Vinyl tile source?

[ivanvegvary]

I want to cover a portion of my shop (woodworking section) in vinyl tile. = I have tried epoxy coatings and other materials in other parts, but for thi= s application I want vinyl tiles.

Went to HD and Lowes and they have very attractive prices (low as $ 0.23 pe= r tile (sq. ft.) BUT all their selections have a textured surface. They do= have one type of 'smooth' tile but it is 3 times thicker than what I want = and four times the price. I'm looking for the tile that you see walking in= to any old school hallway, hospital etc. etc. Using tiles will allow me t= o replace damaged ones as needed. Called "Color Tile" and they stopped car= rying any 'tile'. For what I am trying to, they say, "everybody uses vinyl= sheet", same thickness etc.

Any recommended sources for 'SMOOTH' tile would be greatly appreciated. =20

Thanks, Ivan Vegvary

[hrhofmann]

=A0I have tried epoxy coatings and other materials in other parts, but for= this application I want vinyl tiles.

per tile (sq. ft.) BUT all their selections have a textured surface. =A0The= y do have one type of 'smooth' tile but it is 3 times thicker than what I w= ant and four times the price. =A0I'm looking for the tile that you see walk= ing in to any old school hallway, hospital etc. etc. =A0Using tiles will al= low me to replace damaged ones as needed. =A0Called "Color Tile" and they s= topped carrying any 'tile'. =A0For what I am trying to, they say, "everybod= y uses vinyl sheet", same thickness etc.

I have gotten stick-on floor vinyl squares at those stores.

[ivanvegvary]

yes, you have, but they are all textured and not smooth. The only smooth ones they carry are thick and expensive. I have nothing against thick, but don't feel like paying 4 times the price of the thin textured tiles.

Ivan Vegvary

[trader4]

th ones they carry are thick and expensive. =A0I have nothing against thick= , but don't feel like paying 4 times the price of the thin textured tiles.

I don't know where the OP is, but around here, nyc area, there are lots of stores that sell carpet, tile and flooring. I'd call up some of them and ask what smooth vinyl tile they have. Should not be hard to find, as folks are surely still putting in floors like the checkerboard black and white type in some applications. Also, online is a possibility.

[Colbyt]

Went to HD and Lowes and they have very attractive prices (low as $ 0.23 per tile (sq. ft.) BUT all their selections have a textured surface. They do have one type of 'smooth' tile but it is 3 times thicker than what I want and four times the price. I'm looking for the tile that you see walking in to any old school hallway, hospital etc. etc. Using tiles will allow me to replace damaged ones as needed. Called "Color Tile" and they stopped carrying any 'tile'. For what I am trying to, they say, "everybody uses vinyl sheet", same thickness etc.

Any recommended sources for 'SMOOTH' tile would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ivan Vegvary

Search the Lowes website. If your store does not stock it, they will ship it to the store from the DC.

Commercial grade vinyl tile 1/8" thick, $31 for a box of 45. The color goes all the way through the tile. Over a proper surface it will outlive you.

a.. Search: "12" vinyl tile (140 products)

[Art Todesco]

they carry are thick and expensive.

I have nothing against thick, but don't feel like paying 4 times the price of the thin textured tiles.

Having just bought 11 boxes of tiles for my basement shop (they are still in their boxes), here's what I found. You can, not that I would want to, get ceramic tile cheaper (made in China?) than vinyl (but so is the cheap tile, made in China). You can even get laminate for less than vinyl. On a side note, I covered my workbench surfaces with laminate flooring. The stuff is really tough, although if you are doing real heavy work or pounding, it might chip. It looks like this:

I'm very happy with the workbench surface. If you go with a commercial vinyl, it will be pricey, over $1 and even much higher, but you can get a smooth surface. So we bought a self stick tile with a little texture. There are fake grout lines, but they are no more detented than the surface of the fake stone. It was from Lowe's and was $0.39 per tile. I'll probably kick myself for not trying the laminate. I did also buy some sealer for the concrete, which seems to be recommended when using self stick tiles on bare concrete. I also bought some crack sealer to fill the cracks .... why can't they pour concrete that doesn't crack. This floor is only 2 1/2 years old and there are several cracks.

[Evan]

=A0I have tried epoxy coatings and other materials in other parts, but for= this application I want vinyl tiles.

per tile (sq. ft.) BUT all their selections have a textured surface. =A0The= y do have one type of 'smooth' tile but it is 3 times thicker than what I w= ant and four times the price. =A0I'm looking for the tile that you see walk= ing in to any old school hallway, hospital etc. etc. =A0Using tiles will al= low me to replace damaged ones as needed. =A0Called "Color Tile" and they s= topped carrying any 'tile'. =A0For what I am trying to, they say, "everybod= y uses vinyl sheet", same thickness etc.

Ivan:

You need to find the local commercial building materials supplier in your area as what you are seeking is not something that HD/Lowe's would normally stock in many colors or varieties...

VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) is still widely used in commercial building applications but most construction companies doing such projects don't purchase building supplies from consumer retail outlet showrooms like "Color Tile"...

As other respondents here have mentioned the "real thing" is thicker than you would imagine and has the colorings all the way through the tile... I personally would be leery of installing thinner vinyl goods which might only have the coloring/design printed on the top most layers which when worn through will show the bottom uncolored layers...

~~ Evan

[HeyBub]

Are you talking about only peel-n-stick? I know HD has smooth vinyl tile that you've got to mastic down. It's generally used for heavy-traffic commercial areas, but I've got over 1,000' of it our office.