Vinyl Floor Tiles, Self Adhesive Vinyl Floor Tile, And Vinyl Floor Covering.
Vinyl floor tiles are one of the easiest ways to get a new floor in your kitchen; or any room for that matter. Of course the better quality the tiles the more they will cost, but by choosing a higher quality tile you are ensuring a longer lasting floor. A vinyl floor covering usually comes in the self adhesive vinyl floor tile. Using the self stick tiles makes it a DIY project as well as long as the proper subfloor is in place before the tiles are installed. I get a number of questions on whether it's OK to lay vinyl tiles over an existing floor. For the most part I say no but there are some exceptions. Some of the exceptions are: going over wood that is solid and doesn't squeak, and over ceramic tile that does not have wide grout lines. Keep in mind that over time the surface underneath the tiles may show through in time. So any bumps or deep grout lines will show through over time. You can also go over old linoleum that has had all of the wax removed and is in good shape with no rips or tears. DO NOT remove or otherwise expose anything other than the wax. Older linoleum floors may contain asbestos which is very hazardous to our health. Asbestos removal can be very expensive and requires a professional to remove the floor properly. The best way to lay vinyl tiles is over a Luan plywood or a minimum of 1/4 inch of a A/B grade of plywood. It's also a requirement to use floor leveling compound to smooth out the seams between the sheets of plywood and the screw holes. The leveling compound is very easy to apply and also dries very quickly. So it's definitely a DIY project. The easiest form of vinyl floor covering is the self adhesive vinyl floor tile. With these tiles the adhesive is already applied to the backs of the tiles and is protected by a type of wax paper. It's very simple to apply these tiles; simply remove the paper and stick it to the floor, that's it. It doesn't get much easier than this. The better grades of self adhesive vinyl floor tiles are quite thick and some come with lifetime warranties. Companies, such as Armstrong, have a wide selection of lifetime warrantied floors and the extra cost upfront is more than worth it in the end. Some of the disadvantages to vinyl tiles is the extra areas for dirt and water to get under the tiles. There are a lot of seams for the grime to get into. Using a wet mop is not the best way to clean these floors. Daily sweeping and a damp mopping will keep the floors looking good and ensure they last for a long time. I have seen some people use a seam sealer to seal the flooring, but this is very time consuming and requires a steady hand. The seam sealer is basically a solvent which melts the flooring together. This may be a good idea but I have not seen any advantages from doing this, other than giving you an extra layer of protection. If you happen to miss a seam or even part of a seam it will be an area for water to get under the floor anyway, so the decision is yours if you want to do this. Installing vinyl floor tile is very easy and with a little knowledge you can do this yourself, which will save you time and money. You save time by nt having to wait for a profession to come to your house, and you save money by not having to pay for the labor to install the floor. If you want a professional to install your vinyl floor I recommend going with the vinyl sheet flooring. The vinyl sheet flooring is one sheet of flooring and there are no unsealed seams for water and dirt to get into. Return From Vinyl Floor Tiles To Kitchen Flooring
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