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mommabird_gw

Floor in my tiny kitchen

mommabird
15 years ago

I need to replace the vinyl floor in my tiny kitchen. $$$ is super tight but the vinyl has shrunken away from the walls, the subfloor is showing, and I'm afraid it will rot from mopping so I need to do it now. I'm thinking of pulling the vinyl out (it was perrimeter tacked vinyl that shrunk so it's not attached right now). I'm also thinking of using those self-stick vinyl tiles from Lowes/Home Depot so I can do it myself. They come in some very pretty colors these days.

Has anyone used them? Do they work - do they hold up well? THANKS

Comments (5)

  • lucy
    15 years ago

    They 'work', but make sure the surface you put them on is smooth and clean. In my experience, it's harder to get them exactly lined up than you'd imagine. You need to lay them out first (unpeeled) to see where the (almost inevitable) cuts will need to be made at the edges, so that when you do get started, from the middle rather than one side, you know where you want to go with them. I would really suggest though that you check into getting sheet vinyl laid, as it's not THAT much for a small kitchen, though it works much better if the pro does the job (working with the mastic is hard) and it turns out looking so much better (with no chance of spills getting into grid cracks and raising edges) than peel and stick tiles.

  • emagineer
    15 years ago

    Here is a link for the vinyl wood strips. You may want to do a search on vinyl sqaures in Kitchen or Decorating forums too.

    I've used the squares for a short term solution. They were easy to lay, just make sure they are close as possible to each other. Cut with large working sissors or a utility knife. I use one of the paper backings as a pattern for the tile needing cut. Make sure they are room temp or warmer, easier to lay, cut and stick down.

    A DIY show had an install once that also used silicone tile grout in between the tiles. I thought this was a great solution to eliminating water getting in the seams.

    Also, if short on money, find a Habitat Restore near you. They usually have vinyl squares and are more than half the price off. Also full sheets of vinyl is usually there.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Laying vinyl wood strips

  • jakkom
    15 years ago

    If you are tight for money, you might as well go the cheap solution of peel'n'stick. The reason is that to comply with the mfg's warranty on more expensive flooring materials, you would need a new subfloor. Don't know what labor costs in your area, but our 12x13' vinyl tile cost $300 for materials and 3x that for the labor on a pro install! And we didn't need to have a new subfloor, ours had been redone in 1990 and met code.

    Read up on the proper install - it doesn't take that much prep and materials, and your job will last much longer if you prep properly. Use leveling compound if necessary to give the new tiles the maximum surface to 'stick' to.

  • postum
    15 years ago

    I used the Novalis vinyl planks shown in emagineer's link - they are VERY inexpensive and extremely easy to place. They've been in my heavily used bathroom for 3 years and show no wear; they stand up to water extremely well.

    You're going to need a relatively smooth surface no matter what kind of flooring you use. You may need to use a self-levelling compound before you lay the floor.

    The Novalis planks are available at Lowe's. There is another product I just heard about called Trafficmaster that is very similar and is availble at Home Depot. It has excellent rating from users.

    I had vinyl professionally laid in the bathroom of my old house and I was shocked that it came to $500. It cost me less than $50 to lay the Novalis and only took about 3 hours.

  • meldy_nva
    15 years ago

    Hi! New to this forum, but lots of lurking.

    I've had tiles of several styles, and am pleased with the 'solid' vinyl (color all the way through). Yes it cost more but the cheapie stuff just couldn't hack my lifestyle -- I tried 3 different cheapies and had to replace each within 3 years because the top layer simply wore off. I laid the tiles myself and the floor has looked good for 15 years in spite of dogs, a cat, and the kitchen door which is used constantly. One hint: After it's put down, damp mop and let dry. Then paint on marine polyurethane, 4 coats (let each coat dry thoroughly, at least 3 days apart). Any scratches can be easily touched up with a bit more. Upkeep is dust mop once a day and damp mop once every week. If I could do it over, I might consider sheet vinyl just so the seams didn't show, but as it is, the seams actually aren't noticeable.

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