Give your floors a quick and easy makeover with durable and affordable vinyl tiles Most vinyl tile has a peel-and-stick backing, which makes installation a lot easier than tile that requires mortar. You must prime the floor with a latex floor primer first. The primer creates a surface to which the adhesive clings, especially when the subfloor is porous plywood or concrete. Tips: Like other vinyl tiles, self-stick tiles vary slightly in color from batch to batch. To camouflage any shifts in color, alternate between boxes when applying the tile. Have an empty box handy to hold the paper backing as you peel it off the tiles. Jamb saw (rental available at our Tool Rental Centers) • If you're installing vinyl flooring over an existing tile floor, check that the grout lines are no larger than 1/4 inch. If they are, the floor will need to be leveled using a patching compound. • If you're installing over a concrete subfloor, check for moisture. A 6-mill poly underlayment should be used when moisture levels are above 5 percent.

• Regardless of the subfloor material, it must be sound, solid and have little flexibility. • Measure the room's length and divide it by the length of the planks. Allow for a 1/4-inch gap on either end. If the resulting number is less than 12 inches, cut your first plank accordingly to avoid having planks less than 12 inches on the opposite side of the room. • Measure the width of the room and divide it by the width of the plank. If the number is less than half the width of a plank, trim the first and last row to equal widths. This will result in a more balanced looking room at the end of the installation. • Start in a corner of the room and lay the first plank down with the under edge facing away from the wall. • Insert 1/4-inch spacers between the wall and the planks as you install them. This will allow for subfloor expansion and contraction. • Place the second plank at a 45-degree angle with the over edge on top of the under edge. Adjust the plank so there is a tight seam and press down on the seam.

• Use a hand roller to strengthen the bond of the grip strips. Carpet Cleaning Work Order FormIf the seam doesn't appear to be tight, immediately separate the two planks and start over.Iron Curtain Rod Hardware • Slowly pull the upper plank off the lower plank, being careful not to damage or tear the grip strip. Home Loft Concept Patio FurnitureReadjust and roll the seam again. You can rework seams for up to 15 minutes before the adhesive becomes permanent. • Continue laying planks and rolling the seams as you go, until the row is complete. • When cutting end planks, be sure to cut them so the cut edge faces the wall. These cut edges and 1/4-inch gaps will be covered by moulding at the end of the installation.

• When laying the second row of planks, score and snap the first plank so the seam will be staggered at least 6 inches from the seams in the first row. The staggered-seam pattern can be repeated row by row, or be random. • As each row is completed, place spacers at both ends to maintain a consistent gap to the wall. When installing planks around door openings, it's best to cut the door casings so the plank can slide underneath. • Place the plank next to the casing and mark the plank's thickness. Cut the door casing with either a handsaw or a jamb cutter, which is also available at most Home Depot Tool Rental Centers. • Use the large floor roller back and forth in both directions to seal the seams. • Install the moulding, and the room is complete! To compute how many tiles you'll need for a floor project, measure the length and width of the room and multiply these numbers to find the area of the room. For example, if the length of the room is 12 feet and the width is 10 feet, the total area will be 120 square feet.

If necessary, divide irregularly shaped rooms into smaller sections. Figure the area for each section, and add them all together to get the total. Finally, to determine how many cartons of tile you'll need, divide the square footage to be covered by the square footage contained in a carton. For our example above, if the tile carton holds 15 square feet, you'll need 8 cartons (120 / 15 = 8) plus extras (about 10%) to make up for waste and for future replacements. Consider purchasing self-adhesive vinyl tile. It's easier to work with and prevents adhesive from oozing through the cracks between the tiles. Once the layout work is done and the floor is going down, laying these tiles is a simple matter of peeling and sticking. Vinyl tile is available in squares or planks. Other installation methods are floating and glue-down, Vinyl tile comes in various thicknesses, colors and patterns. Some types are groutable for a look that replicates a stone or porcelain tile floor. Preparing Floors for Vinyl Tile

