I intalled a Marmoleum bath floor a couple weeks ago. I’ve received a report from the homeowner that there’s a spot the size of a dinner plate near the vanity that isn’t stuck and kinda bubbled up. The spot is very near the toekick, so I could probably remove the baseboard on the toekick and get access to the edge of the flooring and peel it back a smidge and then… inject some sort of adhesive into the bubble, smoosh it around and pray?
I wonder what would be a good “second try” adhesive? And a good way to get it under the edge and into the bubble in a non-invasive way?
Anyone ever done a repair like this, can you offer some tips?
Replies
I've heard that heat will sometimes reactivate glue, but you'd have to be careful--I don't know how much heat Marmoleum can take (maybe just try using a hairdryer? and weigth the flooring down while glue re-sets?).
Have you thought about slicing the bubble, regluing, and rolling it back down? The problem I've had trying to feed glue under a bubble near the edge of sheet goods is getting an uneven distribution of adhesive, creating a lumpy finished product.
I love Marmoleum but I find it less forgiving to install than vinyl. My first thought would be to slice it, peel it open, reapply Forbo glue, and roll it back down.
Huck said it first. I just agreed with him.
I'm inclined to slice and glue; the one thing that worries me is making the slice as invisible as possible.
any hints?
If you go to your local flooring supplier they usualy have 10 gauge hypodermic needles for vinyl repair, you may have to thin your adhesive before injecting it. I would still make a small slice shoot it around roll the heck out of it, then heat it up and set a flat heavy object on it so it sets flat.
Jason
Couldn't find a flooring supplier today to get a 10 ga hypo, so I did the slice and reglue thing. I bevelled the cut a bit too much so the high side wants to ride up a tiny bit; managed to smoosh it down with the butt end of my chisel. If I had to do it over again. I'd make the cut nearly vertical, perhaps just a degree or two bevel to help hide any opening gap. But at least then there would be little or no tendency of the high side to ride up.The Homeowner is happy; she was planning on putting a fuzzy rug over that area anyway, so as long as it's flat, and the splice/cut isn't too noticeable, she's OK. The cut won't show through the rug, but the bubble would be impossible to hide!Pshew. Hate having to fix stuff like this!!
Glad it worked out Geoff. But, um, don't be a "hater".Huck said it first. I just agreed with him.
> But, um, don't be a "hater".Yeah, I try not to be. But there are always parts of a job that are less fun than others. Some even drop right into the negative fun zone.For example, who really LIKES sweating pipes under the house in a crawlspace with water and dirt and you just found a leak that's at the low point in the system and you just used your last piece of bread to plug up that persistent dribble on the LAST leak. And you have to crawl over and under all the ductwork that's under there too.
Are there any dead cats under there?Huck said it first. I just agreed with him.
Yes. This house has floor insulation held up with criss-crossed twine stapled to the bottoms of the rafters. Looks like a cat got himself wrapped up in the twine and never got unwrapped. He's now is quite dessicated, to the point where we are not sure if it's even a cat.
Well, I have to admit to a certain sense of "dread" of that type work environment, but I still resist the impulse to "hate".
Not getting paid? I might be able to conjour up some mild hate when that happens. Huck said it first. I just agreed with him.