Ok, I had a meeting w/the wife, she wanted the tiles stuck down on the new underlayment in the laundry room…long story, but she won.
I used Baltic Birch over 30lb felt to “even” out some subfloor dips. I narrow crown stapled the snot out of it, and am sanding lightly to remove the little splinters at the staple locations, and to get the seams dead nuts floosh.
She got the tiles, and now I wonder, should I seal the Underlay in a way to help with adhesion? Shellac, lacquer? Primer?
Or just vacuume really well, and damp sponge it off? Package mentions nothing about it.
Washer and Dryer come in the AM, so I sorta gotta get crackin..any ideers?
Parolee # 40835
Replies
Sorry, I need a fast bump, else I be up all night.
Parolee # 40835
They make a flooring primer that is supposed to give the subfloor a better tack for the tiles to stick to.
I've used it over luan for self stick tile installation and it does seem to give the surface a better chance at grabbing the tiles. I'd definitely use it again for another installation.
Depending on the tiles you are using, you might want to use some floor patching to smooth over the seams and the staple indents maybe - you'd hate to have any of that telegraph thru to the vinyl surface.
regards,
JT
Use Durham's RockHard ( if I dare say such a word) water putty to fill and smooth. It kicks in 15-20 minutes
Then I skim coat with regular vynil flooring adhesive or multipurpose immediately before laying the tiles. Not a notched trowel, just the a smooth one .
That seals the wood and gives a nice tacky surface for the peel n sticks. I never have trusted that klind of set anyway. 5% seem to never adhere unless I use the glue.
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Why would you use a smooth trowel rather than the 1/32" nothch they specify? The very small notch trowel assures an even coat, and it flashes pretty quickly in such a thin layer. If you had said you used a paint roller I guess I would understand that."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I'd bet even the 32 notch may telegraph with a latex bonding agent.Parolee # 40835
Maybe for the thin tiles, but it's what is normally used for 1/8" commercisal tile."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Because the goal is to seal the underlay, not to totally glue the tiles. They have their own glue built in.The paint idea of others will do the same thing. What those preglued tiles need is a very smooth and clean surface.
Priming it with either paint or adhesive will do that.Also, by skimming with smooth trowel, I am doing the whole floor at once. If I used notched, I would use more glue and need to work in spurts around skin time.
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I've done a few self-stick tile foors. I used luan, not baltic birch so my experience is specific to that. I found that 2 coats of primer vastly increased the adhesion. After the 1st coat, I sanded lightly.
What KIND of primer? Oil, Shellac? Latex? Lacquer?
I got em all.Parolee # 40835
I did this a LONG time ago. IIRC it was a thin liquid like a latex bonding agent.My speculation is that either pigment shellac or latex primer would work..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I have both, I lean towards BIN Shellac.
ThanksParolee # 40835
I used latex 100% acrylic primer. I'm not sure what would work best, but oil-based primer must be at least as good as latex, probably better. Of course, there's the smell to deal with.
-Don
Actually, I was the one that told the wife. That the floor HAS to be under that washer and dryer..... Pan for overflow, etc.
Now I made a bed, I am fixing to sleep in it.
ThanksParolee # 40835
Arrgh.
Ok, thanks. These have really good glue. I did a basement on epoxy sealed Concrete, that was hell.
Piff...I have plenty of Durhams, but I really don't think I need it.
Gonna have at it w/o adhesive or primer I think, just like Gene, I already have a plan, just wanted to read the pitfalls.
Now she wants the hallway, the bathroom, and the kitchen with all the same...I am gonna be ripping up UL till I am blue in the face. There goes my endgrain flooring idea, out the kitchen window.
Parolee # 40835
It was a long time ago, but I asked a question here about self-stick vinyl tiles shrinking with time.
Got a lot of BS about DIY from some, but they DO shrink!
Rethink using the self stick, I know I will NEVER use any such again. I has used Armstrong higher priced tiles. Spare tiles kept in the cool basement did not shrik as much as the ones on the upstairs floor.
Alos got some responses about some types of regular tiles also shrinking.
If you use them, tell us next year how wide the gaps are <:(
Art. Outta my hands.. I just drive the bus. Her room, her idea, and she has all the verticle smile, and half the money.
I do what I am told.Parolee # 40835
I 'rooched' around in the sheds and found the spare tiles from 15? years ago. (Replaced the shrunk tiles on the kitchen floor 2 years ago with sheet goods).
The specific tiles I used that shrunk badly were Armstrong Excelon Stylistick.
At least talk the DW into not selecting that brand or style, or take it back if that is what you have. .
Also, after about 10 years, the corners of 2 tiles that were near chair legs chipped free. Ugly mess.
Edit PS: my vertical smile half was more PO'ed about the gaps in the shrunk tiles than I was, and the chips of the corners dictated palnning for a new floor. The 50 cents per yard vinyl sheet that was down for 15 years before that had 2-3 small tears, but DW wanted a brighter color.
On a similar subject, have some Armstrong Corlon (good rep for durability) on my cabin floor that I got surplus and installed 27 years ago over painted 3/4 AC ply. It has 2 about 3" long cracks that started about 4 years ago. 600 sq ft floor, maybe big factor is unheated 98% of the time in WA state?
Edited 5/4/2007 10:42 pm ET by junkhound
Yes, they do change over time, and the thicker (more expensive) vinyl tiles seem to have other issues. Normal cleaning loosens the edges and corners because they're not perfectly sealed. If you apply pressure in the middle of a tile with foot traffic or a chair leg, the vinyl expands and curls up the edges ever so slightly. The next time the floor is cleaned this lets a little more dirt and water underneath the edges, and the delamination continues. After a couple of years of normal use it starts to look like heck.Vinyl, self-stick floor tiles can look really nice, but only if you never actually use the floor or clean it.
just damp sponge and vac.
no primer or sealer needed.
decent brand and level tiles? Have at it ...
do have a propane torch handy ... if U notice not much stick in any one area ... just kiss the back of the tile with the flame ... little heat makes for lotsa stick ...
more heat makes for flexible tiles that'll go up and down the old concrete in a Pgh basement floor ... and they'll hold their shape and stay down forever.
also ... don't be shy about giving them a little bend as ya stick them ... spring them down ... makes for tighter fit and even more stick.
at the end of the job ... yer finger tips should be black from adhesive lines and red from almost bursting with blood ... and sore.
I think I grew up stick-tiling half of the basements in Pgh ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
The deed is done. I used heat gun, no flames for me, this place is a fire looking for a place to happen.
Parolee # 40835
heat gun ...
I always forget there's a corded version of a plumbers torch for non-plumbing heating.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
There's always the wife's hair dryer too, depending on the relationship you want to have with her....
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I actually carry a hair dryer in the box of the van.
helps speed dry joint compound and the occasional paint job.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
or dry things up for a roof patch or thaw a frozen....
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!