they get dull fast and tend to scratch and look dingy. I used the cheap ones in a kitchen once- and had to put coat after coat of wax on them to look nice- and they were still a pain to keep clean. But I bought the better ones with the thicker coating on them for the bathroom and that came out beautiful and has lasted for 10 yrs. They main thing is after they are laid... is to take a rolling pin and make sure all the edges are stuck good. If your vinyl floor doesn't have any cracks or tears and is not lifting anywhere- it would be ok to put the tiles down on top of it. Wash it good and rinse it well- so there is NO residue on the floor to mess up the vinyl from sticking. So- depending on the size of your kitchen- the good tiles may cost as much as new vinyl?
I personally do NOT like those sticky tiles, especially in a high traffic area, they tend to wiggle out of the place you layed them after alot of traffic has walked on them and the cracks between them get nasty with dirt that gets down in there. You can go to a hardware store that sells left over new construction things and get vinyl for cheep, also laminate hardwood. Good luck! : )
Sure someone recomends self stick tile. The manufacturer of the tile. That's probably the only recomendation you'll get from anyone with experience with self stick tile. They come up all the time. Just a little dirt under them and they won't stick. Get them too wet and they come up. Snag a corner with your shoe and they come up.
In my opinion they are junk and a waste of money. Unless your kitchen is huge, you should be able to replace the vinyl for less than 500 bucks. Check a few other flooring places or check at lowes for the price installed.
i have mine in my kitchen for 18 years, it has turned a little due to age and like any laminate type floor from cleaning, but it works.
I have the tiles, we got them because our kitchen is a weird shape and we would have wasted a bunch. But, I still use a mop and over time they hoove up in the seams, so for a kitchen I wouldn't recommend it. I would go for the vinyl.
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