How to Install Floating Vinyl Tiles
Vinyl floor tiles are normally installed with adhesive, but there is another option. Special glueless, or "floating," vinyl tiles fit tightly together without attaching to the subfloor. This is an easier and less messy way of laying the floor, and it can go over any hard, flat surface without altering the surface. Another advantage to this type of floor is that you can take it up later. Start with a clean, dry subfloor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Floating vinyl tiles
- 1/4-inch plastic spacers
- Tape measure
- Square
- Utility knife
- Trim nailer
- Eye protection
Instructions
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1
Pry off the floor trim from around the perimeter of the room, using a hammer and pry bar. Don't break it as you remove it --- you'll be reusing it later.
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2
Set the vinyl floor tile in a corner of the floor. Set plastic spacers between the tile and the walls so there is a small space there.
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3
Set the second tile next to the first one along the wall. Use the spacers are described in Step 2. Attach the tiles to each other via the specialized fittings along the sides.
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4
Repeat the process, setting the rest of the tiles along the wall, linking them to one another.
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5
Cut the last tile in the course as needed by setting a square over the surface and scoring alongside the square with a utility knife, then bending the tile at the scored line until it snaps.
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6
Set the second row of tiles next to the first, attaching them at the sides. Lay them out in a grid pattern. Cut the final one as needed.
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7
Continue laying the tiles row by row, building across the floor. Cut the last course of tiles so they fit along the far wall, leaving ¼ inch of space between the tiles and the wall.
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8
Put the floor trim back in, using a trim nailer, so it covers the spaces around the edge of the room.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when cutting tiles.
