Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling.
Preparing subflooring floor for peel and stick tile.
Trying to stick the tiles to wax won t work.
When installing over existing oriented strand board osb an underlayment must be added between the osb and the tiles.
For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.
1 walk over the plywood subfloor and circle any loose or squeaky areas with chalk.
Peel and stick tiles have a relatively thin coating of adhesive on the backing and this adhesive cannot fill the pores.
A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.
Peel and stick tiles can sometimes slide out of place revealing wide gaps at the seams butting them tightly will minimize this.
When the adhesive cures gaps may occur between the subfloor and tile.
Peel and stick tiles can be installed over almost any type of subfloor though it is important to properly prepare the floor first to avoid problems with your tile flooring.
It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.
As moisture moves into the subfloor material it may fill these gaps and lead to adhesive failure.
Peel and stick tile has come a long way since the days when it was a cheap and easy if not very attractive way to give old floors new life.
How to prepare a floor for peel stick tile.
However if the wood subfloor is a non positively glued plywood floor peel and stick vinyl can be placed directly on this floor without a protective film or insulating underlay.
Peel and stick tiles will bond to bare plywood but you must ensure the plywood is secure and clean first.
The tiles will just flake off.
When installing butt the tiles closely together for very tight seams and butt them to the edges of the walls too.
What s more installing plywood underlayment in the vinyl areas supplies the elevation smoothness and levelness necessary for the proper installation of vinyl floors.