It’s a stick up – er, down! This step by step tutorial is a real blast from the past. We’re breaking down the simple process of laying peel & stick vinyl tiles. They’re available everywhere from Lowe’s to Home Depot for around a buck a tile, and we actually laid ’em down right over our plaid-esque linoleum kitchen floors of the past (back before we could afford our full-fledged remodel, we painted the cabinets and spruced up the floor to tide us over). Here’s the country blue & white striped single-sheet of linoleum that we inherited with the house. Sure those lines are meant to look like tiles, but it certainly wasn’t very convincing:
The advantages of single self-stick vinyl tiles as opposed to a wall to wall sheet of linoleum is that the effect is a lot more believable. Each tile comes with darkened faux-grout around the edges, so the effect is quite tile-like when you lay them down one by one, and the finished product can really add a lot of dimension and texture to a space. We especially appreciate that every tile has some color and pattern variations (some are darker or rougher looking than others) just like real stone tiles, so the overall effect is a lot more realistic. And the fact that you can completely overhaul an old dated floor for about $100 in one Saturday is nothing short of amazing. Here’s our kitchen after about 4 hours of peel and sticking (we laid our tiles on a diagonal for a more spacious effect):
And now for the step by step breakdown:
Step 1: Be Picky. Selecting the right peel and stick tile is extremely important. You don’t want anything that matches the cabinet or wall color exactly or the room will feel eerily coordinated. And you don’t want something that clashes with your wall or cabinet colors since that will look totally off as well. The best way to choose the right tile is to purchase a few $1 sample tiles and bring them home to see how they look in the space (remember, the lighting in Home Depot or Lowe’s is extremely different than the lighting at home, so you might find yourself returning 100 floor tiles if you skip this step).
Step 2: On The Level. You only want to apply self stick tiles to floors that are adequately level and even, so fill any gaps or holes to ensure that your tiles have a nice solid foundation to adhere to. If you’re missing an old tile, try sticking a new tile in the hole to fill the gap (this only works if they’re the same depth, but it’s a super quick fix if they are).
Step 3: Get Centered. Take the time to measure and locate the center point of your room, and temporarily lay a tile (without peeling off the backing to expose the adhesive) in the exact center. Then use other tiles to build out from the center tile to the right, left, top and bottom of the room so you have a cross on the floor of unstuck tiles that fully reach from wall to wall (you’re just doing a little test at this point- no sticking!). This is an important step so you can see if centering your tiles is indeed the way to go. Unless you have any weird slivers of a tile on any of your edges, you can stick the center tile to the ground for good. But if, for example, you have a quarter of an inch of tile in a doorway based on the placement of the center tile, you might want to shift things up, down, left or right to make the tile slivers fall under the cabinets or laundry appliances as opposed to in the doorways and other more obvious areas.
Step 3: Press On. Once you stick your center tile, you’ll make pretty quick work of the rest of the room until you hit the edges. The key after sticking the center tile is to work out from that tile being certain to squeeze each tile firmly down and against the last tile you laid while accurately aligning each new tile by eye (even a sliver of space between the tiles won’t look nearly as seamless and convincing as a tight fit without any gaps, so take the time to push every tile against the last one you stuck down and take care to keep things lined up). Continue sticking each square and working away from the center of the room in every direction until you reach the edges of the space which will call for customized cuts.
Step 4: Get Edgy. The toughest part of this job is by far laying the perimeter tiles which call for special cuts to keep them flush with the walls, doorways, and cabinet bases for a clean and finished look. But not to worry, it’s still totally doable. Many people prefer to remove their shoe molding (which can easily be popped off with a flat-head screwdriver or a mini crowbar) so they have a bit more wiggle room (when you pop off the shoe molding, the fit to the edge of the room doesn’t need to be as exact because once the shoe molding gets reinstalled over the tile, the fit will look perfect and flush because it’ll hide any small gaps between the tile and the wall). You can also opt to leave your molding in place, you’ll just need to be more meticulous with your tile cuts (which is actually what we did to avoid having to reinstall the shoe molding later).
