# seal seams on self sick tiles



## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

NoExperience:

Quite honestly, if I had a Peel & Stick tile floor, I would apply multiple coats of Vinyl Composition floor tile sealer over it. Since I started doing that on my bathroom linoleum floors, I haven't had any stains on them.

A sealer meant for Vinyl Composition Tiles is primarily meant to protect the tile from stains, but it also dries MUCH harder than the finishes that are applied to VC tile floors, so it forms a very durable wear layer over top of your tiles. And, because it forms a very hard water proof acrylic film, it also prevents water spills from getting under your Peel & Stick tiles.

Just like acrylic floor finishes, sealers will come as a milky white liquid that dries clear. You want to give each coat several hours to fully dry before applying the next coat.

Go down about 10 threads in this forum and read the thread entitled "Seal Peel & Stick Tile" by Echo1. It contains more info on this topic.


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## NoExperience (Aug 8, 2008)

I wouldn't know where to get that stuff .
I will read the other thread.

What kind of maintainance does it require ?
Does that stuff need to be buffed out or something ?


Am I going the wrong route with these self stick tiles ?
I really didnt want to go with sheet because I didnt have the confidence to cut it accurate.

But these self stickers now sound like a headache.


Out of curiousity what are vinyl composition tiles as opposed to selg stick tiles ?
Are they those thicker commercial tiles ?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

NoExperience said:


> What kind of maintainance does it require ?
> Does that stuff need to be buffed out or something ?


No maintenance. Sealer dries too hard to be polished smooth like a floor finish. So, you really don't "maintain" a sealer except to clean it with a Magic Eraser once every 7 or 8 years, and apply another few coats of sealer to the traffic lanes.



> Am I going the wrong route with these self stick tiles ?
> I really didnt want to go with sheet because I didnt have the confidence to cut it accurate.


If your room is narrower than 12 feet wide, you can cover it with a single piece of sheet vinyl. You don't need to know how to cut the sheet vinyl accurately. If you have access to a flat dry area larger than the room you want to lay the sheet vinyl in (like a garage), just:
- make a pattern of your floor out of wallpaper.
- put the wallpaper pattern on top of your sheet vinyl, taking care to ensure that the walls (which are the edges of the pattern) are parallel to any patten on the sheet vinyl so that the sheet vinyl doesn't look like it's "crooked" when installed.
- Tape the edge of the paper pattern down to the vinyl in places and trace the outline of the paper pattern onto the sheet vinyl
- Cut through the sheet vinyl with a razor knife and straight edge staying about 1/16 inch inside the felt line (cuz the edge of the vinyl will be covered by your baseboard or shoe molding anyhow, or you can caulk between the sheet vinyl and any toe-kicks under kitchen cabinets.
- Loose lay the sheet vinyl in your room, and make any cuts to improve the fit.
- Put something really quite heavy (like a spouse) on one half of the sheet vinyl and roll back the other half. Have a helper hold the rolled back vinyl so it doesn't roll out onto the fresh adhesive. Spread your adhesive on the exposed area of the floor, wait the required time for the adhesive to get tacky and have your helper roll out the sheet vinyl onto the tacky adhesive, taking care not to trap any air bubbles under the sheet vinyl.
- Use your hands or a roller to roll the sheet vinyl into the tacky glue.

- Roll back the other half of the sheet vinyl and do an encore performance.




> But these self stickers now sound like a headache.


 You'd be best off to start a new thread asking people for their opinions about them. I don't have any Peel & Stick tile floors.




> Out of curiousity what are vinyl composition tiles as opposed to self stick tiles ? Are they those thicker commercial tiles ?


Right. Those are the 1/8 inch thick tiles in the home centers that are the same material all the way through the tile. These tiles also come in a 1/12 inch thick format for residential use, but no one ever uses the 1/12 inch thick ones. Everyone uses the 1/8 inch thick ones because they're nearly the same price, and no extra work to install.


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