by Ronnie
Replacing kitchen floor that is oddly shaped
+2
My kitchen is oddly shaped. So, using sheet vinyl would be expensive and oh, so wasteful, peel and stick tiles look like a good idea for a beginner like me. But then when I went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore I saw very high quality vinyl tile, the indestructible kind, like schools have, for only .25 each brand new. They are usually waxed. What happens if I don't wax and if I do how often is it required?
5 answers
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Those heavy tiles will dull quickly if you do not wax them. How frequent will depend upon how much traffic your floor gets. One concern I have about those tiles is their age. Could they contain asbestos? They are not the peel and stick kind and need to be glued down. You can get the same tiles at the apron stores for about the same price. Those are considered safe to use. Also by purchasing them at a store, you have a better chance to get more later on if they need to be fixed due to damage. Not going to have that same luck at the Habitat store.
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Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Aug 08, 2014
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The tiles at the Habitat stores are left overs contractors bring in. Asbestos is not an issue on new floor tile - and a clue is the size...asbestos tiles were usually 8 x8 tiles not 12 x 12 and even with that..asbestos is only dangerous if it become friable or air borne. Pre-1967 is where this is an concern and even then, only the darker colors test high enough to have to be handled special. Even if you get tiles elsewhere, unless they are the same run and been exposed to your rooms sunlight/conditions...they will never match exactly anyway. You can use them without waxing them and they won't be shiny like school tile as the shine comes from the wax. But I doubt your kitchen traffic will ever match that of a school either. Glue is easily applied to subfloor with a notched trowel. The real quality difference in these tiles verses the self stick is the pattern/color is all the way through vrs just the top layer with a protective coating and of course the thickness of the tile. Habitat stores generate income to build houses and is a wonderful organization. If they have what you want...buy it!
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Moxie
on Aug 09, 2014
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Actually the standard for asbestos tile was 9" However I did a home evaluation not to long ago and found a few cases of unused 12 inch tile still in the original box that had asbestos tile on the label The best thing one can do with any tile that has a black adhesive used to hold it down, regardless of size, is to test both the tile AND the black adhesive. As that may contain asbestos as well.
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Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Aug 10, 2014
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thank you for the answers :) the tiles are new and identical to the ones (box and all) currently being sold at the big Blue and Orange stores. Would polishing once every 6 months do the trick?
![Ronnie]()
Ronnie
on Aug 10, 2014
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There is nothing on top to polish. A liquid wax would be in order if you used these tiles. I am sure you remember the old buffers our parents used. They cleaned the surface then placed a past wax down and polished the surface to bring up the shine. How often you would need to do this would depend upon just how busy your home is and how clean you keep it. Not a big deal as this was what was done in the 50's and into the 60's until pre-finished tiles came onto the market. The real difference between these tiles you glue down and those that are pre-sticky? is the thickness of the tile itself. Commercial grade tiles resist wear as the finish goes all the way through them. While the self stick types are simply only a thin layer of finish look that would wear through quickly if applied in a high traffic area such as an office. The result is the commercial grade requires the wax finish as when it wears the finish simply is replace with new wax.
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Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Aug 10, 2014
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