Step 5: Template Time. We used a box cutter to cut our vinyl tiles (it takes a few slices to get all the way through, so we slowly and steadily made cut on top of cut until we got through cleanly and accurately). And of course you want to remember to cut your tiles on scrap tile or a piece of plywood so you aren’t cutting into your freshly laid flooring beneath- that would be bad). But how did we know where to cut ’em? We actually used paper to make templates and then just traced those paper templates onto our tiles for the perfect fit every time. It can be mind-numbing to look at a strange corner shape and try to duplicate it by eye on a tile, so paper templates really can be a lifesaver (as well as a huge time saver even though they can sometimes feel a bit tedious).
Step 6: Dance It Out. When you’re done with the perimeter of the room you’ll wanna do the happy dance to celebrate your peel & stick victory (your sticktory?). Dancing is actually a great idea, since tapping each tile down with your body weight can help to firmly secure them in place for the long haul. Go ahead, boogie down.
So there you have it. Everything you need to know to tackle that dated or grungy floor in your bathroom, laundry room, playroom, back hallway or beyond. Happy sticking!
amy says
Very helpful post guys! A semi-related question: we are about to install laminate wood floors in our kitchen. (we are doing it ourselves) currently we have the linoleum tile squares. do we need to pull those up first or can we just put the wood right on top of the tiles? thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
As long as your floor is level and even, you can apply your laminate wood flooring right over your linoleum. Hope it helps! Good luck with everything.
xo,
Sherry
Erin says
We just did the same thing to our half bath. It was super easy and only took a short time. Definitely a great and cheap way to give any floor a makeover.
Sara says
Did you have any problem with any of the tiles curling or popping back up? I’ve always wondered how well the peel and stick tiles actually work.
YoungHouseLove says
Sara- We lived with our vinyl tiles for just about two years and we never had any problem with them shifting, curling or popping up at all. They’re actually super sticky and they stayed in place extremely well. Hope it helps!
Erin- Yup, we went right over our existing linoleum with the vinyl tiles which is totally acceptable as long as the linoleum beneath is clean and level so the tiles have a chance to properly adhere (for example, old holey linoleum covered in grease might not be the best base for your new tiles, but clean level linoleum that has seen better days is the perfect foundation). Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
katie hochhalter says
Fantastic post, thanks. I love that you turned yours on the diagonal. I think that looks cool. Thanks Sherry
Erin says
Can I stick those on top of existing linoleum, or do I have to scrape it up?
Kellie Alkayam says
I actually prefer the “before” shot. The first linoleum pattern doesn’t look like it’s trying to be something it’s not. The second one looks like it’s trying to be modern and new, but ends up looking like a cheap rental or something. Then again, I think your original kitchen cabinets were kinda cute, so what do I know? :)
FYI, those peel and stick tiles are actually vinyl. Real linoleum is made from linseed oil mixed with powdered wood or cork and poured over a natural backing, usually made from burlap or canvas. It’s all natural and very environmentally friendly. Vinyl…not so much.
Pamela says
How waterproof are they? I’m thinking of using them as a stopgap in the guest bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Pamela,
Our two year experience with them left us feeling like they’re virtually indestructible. You probably wouldn’t want to flood the room that they’re in once a day or anything, but they can definitely hold up to wet feet and splashing and all that stuff that happens in a bathroom, mudroom, or kitchen. Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Jess says
We did this a few months ago in our kitchen also; we bought our home from an estate and the previous owners’ children had installed *horrible* sheet vinyl in a misguided attempt to sell the property quickly. (Shiny square orange rocks do not exist in nature…)
We pulled up the sheet vinyl and any loose backer paper, thoroughly cleaned the surface, and then applied a heavy duty primer to help seal the subfloor from any water penetration that got through tile seams.
We used the 18″ “stone” vinyl tiles from Lowe’s, laid out on a diagonal like you did. I LOVE them, which is completely unexpected as I used to hate vinyl tile… It’s come a long way–these tiles look like slate, even as you’re holding them to your face. They’re matte, dimensional, and the grout lines look and feel like real grout. Plus if you drop a glass it won’t break as it would on real slate.
