We installed peel and stick vinyl flooring tiles in our bathroom! Here’s what we learned and if we would do it again.
Peel and stick flooring is a quick and easy solution to laying down new flooring with little tools or expertise needed. I watched Amber do her dining room with wood plank peel and stick vinyl flooring, and I knew I wanted to give it a try.
The opportunity came quicker than I expected when I realized we had a leak in our bathroom. The previous owner had also put down peel and stick vinyl tiles, and I noticed one lifting on the corner one day.
The adhesive on these tiles is super strong, so I knew when this one came right up with no effort that we had a problem. The subfloor underneath was SOAKED. Apparently, our toilet had be slowly leaking for who knows how long. We didn’t noticed because the bathroom is over top a storage closet we never use, and by the time we did, the damage was done.
Cue a frantic reno that included pulling up a soaked and moldy subfloor, finding hardwood underneath, and learning way too much how plumbing works. At one point, I was up close and personal with a cast iron sewer pipe as I tried to find where our flange was glued inside of it.
We chose peel and stick tile for our bathroom because of the quick install time. We only have one bathroom, and wanted to install the flooring under the toilet. It meant pulling out the toilet and the subfloor, installing new subfloor, flooring, and then the new toilet on top of that.
Also, we have never done any of this before.
Why Peel and Stick Vinyl Tiles?
We are beginner-floorers, so the simplicity of peel and stick vinyl flooring tiles were appealing. There’s no new skills to learn, you just literally peel and stick!
We also don’t own a lot of tools, so we didn’t have to buy anything but the flooring for this project. Yes, we had to buy new baseboards, a toilet, subflooring, and a vanity, but those are unrelated to the floor install.
The time commitment was also a factor, as we would be without a toilet until the tile was laid and we could install the toilet over it. It led us to make the decision to use peel and stick tiles over traditional ceramic or porcelain tiles.
In total, our installation process for the flooring was about 4 hours, much quicker than laying porcelain tiles and grouting.
What You Need To Install Vinyl Peel And Stick Flooring Tiles
- A utility knife
- A square or a large measuring stick
- A cutting board or hobby cutting mat
- A measuring tape if you have to cut holes for vents, plumbing, etc.
- You might also need new baseboards if you want to install the tile under them (recommended), and if you cannot remove them from the wall without damaging them. If so, grab some paintable silicone caulk as well to finish the baseboard install.
Installation
Preparation
Buy Your Tiles
We used these FloorPops Comet Peel and Stick Tiles:
Amber used the Nexus tiles in her bathroom and loved the quality and ease of install.
She also used the Traffic Master Peel and Stick Vinyl Tiles in her living area, which are available through the Home Depot. They come in wood plank-style tiles and are incredible quality, very adhesive, and stand up to her toddler and two dogs.
Whatever tiles you pick, be sure to double check the manufacturer’s recommendations for installation as they do differ slightly from brand to brand.
Plan Your Layout
Calculate the square footage of your room, and then buy more flooring than you need. Our square footage was 24 feet. Because of the shape of the room and some tricky cuts, we used 29 tiles (1 square foot each), and only ruined one with a bad cut! That leaves us one extra if we ever have to replace a piece.
You also want to buy from the same lot number to ensure the pattern and color matches perfectly. Lot numbers can usually be found in the fine print of your packaging.
Pre-plan how you are going to lay your flooring before peeling off the backing.
The best way to do this is to draw a straight line down the center of your room. Use this as a guide to start laying your tiles. Work from the middle out to the edges.
We had a very tiny space (approx. 4’x6′), with many cutouts for the toilet, plumbing, vent and doorway. We ended up starting from a corner and working our way out, and it worked well for our space.
Prep Your Surface
Peel and stick vinyl flooring can stick on wood, concrete, laminate or vinyl or ceramic tiles. Read the manufacturer’s instructions on your tiles to learn more about how to prep your surface specifically for your brand.
If the surface is uneven or highly textured, has old glue or tile cement on it, or is in bad shape (peeling laminate, chipped tiles), you might have to either strip or sand down your flooring to its base, or lay a subflooring over top.
You need a flat, clean, dry surface to adhere your tiles to.
For example, we had new plywood subflooring, so we followed the manufacturer’s instructions and primed the wood with a latex-based paint.
Peeling And Sticking
When you’re ready, grab your first tile, peel and stick! The adhesive is VERY strong and sticky. It’s best to lay the tile perfectly the first time, as opposed to peeling it up and reapplying.
I found the simplest technique was to peel half the paper off the back of the tile, lay the tile in its place, and then peel the remainder of the paper off the tile, sticking it to the floor as I went.
I lined up each tile as I went before peeling off the backing to ensure the pattern would match perfectly. There were some minor differences in each tile, so sometimes I had to rotate them until the pattern lined up exactly how it should.
I cut the pieces as I went, and I’m glad I did. It made it much easier to make sure each tile would match, and butt up against the last one tightly, before making any cuts.
Ensure the tiles are placed snugged up against the last one so no water or moisture can leak through.
Finishing Touches
Floor Rolling
Once all the tiles are stuck, you should roll them to make sure they are stuck to the floor completely.
Our tile directions said to use a 100lb floor roller. Not wanting to purchase one, we used a marble rolling pin and a lot of sweat labor.
You could also see about renting a Vinyl Floor Roller from your local hardware store.
Sealing
You can choose to seal or not seal your tiles. If you’ve snugged them up tightly to each other and don’t see any gaps in the seams, they should withstand moisture and water as long as you don’t leave pools of water on them.
Our tiles are in our only bathroom, a high traffic area where we bathe our dog frequently. We sealed the seams only on our tiles with Robert’s Vinyl Sealer.
For a more permanent solution, you can also seal the entire floor with a coat of polyurethane. We plan on doing a more in-depth renovation of our bathroom soon, so we did not pick this option.
Regardless, if you’ve prepped your surface well, butted your tiles up tightly together, rolled them after install, and don’t leave standing puddles of water on the floor, your vinyl tiles should have a long life!
Our Sort-of Finished Peel and Stick Flooring Bathroom
Our renovation is still in progress, but here’s a sneak peak of the finished floors.
We’ve had them installed for about a month now, and so far we have no complaints! They wash easily, repel water, and have held up as we did the vanity install and plumbing.
I’ll keep this post updated if we end up finding any faults with them in the long run.
Would we pick peel and stick vinyl flooring tiles again? For the cost and how fast they were, yes. But if we had more time, we will probably learn how to lay ceramic tiles as our next project.
Have you tried Vinyl Peel and Stick Flooring before? I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, tips and tricks in the comments below!
Leave a Reply