How to Fit Sticky Floor Tiles Around a Toilet
Sticky floor tiles (meaning self-stick vinyl with paper backing that you peel off) are among the easiest kinds of flooring materials to install, because they require no separate adhesive and can be cut with a standard razor knife. They're especially useful in bathrooms, because they're moisture-resistant and can be easily cut around the toilet drain. You need to pull the toilet out to install the tile, then replace the toilet base so that it covers the tile cuts around the floor drain; the cuts don't have to be perfect. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Adjustable wrench
- Household cleanser with mop
- Tape measure
- Chalk snap line
- Carpenter's square
- Self-stick vinyl tiles
- Utility knife
- Pencil
Instructions
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1
Turn off the water line behind the toilet. Disconnect the line from the toilet, using your adjustable wrench. Take out the two floor bolts from the toilet base, also with the wrench. Lift the toilet up and take it out of the room.
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2
Clean the floor thoroughly with household cleanser and a mop. Let it dry completely.
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3
Use your chalk snapline to divide the floor into four even squares, by laying two perpendicular lines from the middle of one edge of the floor to the middle of the edge across from it. Use a carpenter's square to ensure the lines are 90 degrees to each other.
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4
Peel the paper off the back of the first tile and press it to the surface of the floor at the intersection, with your two chalk lines bordering it along two perpendicular sides. Set the next tile tightly against the first one. Build out from the middle toward the edges of the floor in that manner, making a grid pattern that moves toward the walls.
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5
Cut the tiles along the walls and around the tub by measuring the space there, scoring the tiles in the appropriate place with the utility knife and bending them until they break. Lay them with the cut sides facing the walls or the tub.
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6
Lay all the full tiles around the toilet drain. Set additional tiles over the drain, loosely, then mark the surface of the tiles with your pencil to make a curve around the perimeter of the drain, leaving about a ¼ inch space between the line and the drain. Mark the tiles one by one, so you can see where the drain is under each one as you mark it.
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7
Cut out the tiles with your utility knife. Peel off the paper backing and press the tiles into place around the drain. Reinstall the toilet using the reverse process of how you took it out.
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