I've installed some self-stick vinyl tiles recently and have had trouble with the tiles near the edge of the room shifting around and creating gaps. Is this a common problem? What is the best way to lock them down? Thanks.
Your substrate is faulty. The tile adhesive is made to stick to a smooth impervious surface, so somehow you don't have that. Old waxed linoleum is an example of surfaces that don't work well. Some installers will go over exiting problem floors with luan plywood before the tile goes down. My personal preference for my own palace is decent plywood, sanded and coated with the cheapest polyurethane on the box store shelf. Imperfections leveled with Bondo and sanded again. Did a laundry room this way with Armstrong's best S.A. tiles a decade ago and it still looks new. Cheap tiles will have lesser quality adhesive, and also (based on my experience) there is tile shrinkage over the years with noticeable gaps between the tiles. This shrinkage is more pronounced in one direction than another, so the manufacturing process must produce a little 'grain' for it to happen. To solve your problem, talk the folks at a real tile store and they may be able to find you an adhesive compatible with your present tile that could keep it in place until its time for replacement. Good luck.
Joe
I never trust the self-stick adhesive to do the trick, and glue the tiles down with all purpose vinyl sheetgoods adhesive. Go easy on it, or it will ooze up in the gaps.
JK
A staplegun? :^/
Tear them up, throw them away, and get a real floor. Self-stick may be useful for movie sets or staging for an ad, but do not work on floors that actually get used, IMHO. Did you degrease previous floor before they went down? If there is any trace of old wax, or a shiny no-wax floor, it is hopeless.
-- aem sends...
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