How hard is peel n stick tile to lay?

Question

I am redoing my kids' playroom and decided to tear out the carpet in favor of peel n stick tile so their toys roll easier etc. How hard is it to lay? Do I take the floorboards off first? Should I paint the walls first or do them last? The room is about 12x12, how long do you think it will take to lay the tile? Will I need any special tools to cut it? Should I start in the middle or along one wall? Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

the most important thing you need is a good sub-floor or anything you do won't last. The best thing to do is use 1/4 inch luan as an underlayment, this is what it is made for and tile will adhere to this best. Most of the tiles I have seen come with pretty good instructions as to lay out and installation. Don't buy cheap tiles spend at least $1 a tile, the cheap ones are just that, cheap and thin. You'll need a razor knife and a straight edge longer than the tiles you buy. a sharpie marker helps too but some tile can be marked with a pencil or they can be marked on the paper side. your preference.

a 12x12 room will take roughly 120 tiles and about 5 sheets of luan, a box of ring shank underlayment nails 1 1/4 inch in length about 5 pounds, some seam filler if your seams are wide, a small notched trowel or notched putty knife and a tub of vinly tile adhesive (quart size for the tiles that just don't want to stick). personally I cut the tiles as tight to the edge as I can and then use a thin bead of caulk, pulling off all the trim may create alot more work than you want. Tiles are fairly cheap if you mis-cut one it ain't the end of the world.

I'd allow a day or two if you've never done this before, for the starting point most others were right, measure the width of the room and find the center and snap a chalk line and do the same for the length. You end up with a plus sign in the middle of the floor, this is where you start at. Do all the edge tiles last, start in one corner and go around the room. Laying the full tiles goes pretty quickly it's the cutting part that will take time and make you crazy.

Manufacturers also recommend that you let the tiles sit at room temp for 24 hours to "get used" to the room temp, this makes them stick better. You'll get instructions with them, just make sure you read them. =) and lastly, a good sharp pair of scissors comes in handy for those odd shaped cuts. To make straight cuts score the tile with the razor knife then just snap it at the score line.

Answer 2

Hi, I did my entry way about 2 years ago with peel and stick tile. It was very easy. I wasn't as professional and didn't start in the middle, I started in a corner on the wall closest to the door and then ended up cutting all of the tiles on the opposite wall but it still looks fine and I think was easier. I also didn't remove the molding witch I should have in hindshigt, it would of made the edges smother. You just need to keep them aligned and make sure the floor is clean. My area was about 10x8 and it took me (alone) all of about 3 hours and I was 8 months pregnant (I was nesting hehe). In your case, I would paint the walls first to avoid getting it on the tile. I just cut the tiles with regular scissors but if your are thicker you may need a box cutter. If you have old tiles or lanolieum or something else under the carpet then you should remove that first but if not, the tiles go directly on the floorboards. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Remember to start in the middle of the floor and not on one side as it will end up out of whack. If you cut straight and do not have a floating floor you may not need to remove the baseboards. I would paint the walls but wait on the floorboards or trim until the floor is in. I would use a framing square and a razor knife to cut it after measuring - basically make the line, then lay the square or a ruler on the line and cut along it. I can finish a 12x12 room in one day dependant on the painting, but to do it right would take a good weekend of solid time if you are lucky. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Based on the given information this is what I would do...
- remove the baseboards, paint them
- fill all holes properly, sand the repairs and paint the walls
- be sure your subflooring is in good shape, clean and prepared to accept the tiling
- find the center point in your room; chalk snap line
- start the tiling tin the center and move out evenly toward the sides of the room
- special tools are a box cutter with a new blade, a good metal ruler, snap line and a pencil
- if prepared as described above it will only take you a couple of hours
- then put your baseboards back on and move the furniture back in.

Answer 5

I did my dining room. I'd urge you to pull molding along the walls, carefully. That way slight misscuts along the edges can be hidden under the replaced moulding.

The floor must be stabil, that is no cracked or broken tiles underneath, and of course clean. You start from the very center of the room. Measure to the middle of all the walls and snap chalk lines to find the exact middle. It's easy, just read about it. Probably on the tile boxes. The floor needs to be warm for the glue to properly grab. Just work your way out from the middle. When you get to the edges you'll have to cut around door jambs, but there will be instructions on how to use a second tile to make a pattern......it's cool. When finished, replace the molding. I painted afterwards and yeah, got a dibble or two of paint on the tiles but they easily wiped up.

Answer 6

Paint first, start in the middle by marking and X on the floor right in the middle and use those lines to keep straight(Most boxes of tiles come with more detailed instructions, they can be cut with a heavy duty scissors or razor blade, it's very easy to do and goes fast until you have to cut tiles then slows down a bit. Lastly, you get what you pay for. The cheaper the tile, the more likey it would be to peel off.

Answer 7

Be sure to clean your floors really well. I disagree with the other comment on having a warm floor. A warm floor will cause the tile to shift slightly after being pressed onto the floor. I would just keep the floor at room temperature.

When you place the tile down, keep it really snug with the previous tiles laid. You don't want even the smallest gaps---it will cause the tiles to separate even more after regular wear and tear, and it look really unprofessional. In our kitchen, the stove caused problems with the tile separating because of the heat. If you have problem areas like that, use a little bit of super glue on the bottom edges to be sure the tiles stay put. We used that in our kitchen and haven't had a problem since.

Good luck with your new project!

Answer 8

I would start from the center with a chalk line as stated earlier. The only thing I would do differant is I would use canned tile glue and a trowl with square studs and do a glue pattern under the tile. Just put the glue down, swish back and forth with the trowl, peel tile and lay on the glue. Done! and will adhere much better!

Answer 9

very easy. i bought a product from lowes that was 18 x18 with peel off back. you start by finding the exact center of the room. the first tile is vital because you go out from there in all directions. just practice laying them dry and see how they end up on the 4 walls and if wrong move center cross marks to adjust. i trimmed the ones to go to wall with a box cutter ( easy). i did it in my kitchen 2 years ago and still looks great. paint walls 1st or last. I did it right over linoleum. was smooth so no problem. get one with grout looking grooves; looks good i think. it took me about 2 hours to do kitchen. good luck. you wont have any problem. easier than you think. if you have the baseboard yu need to remove. this also gives you a little room for error.

Answer 10

relatively easy