Vinyl tile expands and contracts over time. To acclimate, place the open boxes of tile in the room where they'll be installed for at least 48 hours (or per the product recommendations). Also follow any product-specific instructions for installation temperature ranges. Remove all trim from around the floor. If you intend to reuse it after installing your new flooring, pull any nails through the trim from the back side. This step reduces splitting, so you can use the trim again. Your new vinyl tile installation is only as good as the underlying floor, so clean the floor thoroughly. The surface must be smooth and free from debris, grease or wax. Uneven floors, bumps or dips can cause blemishes that will show over time. Concrete or Ceramic Vinyl tile can be installed over concrete if the concrete is clean, smooth and dry. Repair any holes or cracks. You can sometimes lower high spots using a coarse-grit abrasive on a belt or disc sander. Any minor bumps can be removed with a cold chisel driven by a baby sledge hammer.

Be sure to wear safety glasses. Vinyl flooringVinyl tile can be laid over old vinyl flooring that's in good condition. If the old floor has a rough texture or some dents and dings, smooth on a skim coat of embossing leveler with a straight edge trowel. This creates a smooth surface and prevents the new tile from eventually taking on the texture of the old floor. Remove damaged or loose vinyl flooring. Floors requiring underlaymentIf removing the old floor is too difficult or impractical and the floor is too damaged to use an embossing leveler, cover it with a new layer of plywood underlayment. Unless otherwise directed by code, 1/4 inch BC grade plywood makes a good underlayment. CautionAlways wear a respirator when removing old flooring. Be aware that some older flooring materials may contain asbestos. It's recommended that you test older flooring materials before removal, and have a professional remove them. Before installation, consider the extra thickness of your finished floor. 

Using a small piece of underlayment as a spacing guide, cut through the bottom edges of any door mouldings that protrude into the room to allow space for the new underlayment to slide underneath. Nail down any loose flooring with 6d or 8d ring-shank nails. Stagger the seams of the ply panels in the underlayment. Set the nails below the floor surface, and fill any holes or cracks with filler. When installing the new underlayment, stagger the seams of the ply panels, and leave a 1/32-inch gap between the panels to allow for expansion. Leave a 1/8-inch gap along the walls. Always use the fasteners and fastening pattern recommended by the vinyl floor and plywood manufacturer. If necessary, use ready-mix floor leveler to smooth out any uneven areas where the ply panels meet. Allow it to dry and sand smooth. Layout of the Floor Area Floor tiles are best centered in the room at a doorway for visual appearance. You may want to use a prominent window instead. Keep this in mind when you lay out the floor tile in your room.

Measure to find the center of two opposite walls. Use these points to snap a chalk line across the length of the room in the center of the floor, dividing the room in half. Then snap another chalk line perpendicular to the first so the two lines cross in the center of the room. Check where the lines cross with a carpenter's square to make sure they're square. Watch our DIY Basics video: How Do I Use a Chalk Line? Trial-fit a row of tiles down both lines to the width and length of the room. (Don't use adhesive or peel off the protective backing yet). By laying out the tiles in this way, you can get an idea of any adjustments that need to be made to your original reference lines. You want to work with as many full tiles as you can. Also, you want to end up with at least half a tile width in the areas where the tiles meet the walls. Adjust the reference lines as necessary to achieve a satisfactory layout. Begin laying the tiles from the center of the floor where your two adjusted reference lines cross.

Start by laying a tile at the intersection of the lines, then use the lines as a guide as you work your way outward toward the walls in each quadrant. If your tiles aren't self-adhesive, spread vinyl flooring adhesive with the trowel's notched edge, combing it out in beaded ridges according to the manufacturer's directions. Spaces between ridges of adhesive should be almost bare. If adhesive oozes up between the tiles, wipe it off immediately with a solvent-soaked sponge or rag. Consult the manufacturer's instructions to determine the appropriate solvent. After you've installed several rows of tile, bond them firmly to the floor by applying pressure and rolling over them with a floor roller or rolling pin. Good to KnowWhen you must kneel on freshly laid tile to continue with the installation, put a piece of plywood between yourself and the tiles. It will distribute your weight and reduce the possibility of individual tiles slipping. After laying all the whole tiles that will fit, begin cutting and adhering tiles to fill around the perimeter of the room.