Any experience with vinyl floor tiles?

[HerHusband]

We are starting to remodel my in-laws kitchen and dining area. They have chosen a self stick vinyl floor tile they like for the flooring. I will install whatever they want to use, but my gut feeling tells me those tiles will be problematic.

I have no experience with self stick vinyl floor tiles, but all those edges concern me. I would think if you were sitting in a chair and scooted it forward or backward that it would catch the edges of the tiles and cause damage?

Does anyone here have experience with viny tiles currently on the market?

Do you have any problems with the edges being damaged, or tiles coming loose?

I would like some reassurance my concerns are unwarranted, or some confirmation that there could be issues with the floor tiles. If they are problematic, I would like something more than my gut feeling to recommend they not choose the tiles.

Thanks,

Anthony

[HerHusband]

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anyone who makes a sheet vinyl version of a wood parquet floor.

My mother-in-law found a wood parquet vinyl tile for 88 cents sq/ft at one of the box stores. It has been hard to get her to look past the price and point out you "get what you pay for". The kitchen will only be about

150 sq/ft when we're done, so the overall price difference won't be that significant even with more expensive flooring options.

My wife and I both think the parquet pattern is old and outdated, but her parents have different tastes. They're both in their 70's with poor health. They've lived in the run down house for 50+ years, so we're trying to give them "their" idea of a dream kitchen for the years they have left. At the same time, it's a lot of work and I would prefer not to redo it in a few years.

They don't like the look of tile or natural stone at all, and they haven't really cared for any of the sheet vinyl flooring they have seen. They are borderline accepting of T&G hardwood floors, but it's hard to get them to look at anything but those parquet vinyl floor tiles.

So, I was hoping someone could give me something more than my gut feeling one way or the other how those self stick vinyl tiles would perform.

Thanks,

Anthony

[Joe]

I've had good luck with vinyl self stick tiles, but mainly because I chose top of the line Armstrong with a urethane wear layer, and they were laid over a dead flat plywood subfloor sanded and double coated with polyurethane varnish. Moral to story, substrate is vital, self stick or sheet goods. So far, one of my projects has withstood a decade of heavy family use in a laundry room. The advantage of sheet vinyl over tile is that shrinkage occurs over time, and cheaper tiles have greater shrinkage. Even cheap tile will stay down at the edges if the substrate is decent. A bit of shrinkage in sheet goods is not at all noticeable. Bottom line, given your situation and the political implications of doing favors for kin, have a pro do the sheet vinyl, and for your part prepare the best possible smooth subfloor for a quality job.

Joe

Joe

[RonB]

Good Gut!

Actually I have not had much trouble keeping them aligned, or even installing them. They trim fairly easily. But keeping them down and looking good is another issue.

RonB

[ng_reader]

As with any similar situation applying a layers of adhesive under the tiles in addition to whatever substandard sticky material comes with pre-fab product will give greatly better performance. see: Wall paper; pre-pasted

[HeyBub]

I've got 'em in a 9x10' breakfast room and have had none of the problems that concern you. I got just about the cheapest that HD had available with the idea that this was a temporary solution to the removed carpeting. (The carpeting got ruined with the water heater in the adjacent utility alcove leaked.) The job took about two hours, including the prep work of cleaning the concrete.

That was four years ago and I'm just now getting around to replacing them. Maybe "thinking" about replacing them is a better description inasmuch as there's no compelling reason to do so.

In your case, I'd go for it. If the self-stick tiles don't last, you're out very little.

Observations:

1. These are your in-laws. Chances are they don't have a litter of kids wreaking havoc, so the chances of catastrophic abuse is minimal.
2. To ally your concerns, add to the project the installation of nylon feet/sliders on the furniture legs.

Make sure you have a few extra tiles in the closet. Just in case.

[Roger]

Don't remember the manufacturer but did see some click together laminate in a parquet pattern that didn't look too bad. Might be a solution and give them the look they want with an easy install also.

[Colbyt]

I often use the full glue down commercial grade 12x12 vinyl tiles. They are virtually indestructible.

About 7 years ago I had a house where I knew I had some future work to do so I opted for the quick easy way out using those peel and stick guys. I figured I would get a couple of years out of them. They are still going strong and the other project has not yet happened.

I did a extreme surface prep over the existing floor. I went over it twice with stripper, a scrub brush and some greenies. They I rinsed it well an allowed it to dry completely before I laid the tile.

With proper surface prep those darn things are stronger than they look. For a kitchen area they are better than one of the modern loose lay floors which will tear when the appliances are moved.I would not use any 12x12 vinyl in a bathroom.

Of course a full glue down vinyl or ceramic tile floor is still the better options.

[Pat]

I put them down for my father inlaw without problem.

[Mikepier]

I recently put self-stick tiles in my basement over the existing 9X9 asbestos tiles with no problem. However, I did roll the floor with vinyl tile adhesive glue as an extra precaution to make the tiles stick better.

[trader4]

I used them in my laundry room 15 years ago. Besides the laundry it serves as the passageway to the garage, so it gets considerable traffic. They have performed excellent.

But in the case in question, since they are going in a kitchen and dining area and they like a parquet look, I'd take the inlaws to look at Pergo and similar laminates. For a 150 sqft area, it would not cost all that much more and IMO would look a lot better.