How to Patch the Surface on a Vinyl Floor Tile

If you have vinyl tile floors, the time may arrive when you must patch the surface. If you have extra tiles on hand, it's a quick repair. But if you don't, there still are some things you can do to patch a damaged vinyl floor tile.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Liquid seam sealer
• Lacquer thinner
• Rubber gloves
• Clean rags
• Utility knife
• Putty knife
• Mastic
• Waxed paper

1. Prep for the repair. Put on rubber gloves and open a window to give yourself plenty of ventilation. Clean the area with lacquer thinner. Let it dry completely.

2. Fill in small scratches. Apply a thin line of liquid seam sealer to the surface crack or scratch. Let it dry. If the damage is more serious, proceed to the next step.

3. Make an X with the utility knife over the part of the vinyl floor tile you are removing. Insert the corner of the putty knife and work your way from the center of the tile to the outer edge. If you are only replacing part of the tile, cut the boundaries with the utility knife and pry out the bad portion of the tile.

4. Scrape the subflooring to remove all the glue. The surface should be clean when you finish.

5. Cut the replacement tile to fit the hole. Make sure the pattern is an exact match. If you are using the entire tile, you don't need any cuts.

6. Put mastic on the subflooring. Set the tile or patch in place. Wipe up any mastic that oozes through the cracks.

7. Place a sheet of waxed paper over the patched tile. Set a heavy object over the tile to hold it in place until it dries. Seal the seams with liquid seam sealer when the patch dries.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a replacement vinyl floor tile, pry up a tile from under the stove or refrigerator.