Beautiful and durable vinyl floor tiles suitable for the design of any room. Simplicity of laying, allows you to perform the installation yourself .
Vinyl floor tile
Among the numerous options for finishing the floor, special attention should be paid to self-adhesive vinyl tiles, which makes it possible to imitate natural wood, stone, grass or even sea pebbles. The aesthetic appeal of the finished coating makes the interior unusual.
By making a choice in favor of this material, you can avoid excessive material costs for the arrangement of premises, since the installation does not cause difficulties even for those who have never encountered self-adhesive vinyl tiles.
Vinyl floor tile self-adhesive looks great in the rooms, regardless of the style of the interior design, so it is suitable for living rooms and bedrooms, as well as for kitchens and corridors. On sale, you can find various options for tile coloring, which will meet individual preferences and financial opportunities.
It should be noted that the beautiful visual appearance and performance of the coating largely depend on the correct placement. When performing the installation yourself, it makes sense to carefully study the features of the selected finishing material and follow the installation instructions for vinyl tiles.
Important advantages of self-adhesive vinyl tiles
Vinyl tiles have a fairly extensive list of advantages that make its acquisition relevant to people with different requirements and financial opportunities. It is a material that combines the positive characteristics of many other coatings, such as: natural stone, linoleum and laminate.
To the main positive qualities of vinyl self-adhesive tiles are :
- , the increased strength properties of ( coating even with very active operation serves about 10-35 years);
- is not exposed to the external effects of , for example, fungal and bacterial contamination, mechanical damage and high humidity;
- ability to maintain the original parameters of ( size, color and resistance to unfavorable environmental factors) during the entire period of use;
- simplicity of care and maintenance of ( repair can be easily done without involving specialists);
- originality of design and the ability to combine different textures.
technological advantages of vinyl tile are also not less significant, namely:
- the possibility of trimming material with a conventional knife;
- precise geometric parameters, which facilitates the process of marking;
- adaptability to laying on various bases without a substrate;
- small thickness and light weight in comparison with other floor coverings;
- simple laying schemes and the possibility of stacking in complex areas.
Other arguments in favor of choosing self-adhesive vinyl tiles can be called democratic cost, environmental friendliness and safety, as on such a floor covering the risk of slipping is reduced to almost zero.
Classification of vinyl tiles by design features
The choice of vinyl tiles requires a responsible approach, and it is important to determine not only the appropriate shade and design, but also with the type of coating. Especially since the type of tile directly depends on the way it is laid.
Fig.2 The structure of vinyl floor tiles
There are several types of vinyl coatings in building stores, but the optimal for household use is called self-adhesive PVC tiles. On the back of each tile there is a special shell with a glued composition that allows to securely fix the coating on almost any solid surface.
More difficult to install is called a lock tile - this option is designed for commercial premises where floating floors are being built. Less often, you can find brands with end-faces treated with glue or products with glue chamfer. Most often, this coating is manufactured on individual orders.
The specificity of the installation of tiles is determined by the presence of the locking system( glue or mechanical) or lack thereof, so self-adhesive coatings are a suitable choice for apartment arrangement.
Fig.3 Laying of self-adhesive tile butt-joint
In many respects technological features of laying vinyl tiles are analogous to the installation of a ceramic analog, except that with its help it will not be difficult to provide a beautiful design even for surfaces with irregularities. Covering without locks is laid in butt, while the exact dimensions of the vinyl tile allow you not to worry about the indentations on the seams and technological gaps around the perimeter of the room.
Vinyl tiles have the following classification, according to which you can choose the best option for a specific room :
- class from 23 to 31 - the thinnest floor covering, requiring the most careful ratio( suitable for bedrooms, living rooms);
- class from 33 to 42 - more robust "commercial" version with increased strength characteristics( optimal for kitchens, bathrooms, corridors);
- class 43 is the thickest vinyl tile, the surface of which is anti-slip and does not form static electricity( usually used in offices, sports halls).
Preparatory measures before laying vinyl tiles
It is important to prepare the room before laying. Although many vinyl tile manufacturers emphasize the lack of special requirements for the surface to be treated, in fact, there are some recommendations that should be considered:
- before the beginning of laying it makes sense to eliminate obvious defects in the floor, such as potholes, cracks, etc.;
- it is desirable to work on a flat surface with high rigidity;
- the moisture content of the concrete substrate should not exceed 5%;
- it is necessary to get rid of the rest of the paint and degrease the floor;
- to reduce the amount spent on laying the adhesive composition will allow plastering of joints and crevices between floorboards;
- should first thoroughly study the recommendations of the manufacturer of vinyl tiles, in particular, the permissible temperature in the premises being arranged( 18-24 ° C above zero).
Fig.4 Variants of layout of vinyl tile
If it is planned to lay tiles over underfloor heating systems, it is recommended to switch on the heating system 24 hours prior to installation, maintaining the temperature regime from +18 to +24 ° С.With regard to the distance between the installed equipment and a self-adhesive coating, it should be from 1.5 centimeters or more.
It is preferable to install tiles after dismantling the old coating, but quite often perform a complete uninstallation without significant damage and time wasted. In this case, it is allowed to install on rigid boards, linoleum, etc., provided that asbestos fibers are not in contact with vinyl. By the way, self-adhesive tiles fit exclusively on a dry basis.
Fig.5 Prepared room
Tools needed for laying vinyl tiles
A small list of tools is needed for laying self-adhesive vinyl tiles: a ruler, a chemical pencil, a square( 90 °), a roller for wallpaper with increased rigidity, a tape measure, a carpet cutting knife. In addition, a thermometer may be needed to monitor temperature performance if the work is carried out in autumn, winter or early spring.
Fig.6 Tools for laying vinyl tiles
Instructions for laying self-adhesive tiles
After selecting and delivering self-adhesive tiles to the room where the floor covering is planned to be renewed, it must lie for at least a day. Packaging material during this period should not be removed in order to prevent dust from entering the adhesive composition.
There are several ways to lay :
- straight;
- is diagonal;
- herringbone;
- with offset, etc.
In any case, it is necessary to pre-test the "dry", that is, decompose the material on the floor, without removing the protective film. This will make it possible to make sure that the starting point is chosen correctly( sometimes it has to be adjusted depending on the location of the furniture items).
The markup is produced using a pencil, a tape measure and a square:
- measures the length of the wall of the room;
- the resulting result is divided in two( this is how the center of the wall is defined);
- from the center of the longest wall is a pencil line to the center of the opposite wall;
- similarly look for the middle of the line of pencil marking connecting two walls( the point will be the center of the entire room);
- using a square, hold an additional line of pencil marking, strictly perpendicular to the original mark.
Thus, the whole room will be divided into 4 parts.
Having made sure of correctness of a marking, it is possible to remove a protective film and to make stacking by the piece, being guided by the drawn out axial lines. Each individual tile is simply glued to the floor thanks to a special glue base.
Step-by-step instruction for laying self-adhesive vinyl tile
- We clean the base floor, dust-free and degreasing surface.
- We make markup on the above technology.
- We make the stacking "row by row", removing a protective film from each individual vinyl tile. The first row is laid along the central center line of the marking.
If the tile is square, further rows are laid out in analogy to tile, with the full alignment of the edges of each tile with adjacent flooring elements.
Rectangular tiles can be laid according to the laying pattern of the laminate, when each next row is displaced relative to the previous one by 1/2 or 1/3.It is also possible to lay the parquet board according to the principle of flooring - "herringbone" or other schemes that you can create yourself.
After installation is completed, it is important to roll the coating 2-3 times with a hard roller to remove air.
