Peel-and-stick tiles over same

[TomR]

I have a kitchen floor that now has vinyl peel-and-stick 12"x12" tiles on the floor. The tile surfaces are worn in some areas which makes it look bad, but the tiles are all solidly in place with none of them coming up at the corners or seams, etc. I am thinking about just putting new vinyl peel-and-stick tiles down over the existing floor -- mostly because I am looking for a cheap and quick fix. I know that is not the best way to do the floor, but if it will work, that would be good enough for what I need right now.

One question I have is, "will the new peel-and-stick tiles stick well enough to the original ones? Of course, I will clean the floor first to make sure there is no wax or other coating on the original floor before applying the new peel-and-stick tiles. I don't live at the property, so I don't know if the occupants may have used any kind of wax or floor cleaner that would leave any residual coating, which is why I need to clean it first.

Would it help if I also did a very quick roughening of the surface with sandpaper first, or would I probably be better off not doing that and just leaving the surface smooth?

And, when putting the new tiles down, I have the option of either just laying the new tiles exactly where the old tiles are placed, or I could offset the new tiles by 6 inches in both directions so the edges of the new tiles would be lined up with the edges of the underlying old tiles. Any thoughts on which of these two options would be best?

Thanks.

[trader4]

First thought is what does it say on the installation instructions or the manufacturers website? I would think that if the existing tiles are all sticking OK that washing it with a product designed to remove wax would suffice. I would opt for installing them so the new joints don't line up with the old.

[nestork]

Tom:

There's certainly no Carnauba wax or acrylic floor finish on Peel&Stick tiles; all you have is a clear vinyl wear layer on top.

But, to do this right, what you should be doing is buying a bag of cement based floor leveling compound (and I prefer Mapei Planipatch and was using it long before there even was a Home Depot in Winnipeg to sell it), and put two coats of floor leveler down before sticking your new tiles down.

The whole purpose of the floor leveler is to fill in the surface embossing for the old tiles so that the embossing doesn't eventually end up "telegraphing" throught and shoing up as a "ghost pattern" on the new tiles.

If you don't have any embossed pattern on your old tiles, you don't need to bother with the floor leveler. Also, if it wuz me, I would install the tiles offset at least 2 inches in both directions from the old tiles. Use a tape measure to ensure that your new starting point doesn't result in your having to cut thin pieces of tile to fit up to any wall or toe kick.

With Mapei Planipatch, you should mix your first coat of Patch with Mapei's recommended "additive" (pronounced "adhesive", which is called "Planipatch Plus"). You spread that on your existing floor with an ordinary plastering trowel, wait for it to dry, and then with a bright light on the floor, scrape off any trowel ridges or drops of patch with a sharp paint scraper.

Don't mix up more patch than you can spread in 15 minutes cuz it'll harden up on you so that you can't spread it. I use 7-11 Big Gulp cups to mix the patch in.

Then, for the second coat of patch, dilute the additive with 3 parts water and use that solution to mix the Planipatch. Then, scrape that second coat down, and you're ready to start sticking the new tiles down.

When I do this kind of work, (and I;ve done more than my fair share of it) I put a third coat on:

1. I mix the Planipatch with water only so that it dries soft
2. Then I sand the whole floor surface down smooth with a drywall hand sander and sanding screen so that it's smooth as a baby's bum,

1. Then I paint the Plus additive onto the third coat with a 10 inch paint roller. The additive gets wicked into that soft third coat and glues all the particles of cement together as it dries. I then have a SMOOTH, HARD surface on which to install my vinyl composition floor tiles.

But, you don't really need to do that. As long as you scrape the floor smooth with the aid of a sharp paint scraper and bright light (to exagerate any roughness and make it easily visible), then you're doing the job the same way as any pro would (if a pro would stoop to installing Peel&Stick).

Alternatively, put the first two coats on as described, and then use my method over any rough spots you still find to smooth them out.

Use 2 inch painter's masking tape around your baseboards to avoid getting floor patch all over them. In fact, depending on the style of baseboard you have, you'll need to remove the shoe molding or the entire baseboard. It's the baseboard's or shoe molding's job to cover the cut edge of any flooring you install in the room, so you'll need to remove the last molding to be installed, and then re-install it to cover the cut edge of your new P&S tiles.

[trader4]

Unless of course someone put it there.......

[EXT]

Yes, check the manufacturer's website. Some make an adhesive compound that you spread on the floor first, let it dry to a tacky finish, then apply your self stick tiles. It is almost like using regular tiles with adhesive, but you put a thin layer on the floor and you don't install the tiles until it is dry and tacky. The adhesive on the back of the tile will bond with the tacky material on the floor and it is like trying to get two pieces of duct tape stuck together sticky side to sticky side. This way they won't lift. As said earlier, don't let the seams of the tiles align up, keep them offset by a couple of inches.

[nestork]

Could be... No telling what a previous owner of that house might have done.

[TomR]

Thanks for such a thorough response.

There is no embossed pattern on the old tiles that I will be covering, so I won't need to do any floor leveling etc. But, it was helpful to see how you do the floor leveling for other situations where I may need to go over a floor that has an indented pattern in it, maybe even including going over ceramic tile -- if the floor leveling will work for that.

And, since you and everyone else suggested offsetting the new tiles at least two or more inches from the tiles below, I'll definitely do that. I did think to be careful with the new pattern line to make sure I don't end up with tiny slices or strips near where the new tiles will meet the walls, entranceway, cabinets, etc.

[TomR]

Which could be a possibility and is why I'll clean/strip the floor first just to be sure.

[TomR]

.........,

Thanks. I will see if I can check the manufacturer's website, if I can figure out who the manufacturer is, and if they have a website for consumers. The tile I am going to use is from Lowes and the sample tile that I have doesn't name the manufacturer. I'll go to the Lowes store and look at the box they come in to see who makes the product.

[hrhofmann]

.

You should consider removing the 1/4 round around the perimeter of the floor and have the tiles extend almost to the actual wall/baseboard of the wall. The present floor probably extends under the 1/4 round to hide expansion and contraction of the floor, and you need to continue that practice.

[Y'all Gibbons]

I put down new vinyl tiles in a bathroom on top of the old vinyl tiles

20 years ago in this house and no problems yet. Just clean it good, sand down raised places.

[TomR]

Thanks. That makes sense. This is an unusual situation where there is no baseboard or 1/4 there at present (there should be). After putting down the new floor, I'm going to add new baseboard trim which will go on top of the new tile.

[TomR]

Good to know. Thanks.

[hrhofmann]

Let us know how it goes after you are finished, a photo would be nice.