Asked on Mar 14, 2014
New peal and stick tiles coming up. Help!
by
Kathy Larsen
+3
My son and I put down new peal and stick tiles in my bathroom and some of them are coming up along the seams. They aren't coming up all the way they are just doing it in small areas. We did everything they said to do, filed all the spaces between the wood boards with fix all, used the primer and they are still doing it. Is there a sealer. Can use on them to lock the seams together? Thank you.
6 answers
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The issue may not be with the tiles but the material that is below them. Moisture can play havoc with many products with swelling and shrinking. It appears that this may be the cause of the issue. The primer is used to give the tile adhesion to the base the tiles are set upon If moisture or water has leaked through the edges of the peel and stick tiles this moisture most likely has allowed the floor to swell thus causing the adhesion failure. The ideal fix is to remove these offending tiles repair any damage and start over. However if your able to push the tiles back down and they simply do not stick. A fast acting epoxy may do the trick. A very tiny dab should do the trick. To keep the moisture out, wax the floor well between the tiles to help keep the moisture out. Another method is to use a vinyl seam repair kit. This product is applied with a small syringe where a chemical is applied that melts the vinyl ever so slightly and glues the two jointed tiles together. They use this product with roll type vinyl flooring. If its done right and carefully the grout line in the vinyl tile will blend with the other and you will never see it.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Mar 14, 2014
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Yes I agree with approaches mentioned above. We've tried them with mixed results. If those don't give a satisfactory result, and you feel a do over is necessary, we've gotten great results by using a hard underlayment, like luan primed with high-build polyurethane. It really gives the tile something hard and smooth to stick to and it resisted moisture better than the typical primers. Good luck.
Southern Home Improvement, LLC
on Mar 14, 2014
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The trick to Robert Johnson's floor is that he used the poly seal on the luan. Many floors are ruined using luan plywood for underlayment if there is any chance that moisture can reach it. From below or from leaks over top. This material swells greatly and many a good floor has been destroyed and required complete removal and repair when it was used.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Mar 14, 2014
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@Woodbridge has a good point, and thanks for bringing it up. Sometimes I assume everyone knows the obvious. And after 30 years of success I prefer to look at it as skill rather than a trick. lol But semantics aside, before installing this type of system we are always reasonably sure the subfloor or existing floor provides adequate protection from moisture infiltration from below. Then we thoroughly coat the luan, like we were sealing a hardwood floor, so that is completely sealed and smooth. The most important thing to remember is that peel and stick tiles and the components that are often used to make up that type of flooring system are very susceptible to heat, cold, and moisture and therefore are not as easy to install in a DIY application as the commercials suggest.
Southern Home Improvement, LLC
on Mar 15, 2014
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I'm going to the hardware store today to find the seam repair kit. It isn't moisture that's causing the problem, I'm the only one living in my home and I even hang my bath mat when I get out of the shower. Thank you for your help..
Kathy Larsen
on Mar 21, 2014
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Moisture can be coming from many sources that your not aware off. Higher humidity in the room when taking a shower can do it, moisture from the room or basement below can cause this. Simply washing the floor is enough. But check out the seam sealer. It cannot make it any worse.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Mar 21, 2014
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