Purchased this tile from Menard's. Brand is Designer's Image. Tiles are 16"x16" and 3mm thick with rounded edges that look great when grouted. Used pre-mixed sanded grout from Home Depot and spaced tiles 3/16" apart.
If you have grout haze after the grout dries that you missed, just lay a paper towel soaked in vinegar over the haze for 10-15 minutes then use a regular scrubby sponge to remove the haze and/or excess grout. I had put up some wall tile and my son told me not to worry, the excess would come right off. It didn't. An extensive web search got me the vinegar solution and it worked like a charm. Had to use a bit of elbow grease on some spots but all the excess grout and haze came off .
James - That's a handy tip, thanks for sharing. I've only done a few floors and a few backslashes but I've come to realize that it's just easier to keep the water in your rinse bucket clean. I like to use 2 buckets and keep the 2nd one really clean and rinse the sponge every time I cut the grout line. I've never had to go back thru and wear my arm off rubbing grout haze off after it dries. But, still nice to know if you miss a spot or two.
Hi Brent - I aligned the arrows as shown on the plastic. I honestly don't think it would matter visually, but I did it this way as described in the installation instructions. The floor is holding up well, glad I put it in. Hope it turns out well for you! Let me know if you have any other questions along the way.
I am installing same brand of tile. Did you align tiles with arrows on the release paper (attached to back of tile) or arrows etched into the back of the tile? Most of my tiles have arrows on paper that do not go same way as arrows actually etched into the tile.
Tom Cartwright - As long as the existing vinyl isn't too textured, you'll be fine. However, if the existing floor has too much of a texture, the tile may not stick well (less surface area for the adhesive to stick to). I wouldn't be worried about the texture showing thru the new tile, more about proper adhesion.
how thick/good are the vinyl tiles? Thinking of doing my kitchen and going over the old vinyl floor. I was told Peel and stick can be uses with a trowel on mastic. Did the grout ever crack on you?
Matt Fletcher - The tiles I used were 3mm thick. I put mine over the existing vinyl like you're considering. Just make sure the existing floor isn't peeling up on the edges and follow the prep steps I outline in the video. You should not use mastic with this type of tile... the self-adhesive is sufficient if the floor is cleaned and prepped properly. After 3+ yrs, the floor is doing great. Grout has held up well. I have had to touch up the caulk near the edge of the shower, but I attribute that to the kids splashing water out on a regular basis. Lol
Zane Blane - It will take a little longer and make the cuts a little harder but I think it looks a lot nicer and is well worth it. If it's an older house and the walls aren't quite square, running at a diagonal is definitely the way to go. Good luck!
I'm surprised you went with the sanded grout. I had read some complaints online that the sanded grout can delaminate the edges and lift the "picture" surface of the tile while spreading it on. For that reason I went with unsanded with my 3/16" grout lines. It looks nice either way, but i'm finding unsanded is a bit more of a pain because it's more prone to cracking. Dilemmas.
palebeachbum - I've used the sanded grout on all 3 floors I've done so far and had good results (no delamination of the tile and no cracks). I seem to remember reading somewhere that you should use sanded grout on flooring when it will see compressive loading (be walked on)... and that unsanded can be used on walls (backslashes etc). My brother put a floor in like this and used unsanded grout and had the same issues you're having... cracks all over. He used a narrow spacing of 1/8" and still had a lot of cracking. For this reason I would not recommend unsanded grout on a floor. My 1st floor is about 6-7yrs old and still looks great. Hope this helps...
palebeachbum - I wonder if the delamination issues you've read about are more based on the tile used. I've seen some tiles that have a sharp square edge while others (like I show in the video) have a smooth, rounded edge. I could see the sharp edge might be more prone to being peeled up during grout install. Not sure if this is the case, just a thought.
The complaints I read were specifically on the Stainmaster and Trafficmaster groutable peel and stick tile sold by Lowes and Home Depot. I think the issue is that there is not enough of a beveled edge. The tiles you show in this vid seem to have quite a bit more of a rounded edge to them. That might make all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, we don't have Manards here in FL, so i'm stuck with what Lowes and Home Depot carries. They don't seem like bad products, but I'd like more of a rounded edge and also stronger backing glue. Seems a bit weak for wood sub flooring. Much stronger bond on concrete sub flooring I've noticed.
