Peel and Stick Tile

[Deleted]

Not sure what happened with the other thread, but here is the answer I had typed....

I redid about 600 square feet of flooring in my house a couple months ago, and laid down peel and stick tiles from Home Depot. I used the cheap ones, and have had ZERO issues. We used them in our old house as well and never had a problem with a single tile trying to come up or anything. Occasionally they will leak adhesive between the tiles and you can remove that with alcohol.

I removed the carpet and then spent days pounding out staples and nails, sanding the floor, vacuuming over and over again, sealed the floor, and then when it was all flat and clean, I laid down the tiles taking care to clean the floor one last time before sticking them. It is dirt and uneven flooring that will cause you problems with this type of tile.

The best thing you can adhere peel and stick tiles to is existing linoleum floor! They stick to that better than sub-floor even when it is treated with the special adhesive. I would NOT remove the existing floor and I would not install sub-flooring, unless your floor is damaged or is not perfectly flat when you are done prepping the floor for the tile.

I also used this stuff called BIN shellac which is used as a sealant over any places where cats/dogs have pottied. This seals in any possible smells. It was $50 a gallon, but it did the job very well for the spot I needed it for. I ended up sealing most of the rest of the sub-floor area with it as well.

For 600 square feet (My office and kitchen) I used 12 boxes of tiles and have 2 that are cut. Total cost of the project was about $700. I did this project in a very manic mental health state and couldn't really afford it, but I was tired of my DS's cat peeing in my office.

The new flooring looks great and I highly recommend it - especially over carpet in a kitchen or bathroom - yuck.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Chiver merged it into 2kids10horses Home Improvement Thread, at my request.

[Deleted]

Forgot to add... In the wallpaper section of the hardware store they sell a large brayer. It's a rubber roller on the end of a metal handle. I used that to go over each of the tiles to help them stick to the floor and remove any air. It did seem to really help with laying the floor. I think it was $20 at the Home Depot and was well worth the cost.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Aug 23, 2012 9:43:15 GMT -5 @goldpanninggirl said:

Forgot to add... In the wallpaper section of the hardware store they sell a large brayer. It's a rubber roller on the end of a metal handle. I used that to go over each of the tiles to help them stick to the floor and remove any air. It did seem to really help with laying the floor. I think it was $20 at the Home Depot and was well worth the cost.

Oooh, I've got one of those! My sister bought for me a couple of years ago when we were dealing with our flooded basement. the carpet down there was glued directly onto the cement floor.

[Deleted]

You also need a good box cutter and a ruler to cut the edge tiles. Score the image on the front of the tile and they snap apart.

Other than that, this project is very doable for most people. I weigh 300 pounds and I just sat on the floor and moved around.

It took a long time to clean/prep the floor but it does look great done. I highly recommend this route if you can't afford to have sheet vinyl installed or want something for a few years that will look good. I have cats, dogs and teenagers and the floor looks great. It has had water and cat barf on it and it cleans like a charm.

[Wisconsin Beth]

We've got good box cutters too. I might need to buy a ruler though!

[hoops902]

::The best thing you can adhere peel and stick tiles to is existing linoleum floor! They stick to that better than sub-floor even when it is treated with the special adhesive. I would NOT remove the existing floor and I would not install sub-flooring, unless your floor is damaged or is not perfectly flat when you are done prepping the floor for the tile.::

I agree, I've stuck it on old linoleum and on wooden subfloor and it sticks to the linoleum much better. You definitely need to use some kind of roller on it though to get good adhesion. Heck the entire point of using something simple like peel-n-stick is that you don't need to lay down new subfloor.

::You also need a good box cutter and a ruler to cut the edge tiles. Score the image on the front of the tile and they snap apart. ::

I've found scoring on the front, folding to crease it, then cutting it from the back creates a more clean line. Definitely need a good razor blade though, and plenty of blades.

Also, I would recommend the kind without the bevel on the edges. They do look more like real tile as bevel forms a simulated grout line, but dirt/dust gets down in there and is a pain to clean.


ETA: Or just go with a floating laminate floor. They make them to look like tile also. For me personally, I'd go that route, though it can be more expensive. Little thicker, little more durable, and to me seem more friendly to spills and things like that.

[Deleted]

We used peel & stick tiles in my sewing room. As close to damage proof as it can be. It was used on my sewing machine table top, cutting board area (I'm a quilter) and the 2 desks.

On the floor when we bought this house new, the builder had done the concrete floor paint on stuff with little specks. I quickly damaged it rolling my sewing chair around. We bought some flooring at Lowes that was insulated & went down similar to wood except no nailing. It's terrific and the concrete floor is no longer cold. It is some type of laminate that looks like marble floors and closely matches the peel & stick tiles.

