What do I have to do before laying peel and stick tile?

Question

I just pulled up the carpet and pad in my bathroom and there is just plywood for the floor. What do I have to do before putting down peel and stick tile?

Answer 1

Make sure it is very flat. No bumps, little holes or board seems etc. If not you need a very flat surface which is usually created by putting down particle board, nailed every 6", but that requires a pneumatic finish nailing gun.

Another solution would be to float it with Armstrong skim coat which will fill in all the crevices. If you dont, all those little bumps and cracks and uneven areas will show.

Lastly, get some Armstrong primer and apply that which will give you a ideal adhesion.

Answer 2

Make sure all nails are down and vacumn WELL. Get some mud from the carpet or home improvement store and level out the floor. Carpet hides the uneaven parts, but you will hate the tile floor if it is uneaven and warped and the tile wont stick. After the mud dries, use a hair dryer seriously my dad does on comercial jobs, use a glue too. The sticky tile is good, don't get me wrong, but I would use a light coat of glue, get a tral and the glue and just spread evenly on the floor. Then stick the tile. I have sticky tile in the aprtmnt I rent amd after so much use certain tiles come up just a bit with out the extra glue.

Good luck and hope it turns out great and you love it!

Answer 3

I just have to say this. Peel and stick tile is not only gad in most places but TERRIBLE in a bathroom. They dont stick well to anything except each other !! haha If you have not bought them or if you can take them back,I would STRONGLY advise you to buy VCT tiles and glue them down.It is not much more work and they last forever! As well you can move them slightly if you have to and not so with peel and stick,once you stick them down you cant adjust them. If you need to cut the VCT tile all you need to do it heat them with a small torch till they are soft enough to cut with a utility knife. You can get tighter,more waterproof seams as well with VCT tile and the glue is also waterproof once it drys. I can promise you peel and stick will not last long or loog good for long. The store where you buy the VCT tiles (Home depot) will give you all the instructions you will need to do a good job that will last far longer. And yes you can glue VCT tile right to plywood. I have done thousands of sq. ft that way without problems. Just has to be clean and dry. BE SURE to use latex glue for easy clean up. Any that squeezes up between the joints will wash off easy in a few hours. Also because the glue dries fairly slowly you dont need to rush at all ! Even when the glue is tacky it will still hold well.

Answer 4

If it's not totally smooth or has dents, use wood filler.
Then I would put primer on the whole thing. Then lay the tile.
Ideally, for moisture protection though, you'd nail down a thin layer of "Luan" which is totally smooth and moisture resistant.

The board the other guy means is "gypsum board" This is noth the case, no frywall goes on the floor, nor does any hardyboard or backerboard, unless you're laying ceramic tile.

Answer 5

robert k is right when he says don't. Peel and stick tiles are horrible. Unless you are going to put them down and move out don't bother. Laminate is good and relatively easy. There are "floating" linoleum floors now that are good for "amateurs" as well

Answer 6

Lotta good answeres, but my advice is "dont". You need to put down a subfloor no matter what. Use 1/4 inch luann and ring nails. Then put down a good vinyl sheet. Make a template out of felt paper, then cut the sheet.
Another alternative woul be to simply lay laminat flooring over your existing floor. No subfloor needed.

Answer 7

if your floor is in good shape, just make sure all staples or nails aren't sticking up. it ll poke through in no time. if you re putting the tile in a high moisture area, may i suggest putting a very thin layer of adhesive down bc you ll find in a yr or so, they ll start shifting or even peeling up. you only need a wheeeee little bit

Answer 8

Make sure the floor is spotless and level. If there are any cracks fill them with wood putty.

Answer 9

You have to lay gemison board down.

Answer 10

clean it up. not too much water though. it will get soggy