vinyl on really old, slanted, uneven floors

12 years ago

I am trying to quickly find something for our rental house (student rental) for the kitchen floor. It currently has ripped, gouged, approx. 30 year old vinyl...long story why it wasn't replaced sooner.

This is a very old house and we are updating it somewhat but don't have the kind of time or money or rip out the floors and rebuild to correct the sagging (which is pretty pronounced.) The guy doing the work for me is suggesting I use 18 x 18 or 12 x 12 glue down squares of vinyl, possibly commercial, which he says will last longer than sheet and that has the advantage of being able to replace individual tiles that may get damaged by a burn or tear.

I like that idea but am concerned that the uneven floor, the fact that it's not air conditioned or well insulated (meaning there is a great deal of shrinkage/expansion that happens with heat, moisture or lack thereof... )may make sheet vinyl a better idea. I'm afraid the tiles will not stay together.

Plus, honestly, I'm tired of looking for materials and found a sheet that will be fine and that I can get in a couple of days. It's Tarkett FiberFloor Fresh Start.

My question? Can you please just do this for me? No, kidding. Is there a reasonably priced (i.e., cheapish) vinyl tile square out there that is readily available and that will induce me to go look at it and maybe pay a bit more for it?

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Comments (4)

Floortech
12 years ago
Fiber Floor is the right choice for what you are doing. it can be loose laid and let the sin be underneath. Good Luck
jessie21
Original Author
12 years ago
really, floortech? even the cheaper ones? It didn't rip or scratch real easily, but seems pretty thin and pliable. I would be relieved if I can stop looking now....but i will look more if I have to. thanks for your answer!
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northcarolina
12 years ago
Not floortech, but we put sheet down in our basement, which had a not-level concrete floor with a lot of cracks. The installers filled in the cracks and laid the sheet right on top and it has been just fine. The brand we used is Flexitec, but it looks like the same sort of thing as FiberFloor (flexible fiberglass and foam layers). Our floor guy recommended the flexible sheet as being best for our uneven concrete floor. He didn't push us toward the more expensive ones with the thicker wear layers; we got one in the middle (chosen for its pattern and color) and we have been happy with it so far (8 mos). BTW, it is about the only floor in our house that our dog doesn't slip on...

I would think that vinyl tiles on an uneven kitchen floor would pose a leak risk if the edges and corners pulled up at all. Our kitchen had vinyl tile at one time but unfortunately I don't really remember how the edges looked by the time we put a new floor in. Sheet was a lot faster to install because somebody else did it, not us. lol. (Putting down vinyl tiles ourselves would have cost a lot less, though.)
jessie21
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks northcarolina, for weighing in. I did pick the fiber floor, middle of the line which i wanted for durability/cost balance........not my favorite pattern but could be fine. my favorite was the cheapest, seriously. The guy is putting it in today I think......will see tomorrow.

I am VERY glad I went with it at this point because of what you mentioned...I have been afraid the tiles would lift and separate (and not in a good way, ha).

vinyl on really old, slanted, uneven floors

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Floortech

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vinyl on really old, slanted, uneven floors

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Floortech

jessie21Original Author

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northcarolina

jessie21Original Author

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jessie21
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