Peel and stick tiles; Don't do it

[benevolance]

Wife went shopping saw some she liked and bought em....yours truly got to install them.....They are JUNK

I scraped the cement floor...Chisled off high spots ready mixed low spots...Made sure it was perfect checked it with the laser level....

Scrubbed it down dried it by hand....Had it immaculate!...even went and bought some industrial strength floor tile glue....As several people told me it was not like to stick properly....So applied the glue then laid the tiles....Bought a new rolling pin and rolled that bastard floor until my elbows ached.....Put out weight on all the corners courtesy an old weight set....

Several days later I can see places where it is going to come up......

Anyone want to send me some cyanide pills now....I have to explain to my wife why I am ripping the crap up out of my house.

[benevolance]

Is there some magic quick fix.... anyone?.....Truly I think they are total crap.....Which is weird because the individual tiles were so damned sticky it was hard to lay the things...they would stick to your fingertips...

Maybe they are like shingles they need to get hot....If I have to I will get the wife's hairdryer out and heat the tiles a few at a time and put weight on them for a few days....

I wonder if they sell crazy glue by the gallon?

[n74tg]

How cold (or warm) was the slab when you put them down.  My brother in law put down maybe 300 sq ft of them and hasn't had any complaints.  If memory serves me, they weren't like a premium tile either, actually something fairly cheap.  And I don't think he used any supplemental glue either.

Maybe when you go to work tomorrow, turn the heat up in the house really hot for the 8 or so hours you're gone.  It might help.

Good luck.

[glenn kangiser]

Maybe the extra glue was the problem.  :-?

The only things I have been able to stick together with crazy glue are my fingers. :-/

[benevolance]

Thanks for the suggestions guys....

It has been 75 degrees the past few days here....So I did not think that the temputure was too cold? And as for the glue...I bought a really sweet huge color photos do it yourself book and one of the professional tips was to get tile specific adhesive and then get the  spreader with the small grooves in it so oyu could brush on the adhesive and then butter it with the spreader .....I followed the step by step instructions looking at the photos and making sure my adhesive patterns were exactly the same

I spent a lot of time with a rolling pin the past few hours rolling and pressing down as hard as I could and I think it made a difference... but my knees elbows and hands are killing me.... I did not mind the peel and stick when the wife picked it out..I was thinking...Yes this is going to be really easy

maybe I am not smart enough to install peel and stick?

The point about sticking fingers together is valid....I hate glue...no matter how hard I try to avoid getting it on my clothes or hands it always happens...Just trying to get the damned paper off the tiles without getting glue on your hands is impossible....

Joy Joy Joy

[MountainDon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys....
maybe I am not smart enough to install peel and stick?
Joy Joy Joy

Maybe you're too smart?

[NELSELGNE]

http://www.depot-tile.com/start/prepare.html

Concrete floors must be smooth and dry before installation and remain dry after installation. For a smooth floor, use a professional leveling compound and sand any high spots. Floor primer must be used over concrete prior to installation. Never install self-stick vinyl tiles over raw concrete regardless of grade level. Failure to use primer over concrete voids your warranty.

[optionguru]

I put in VCT (Vinyl Composite Tile) that was 3 inch by 3 foot to look like wood.  I did 2400 square feet with the additional mastic.  The only problems I had were when I didn't let the mastic (like contact cement) dry enough prior to laying the flooring onto it.  If the glue was wet it wouldn't cure properly.  All I did after laying it was let it set for about an hour and then run a heavy roller over it a few times.

The temperature you were laying in sounds similar to what I had.
Peter

[Mark_Chenail]

Im certainly no expert in laying tile but Ive laid quite a few peel and stick tiles in various cheap studios I rented and never had much trouble at all.  In fact, getting the things up after a few years is nearly impossible if they were put down properly.  The only thing worse is Real Linoleum put down with the old black goop. That stuff will survive a nuclear blast.

But Im a bit confused Benevolance, are you telling us you took each of those thin peel and stick tile and buttered the back with another adhesive with a notched trowel and put adhesive down on the slab as well and then set the tiles as you would set heavy industrial vinyl tile or ceramic?  Ive never ever heard of anyone doing that with peel and stick.....it defeats the purpose of the product which is its ease of application ..no muss no fuss.   Im surprised it stuck at all and wasnt a mess of lumps and oozing adhesive.  Without a picture of the results, its hard to say, but sounds to me like you may have a real mess.  I laid peel and stick on a primed cement floor in an old converted garage and the tile is still there a bit worn in places but still stuck firm.  Good luck with it.

[stricsm]

I've put down several hundred square feet of vinyl tile over plywood but never over concrete.  The only problems I've encountered were related to cleanliness of the subfloor before installation.  If a small piece of dirt gets under the tile when it is laid it acts like a wheel when walked on and the tile rolls.

The tile I used was the commercial vinyl tile which is extremely tough; bought from a big box store for $1/sq ft.  The manufacturer didn't recommend using supplemental adhesive unless absolutely necessary.  If supplemental adhesive is used then it must be compatible with the initial adhesive or debonding will occur.  

I've laid cheap vinyl tile for friends and it did not bond as well as the stuff I put in my home and cabin.

[benevolance]

I used a small amount of adhesive....Exactly what the guide book said to use...I used the trial tool to butter the adhesive...we are talking about a thin film of adhesive...it was not cheap either...Used specific floor adhesive.....It said it would help it stick better.

The floor was amazingly level....I chisled down a couple of high spots and floor patched the low spots....And I scrubbed it with a scrub brush on my hands and knees....

It seems to be sticking decently and laying down....Now that I have rolled the ever living crap out of it....I like the way it looks...But it was way more work than mortar and tile would have been for all the rolling and pressing I did to get it to lay down and stick.

When I get the Edge trim around the perimeter of the floor done I will snap some pictures of it so you can all tell me it looks like Crap....

[tibadoe]

Never really liked tile but after reading this I will stay away!!!