How to Install Vinyl Composition Tile

Vinyl composition tile, also called vinyl composite tile or VCT, is resilient, easy to care for and fairly easy to install. You can use different colors of vinyl composition tile to create patterns.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Preparing to Tile

1. Measure the room. If you plan to use a pattern, draw a scale plan of the room on graph paper.
2. Color the squares with markers or pencils to check out different color combinations. Or, create an Excel spreadsheet and size the rows and columns into a grid pattern. Use the Excel fill tool to color the squares.
3. Use the scale plan to figure out how much tile you need. Purchase the number of tiles you need, adding 15 percent for waste. You'll probably have to order full cartons of each color you need from a flooring retailer or home improvement center. Some retailers carry individual tiles in limited colors.
4. Level the surface with floor leveling compound and install underlayment. Remove moldings and thresholds. Trim the bottoms of door casings and jambs.
5. Determine the center of the room by measuring from each wall. Mark a line in the center of the room from opposite walls with a chalk-line. Use a carpenter's square to make sure the lines are perpendicular.

Laying the Tile

6. Lay two rows of vinyl composition tiles along the guide lines in each direction. Make sure the border width is the same on each wall. Adjust the lines if necessary. Allow all the tiles to sit in the room for two days to acclimate to the temperature and humidity of the room.
7. Spread adhesive along the guide lines. Lay the tile along the guide lines. Work in a 3-foot square area. Continue until you reach the border tiles along the walls.
8. Lay border tiles over the adjacent full tile. Mark a line across the tile where the full tile ends. Line up a straight edge along the mark line. Score the tile with a flooring knife.
9. Cut through the tile. Repeat for all border tiles. For corner tiles, lay the full tile over the installed tiles and mark cutting lines on each side. Cut with a flooring knife.
10. Trace cuttings around door jambs onto the tile, then cut. Adhere cuttings to the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean any spilled adhesive from the surface of the vinyl composition tiles with a damp rag before it dries. Once the adhesive dries it is difficult to remove.
• Old vinyl floors and adhesives may contain asbestos, which can be hazardous to remove. Cover old vinyl floors rather than ripping them out.

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