Linoleum wall tiles

[Pantagruel]

Would using lino floor tiles to tile a kitchen wall be a good or bad idea?

[BigWallop]

I think it would depend on what the wall surface was going to be exposed to. Is it beside or behind a sink where it will be splashed with water a lot? Is it going beside or behind a stove or some other cooking appliance? Will it be exposed to harsh chemicals in a utility room? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Although Linoleum is a tough material, it needs to be kept dry enough, especially in tile form, to stop the edges from peeling under continually damp conditions. It does not like to be heated passed a certain temperature either, or it will melt quite readily and drip burning material all over the place. It can withstand domestic cleaning solutions and things, but the surface is easily scratched and these scratches allow the chemicals to penetrate deeper and can lift the polished surface of the lino' quite quickly.

So on those points, may I ask you. Do you think it is a viable solution to stick linoleum tiles on a wall in your kitchen?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do you actually mean lino - or vinyl?

[Rod]

There was, IIRC, a fad for doing this back in, umm, late 60s/early 70s? You don't see it very often these days. I think that could be interpreted as 'no - don't do it'. But I wouldn't like to say whether naffness or deterioration would be more likely to be terminal.

(Was that before or after cork tiles?)

[Rednadnerb]

I tried this once. I used some of those self adhesive vinyl tiles on a painted wall to act as a splashback. After a couple of weeks the edges started to lift, you can't rely on the adhesive to stick them to a wall. I took them off and tiled it properly.

[The Medway Handyman]

Perfect solution.

[meow2222]

If you want to give the vinyl tiles a go, remove the adhesive from the outer areas using bogroll and white spirit, then stick em with PU glue. Then as long as they dont get soaked they'll stay there.

As for the result... acceptable in cheap accommodation, but certainly not as nice as real tiles. And very very cheap.

If cost is the issue, as I presume it is, why not get some broken tiles for free, break em up further and use those, all mixed together randomly.

NT

[Pantagruel]

Thanks all for the advice. I guess it's not such a good idea after all. It wasn't the cheapness that tempted me, but the ease of cutting.

[BigWallop]

cutting around pipes and other unusual shapes, a tile saw is cheap and cheerful. Once you're finished with them, put them on eBay and get some of the money back.

Have fun.

[stuart noble]

IME proper linoleum isn't easy to cut