Top Precautions to Consider when Laying Vinyl Floor Tiles

Most people find floor renovation to be quite an expensive undertaking. However, if approached the right way, floor renovation doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. Nonetheless, with so many flooring materials available for homeowners, it can be confusing to settle on one. That is why most homeowners prefer vinyl floor tiles to other options due to the ease of installation. That said, you need to take precautions if you wish to install vinyl floor tiles the right way. Read on.  

Use Slow Drying Adhesive -- Vinyl floor tiles can either come as peel and stick or bareback tiles that must be fixed to the floor using an adhesive. If you plan to use bareback tiles, then you need to be careful with the type of adhesive you pick. The reason why is that some floor tile adhesives set fast, and this requires you to work more quickly when laying the vinyl tiles. The major disadvantage with fast-setting adhesives is that there is no room for mistakes. Therefore, if you lay a tile wrong, you have to rip it out, which renders the tile useless. With this in mind, you need an adhesive that takes at least six hours to set. It gives you enough time to correct mistakes and lay tiles properly.    

Use Underlayment -- Even with 3.175 mm thick vinyl, it is impossible to cover up uneven floors. Unfortunately, most homeowners think that by buying thick vinyl tiles, you don't have to use an underlayment. However, nothing could be further from the truth because bumps -- no matter how small -- affect the flatness of your vinyl tile floor. Therefore, while filing and scraping every little bump on the existing floor might help to level things out, you still need an underlayment. A layer of underlayment helps to create a smooth, clean surface for vinyl tiles. The best part is that you can buy inexpensive underlayment from the lumberyards.  

Opt for Clear Glue -- A common trick most renovation contractors use when laying vinyl flooring is to mark the layout where each tile will go on the floor. The design ensures that each tile fits snugly without a contractor having to guess whether the tiles are straight or not. However, the only way a layout is going to work for you is if you use an adhesive that turns clear once it dries. It allows you to see the plan clearly; therefore, you do not have to worry about getting vinyl tile placement wrong.

For more information on vinyl floor tiles, contact a flooring company.


Share