Both were simple fixes for not alot of money.

....what hoops said: floating laminate floor

[thyme4change]

I also used this stuff called BIN shellac which is used as a sealant over any places where cats/dogs have pottied. This seals in any possible smells. It was $50 a gallon, but it did the job very well for the spot I needed it for. I ended up sealing most of the rest of the sub-floor area with it as well.

Can I just shelac my cat in it? He peed on the carpet again last night. I hope that cat is ill - because if he just pees in every friggin corner of the house, I'm not sure I can live with him any longer.

[Deleted]

Cats tend to urinate where they smell urine. If you can successfully seal/replace the flooring the peeing will likely stop. Mine only peed in my office. I have since tossed that cat outside, but the others would pee where she had already peed. Since I replaced my floor the peeing is 100% stopped. (And, the cat I tossed out disappeared that night and never returned home. Oops.)

[thyme4change]

Well - my cat has started peeing on the bathroom floor - brand new tile. So I am super irritated at that. I can't replace that - I just spent $15,000 on that bathroom. I've been cleaning it with Nature's Miracle. I got a new bath mat (and he peed on that too) so I now have no bath rug. Then he decided to go into the shower (the brand new shower, with the brand new tile) and pee in there. At least it is easier to clean, but I can't seem to get that smell out of the grout. There is a litter box in that bathroom. I clean it every morning, and it rarely has anything in it. I also changed the brand of litter I was using. There is another litter box in the office, which rarely gets used. Plus he has access to outside. He peed in the corner of our living room, and two corners of our dining room, and in both my bedroom and my daughter's bedroom. I haven't found a spot in my son's room, but I won't be surprised if I find one. We are considering replacing all the flooring in the entire house - but I won't put down tile or wood in the bedrooms. I like carpet (I know - I'm old fashioned that way.) So, if I spend $10,000 to replace all that flooring, and I seal the floor and everything, and the cat pees in the corner again - I'm going to be livid. Felineacidal! So, we are trying to wait until the cat is dead to do anything. With my stupid luck, He will probably live and urinate for another 5 years.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 23, 2012 11:21:40 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Well - my cat has started peeing on the bathroom floor - brand new tile. So I am super irritated at that. I can't replace that - I just spent $15,000 on that bathroom. I've been cleaning it with Nature's Miracle. I got a new bath mat (and he peed on that too) so I now have no bath rug. Then he decided to go into the shower (the brand new shower, with the brand new tile) and pee in there. At least it is easier to clean, but I can't seem to get that smell out of the grout. There is a litter box in that bathroom. I clean it every morning, and it rarely has anything in it. I also changed the brand of litter I was using. There is another litter box in the office, which rarely gets used. Plus he has access to outside. He peed in the corner of our living room, and two corners of our dining room, and in both my bedroom and my daughter's bedroom. I haven't found a spot in my son's room, but I won't be surprised if I find one. We are considering replacing all the flooring in the entire house - but I won't put down tile or wood in the bedrooms. I like carpet (I know - I'm old fashioned that way.) So, if I spend $10,000 to replace all that flooring, and I seal the floor and everything, and the cat pees in the corner again - I'm going to be livid. Felineacidal! So, we are trying to wait until the cat is dead to do anything. With my stupid luck, He will probably live and urinate for another 5 years.

Has the cat been to the vet? One of the most common problems of a cat urinating inappropriately is when they have some sort of bladder issues.

I had a cat who had feline urinary syndrome. When he started to get blocked up, he'd pee in the bathtub.

[thyme4change]

I think I'll make a vet appointment right now. Our lives are complicated by having three cats. So, it takes a while to figure out who is having the issues. There was a week when my oldest cat looked like she was going to die - she was limping around, she pooped on the floor, lots of barf. And I found some pee - so I assumed she was just done. And then, she rallied. She looks totally healthy now. But last night I caught my other old cat peeing for the 2nd time - so I'm pretty sure it is him. He also has emotional issues. As I said - I really hope it is something physical, because then we can fix it.

[weltschmerz]

I had a cat who had feline urinary syndrome. When he started to get blocked up, he'd pee in the bathtub.
----------------
So did mine. Evidently, it's quite common....almost as if they do it so their owners can the the traces of blood in the urine.
Please have your cat checked out, Thyme.

[zibazinski]

We did that and got him meds and tests. It was behavioral so now he is on Prozac. But he still is in isolation.

[thyme4change]

It was behavioral so now he is on Prozac.

My biggest fear. This cat is not making me happy. He has been an "okay" cat at best.

[weltschmerz]

Have there been any major changes or upheavals at home, Thyme?

[thyme4change]

I had a baby....8 years ago.