I've seen the square edge stuff from Trafficmaster at Home Depot. When I did the floor in the video, that was all they sold in-store but they did have the rounded edge variety online. But, not wanting to order and hope I got what I wanted, I opted for what I found at Menards. I actually like the larger tile too so it worked out well.
jkidney85 Using sanded or unsanded grout depends on 2 factors. 1) Polished stone, porcelain, and glass tiles require unsanded to avoid scratching the tile surface. 2) If you want narrow grout lines of 1/8" or less, unsanded should still be used. With any other kinds of tile and grout lines larger than 1/8", sanded should be used. I wanted narrow grout lines on the floor and due to my fear of delaminating the tile, I went unsanded. I'm really hoping the grout doesn't start cracking though. Not sure what I'll do if it does, since I laid the narrow 1/8" grout lines.
Hi Brent, When I installed mine, I aligned the arrows printed on the plastic film. I honestly don't know how much it would matter given the pattern on the tile is so random. Regardless, I still had them all point in the same direction as the installation instructions say to. Our floor is still holding up really well... still looks brand new. I've been very pleased with the quality of the product and ease of installation. Hope everything goes well for you! If you have any other questions along the way just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.
Jarrod - Pretty much. It's essentially a primer. I always try to do the surface prep correct on projects like this. I recommend using it. It's pretty inexpensive and doesn't take long to apply. Just use a regular 12" paint roller to apply it to the floor (just follow instructions on the bottle). Good luck!
Jarrod Loretto - That's correct. I used the VCT adhesive on the existing vinyl floor. There were a couple areas around the perimeter where the old vinyl was lifting up a little bit. The VCT adhesive is used to bond the old vinyl to the wood subfloor to make sure you have a good, flat foundation to work off of. The 1st two floors I put down were on a fresh plywood subfloor. The floor in the video went over the existing vinyl. I'm happy to report that it has held up very well so far. :)
Can you use grout on any vinyl tile ? Or does it have to be a special type of vinyl tile and what type of grout ? I’m from the uk and can’t find any info
I would only use grout on tile that specifically says it can be grouted. Grputable tile is thicker than normal. You can use any type of normal tile grout. However, if using on a floor I recommend sanded grout since it will be less likely to crack after years of being walked on. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing. I'm about to do this to our kitchen. I wanna try doing the same thing that you did with 45 degree angle. My question is, where do you start it laying it? Thanks
Rich Richmond - I measured the space in both directions to try to avoid having small tile pieces up against any of the walls. This is recommended regardless of which direction the tile is placed. This was a bit of a challenge with this bathroom since it wasn't a simple rectangle, but I was able to do it. Once I figured out where I wanted the center of the room to be to avoid small pieces at the walls, I used a chalk line and ran a line down the center of the room. This allowed me to put the tile on a diagonal along that line with opposite corners of the tile being lined up with the chalk line. I used regular tile spacers as shown in the video to space the tiles. I worked along the longer dimension of the room first. I placed a couple adjoining tiles as I went to ensure that I was laying them straight. I hope this helps! Add a picture when you're done... good luck!
FYI - Any floor I do in the future will be at a 45deg angle like this. Good choice! It looks so much better in my opinion. Plus, if it's an older house or the walls just aren't quite square, running at a 45 helps conceal that.
Michael Gutierrez - Sorry, I don't really have a recommendation for you. I don't do this professionally... Not sure how much one would charge to install. I posted the video to hopefully encourage others to do it themselves and save money in the process. Either way, good luck on your project.
great job! I'm getting ready to do a similar tile. The one I'm going to use is 18x18. I wanted to install on an angle like you did. Any tips on making the cuts on the angle?
Andy T - I think I mention how I cut in the video (maybe 1/3 of the way). I used a metal straight edge or a heavy drywall square to make straight cuts. Always make sure the utility knife you use is nice and sharp. I would change blades pretty often. To make curved cuts or cuts that will be concealed under trim or toilet, etc I just used tin snips. Good luck!
The problem with the LVT product is the average person is likely to take on the project and expect professional results. I have installed many stone, slate, wood and ceramic floors and never LVT. I like the idea of LVT for the softer feel underfoot and the possibility of an easier remodel later when the look is outdated... it comes down to lots of underlayment prep which 90% of the installers don't understand.
2bless8 Arrh - Under the sticker on the front of the box in bottom left corner, it says "Install with or without grout." On the installation directions on the back of the box, it gives clear, detailed directions on installing with grout. I've installed this in several rooms in 3 different houses now and all have held up well with no issues to date. The oldest floor is about 7-8 yes old now. Not a single tile has pulled up and no grout lines have cracked. I made the video because I've been impressed with the product. I too was skeptical at first...
if you ever want to remove this shit, I'd totally recommend not doing this. I just moved into a place in renovating, & they did this, & it's a disgusting mess & almost impossible to get off your floor.
