What to do about the small gap (which the flooring instructions say must be left) where the flooring meets a ceramic-tiled wall. I'd rather not install molding to cover the gap; how about using a mildew-resistant caulking compound that remains flexible?
Perce
I do things like that, the only problem is white caulk tends to brown after a while, and not evenly. If you can find mildew resistant in another color it might be better.
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in news:gorre8$ggm$1 @reader.motzarella.org:
What kind of flooring? Usually it's laminate flooring that says that. Don't tell me you put laminate in a bathroom?
How wide is the gap? Is it even? Caulk would be my choice, same color as the grout. In one home, we had clear silicone between wood baseboard and flooring (tile, vinyl); it was fine except that with glossy surface the clear was sometimes noticeable.
I put in caulk after we had some rooms tiled. Already had painted wood baseboards and the caulk matches the baseboards. One post mentioned problems with mildew - you should not have mildew on the floor unless there are major ventilation or leak problems. Use painters tape when you caulk and make sure to smooth the caulk with wet finger and it should be fine - be extra careful with taping so caulk doesn't get under the tape at the grout lines. Also, make sure the surfaces are absolutely clean before caulking - a wipe with full strength bleach beforehand should kill of any mildew that might be behind it.
Vinyl tiles (as stated in the subject line). BUT now I see conflicting instructions: the requirement to leave a gap came not from the tile packaging itself but from two different DIY books -- and one says to leave a 1/8" gap, while the other says to leave a 1/4" gap.
The tile packaging says nothing about leaving a gap at all -- even though there is a gap between the underlayment and the walls all around.
Perce
I don't know about vinyl, per se, but floors and walls expand and contract. Leaving a small gap is to keep rigid stuff from buckling or cracking. You grout all the tile spaces, but use caulk at corners (betw. walls/floor/ceiling) for the same reason. Caulk flexes, so it won't crack or buckle. Caulk also helps contain spills and leaks. Not long after we had liv/din rms tiled and new kitchen installed, we had a major flood from broken washer hose. The caulking helped keep the water from spreading into wall spaces and other rooms. Not a major issue if you clean up the rest, of course, but you never know. When our water heater began leaking (it is under corner cupboard in kitchen), it didn't become evident until the water leaked out from under dishwasher, about
8' away...the floor is terazzo, but apparently has ever-so-slightly uneven surface so the water flowed under the row of cabinets from hwh."Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in news:gou81j$rr$ snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org:
Ooops. Got me on that one.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.