Vinyl Tiles- Aaaargh!!

iampatman

iampatman

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Hi all,

Our motorhome came with a nice mustard coloured fitted carpet. Thoughts of muddy boots, spillage etc and it got folded up and stored in the cellar at home. Off to B&Q for a few packs of sticky back vinyl tiles and after some fiddling about with odd angles and corners we soon had a nice washable floor. I was so proud of my handiwork I think I posted a few pics on here to celebrate.
Four years later and some of the tiles have lifted and dust and muck is getting in the joints and the floor isn’t so good.
A few days ago I popped down to our local flooring company and asked the owner if he fancied a challenge, would he like to lay some heavy duty vinyl in one piece in the motorhome. Yes, he said, but you’ll have to take up the old tiles first or else the old tiles will show through where they’ve lifted.
I started yesterday and after the first few tiles realized I needed a bit more info. You Tube can be your friend. Lifting the tiles is a piece of cake after warming them up with a hairdryer so Phil pops off to town and picks one up from Asda for a tenner. Getting the adhesive of the floor is another challenge altogether!
Dry scraping doesn’t do it. White spirit, meths - no help at all. Someone suggested WD40 and I’ve discovered if you spray liberally, leave for a minute or two and then scrape away with a wallpaper stripper/pallet knife the adhesive does come off. It still takes about 15/20 minutes to lift each tile and then clean off all the remaining adhesive from the floor. Should be finished tomorrow with a bit of luck, 18 tiles done - 16 to go.

Pat
 
The Vinyl guy we used many years ago used some very thick card to make templates. He spent ages cutting and adding bits round corners. When he was happy he put it on the vinyl. Marked round it and cut it out. Brilliant job. Hope yours works out as well. The old vinyl tiles that you put down with evostick never came up again. Mind you you got very high on the stuff if you didn’t leave a window open.

Think your problem is related to the quality of B & Q products.

Had a friend worked there few years ago. Customer rang up to say all the pine doors he had bought had warped and did not fit anymore. He went out to have a look and pointed out to the guy that he had not followed the correct procedure. Although he had varnished the doors and done a really good job he had failed to varnish behind the hinges and in the holes he had cut for the locks.

So no refund or new doors.

..
 
Last edited:
iampatman said:
Hi all,

Our motorhome came with a nice mustard coloured fitted carpet. Thoughts of muddy boots, spillage etc and it got folded up and stored in the cellar at home. Off to B&Q for a few packs of sticky back vinyl tiles and after some fiddling about with odd angles and corners we soon had a nice washable floor. I was so proud of my handiwork I think I posted a few pics on here to celebrate.
Four years later and some of the tiles have lifted and dust and muck is getting in the joints and the floor isn’t so good.
A few days ago I popped down to our local flooring company and asked the owner if he fancied a challenge, would he like to lay some heavy duty vinyl in one piece in the motorhome. Yes, he said, but you’ll have to take up the old tiles first or else the old tiles will show through where they’ve lifted.
I started yesterday and after the first few tiles realized I needed a bit more info. You Tube can be your friend. Lifting the tiles is a piece of cake after warming them up with a hairdryer so Phil pops off to town and picks one up from Asda for a tenner. Getting the adhesive of the floor is another challenge altogether!
Dry scraping doesn’t do it. White spirit, meths - no help at all. Someone suggested WD40 and I’ve discovered if you spray liberally, leave for a minute or two and then scrape away with a wallpaper stripper/pallet knife the adhesive does come off. It still takes about 15/20 minutes to lift each tile and then clean off all the remaining adhesive from the floor. Should be finished tomorrow with a bit of luck, 18 tiles done - 16 to go.

Pat
Click to expand...
Yes while vinyl tiles are easy to lay, sheet vinyl, lino style flooring will make a nicer job.

I don't know how your shop will do it, but in the past I have fitted it and I was told to leave extra all round the edges and trim to fit it after a week otherwise you can get gaps at the edges, 35 years later it is still good.

Mind you you see the flooring they use in hospitals and they make an excellent job.
 
Cellulose thinners will lift the glue under the tiles & every thing else it gets in contact with.:scared:
 
i use a hot air gun when laying or lifting vinyl, makes it all easier, a lot hotter than a hairdryer , warm the tile , grip one corner and start lifting while heating. removing glue can be tricky but a local vinyl sign shop should have the stuff they use to get the glue off vans after removing vinyl signage. or if you heat the glue on the floor enough to carbonise you can sand it
acetone and cellular thinners are different things
 
n brown said:
i use a hot air gun when laying or lifting vinyl, makes it all easier, a lot hotter than a hairdryer , warm the tile , grip one corner and start lifting while heating. removing glue can be tricky but a local vinyl sign shop should have the stuff they use to get the glue off vans after removing vinyl signage. or if you heat the glue on the floor enough to carbonise you can sand it
acetone and cellular thinners are different things
Click to expand...

Thanks Nigel, to be fair the hairdryer is working ok, as is the WD40. It’s just time consuming but if I wasn’t doing this I’d only be watching football :)

Pat
 
runnach said:
Hi Pat,

Few week ago we did away with three part thin carpet that is standard to our Arto. Replaced with this Easimat Interlocking Gym Garage Anti Fatigue Flooring Play Mats 16sqft D Branded: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

I purchased from Costco, used in previous MH too. Very easy to cut and shape, warm and soft to bare foot. Also because we have double floor with lockers within void, still easy to access.

I would recommend it and, if it does not suit you, cost is very little.

Ps, I would take a pic, I'm watching football. Mon the Pharaohs!!
Click to expand...

Its good as my we lad tested by knocking the dogs water all over it.:hammer:
 
runnach said:
Hi Pat,

Few week ago we did away with three part thin carpet that is standard to our Arto. Replaced with this Easimat Interlocking Gym Garage Anti Fatigue Flooring Play Mats 16sqft D Branded: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

I purchased from Costco, used in previous MH too. Very easy to cut and shape, warm and soft to bare foot. Also because we have double floor with lockers within void, still easy to access.

I would recommend it and, if it does not suit you, cost is very little.

Ps, I would take a pic, I'm watching football. Mon the Pharaohs!!
Click to expand...

Must win game for them tonight, hope they do it but Russia aren’t the complete mugs everyone expected.

Pat
 
n brown said:
i use a hot air gun when laying or lifting vinyl, makes it all easier, a lot hotter than a hairdryer , warm the tile , grip one corner and start lifting while heating. removing glue can be tricky but a local vinyl sign shop should have the stuff they use to get the glue off vans after removing vinyl signage. or if you heat the glue on the floor enough to carbonise you can sand it
acetone and cellular thinners are different things
Click to expand...
. I used 3 M adhesive cleaner ,never found anything better.
 
Just put sawdust on camper floor like they used to put on bar floors here years back.
 
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