The tiles were initially just a cheap fix for us until we could do something more permanent, but they’ve been holding up so well to water and traffic (we have three very excitable cats), and look so darn good, that I’m seriously considering keeping them. Crazy!
Amy says
Ah HA!! We’re getting ready to start this VERY project! Thanks so much for the tutorial — now, to get hubby to Lowe’s!!
lisa says
How ironic that you would post this today when it was only last night that I began to do an extensive research on this very subject.
I plan to redo my kitchen as well and have decided to go with Novalis plank peel and stick.
I plan on doing it myself but was still unsure if I could just put over the existing vinyl flooring or if I need to prime it or level it before doing so. It is even and there is no damage but will priming it make it stick even better?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
Priming is like saying please and thank you. It can never hurt and it’s always a nice little extra! So feel free to prime before you lay your tile over your existing floor if you want a bit of added insurance! As for the floor needing to be super level, the key is that it’s reasonably level. Ours actually sloped a bit on all sides, but not enough that it would make it hard for tiles to stick. The main thing is that there aren’t any holes or pock-marks in the flooring so your new tiles have a nice consistent surface to cling to, even if it gradually slopes. Hope it helps…
xoxo,
Sherry
CottonColors says
We used something very similar in our upstairs gameroom and they have held up very well! Easy to install too!
Kara says
Thank you for this! I have been dying give our bathroom a make-over but lamenting our yucky bathroom linoleum… I thought there was no way to inexpensively fix it! I’m off to Lowes!
Stephanie A. says
This is the second time you guys have read my mind about a topic! We just bought a new house, and it has real ceramic tile. Sounds great, right? Not so much. It’s a hideous orange, some of the tiles are cracked, and the grout is really dirty and, in some places, non-existent. Is it possible to lay this stuff over these? It seems like I couldn’t…but I’m desperate to not have to tear them out. We’re already overloaded with work. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, good question Stephanie.
My instinct tells me that it would probably be a lot harder to get vinyl tiles to stick to ceramic tile, plus you’d certainly have problems with placement since their edges could fall into the recessed grout edges and look all wobbly. I think the main thing would be that a tiled floor isn’t a consistent level surface (it bumps in and out with each tile since the grout is a bit lower). But I’m always up for a challenge. If you could somehow level out the tile floor (maybe with a few thin sheets of plywood to create a false floor over the top of your tile? or with grout or concrete that you could spread all over your existing tile to create a flat surface?) then I would think you can conquer that scary orange tile for good. Of course you could also take a hammer and a chisel to the orange tile and demo it out and then clean up the subfloor a bit and lay your vinyl tile down then. Does anyone else have any experience with this? Any ideas? Chime in people!
xoxo,
Sherry
Alexis says
great break-down. I might have to keep this in mind when I get around to our awful laundry room. It thankfully has a door so I only have to look at the 80’s vinyl for a few minutes at a time.
katie. says
We had vinyl tile like this in our kitchen for years and everyone always thought it was real tile and complimented us on how great it was! It was always so easy to clean, hardly showed dirt, and we never had problems with peeling.
Kate in CA says
In response to Stephanie A, I have no advice as we’ve been wondering the same thing with our bathroom tile! But I’m hopeful someone does! Our tile is also an awful orangey shade and is continued from the floor onto the walls in our shower. Must have been a trend….
If we can’t lay down the fake tiles on top, think we can paint the existing tile?? Can you even paint tile? I’m such a newbie at all this home DIY stuff, so that might be a ridiculous question but I’ve seen some major improvements on this site with just a little paint! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate in CA,
Unfortunately, painting tile is a slippery slope. There’s a process called “reglazing” that can be done (usually in a bathroom so you can turn an old pink tiled bathroom into an updated white tiled one) but it’s best left to the professionals and might actually cost close to as much as getting new porcelain tile installed. Boo! There’s also the bigger issue that the floor is a place that you walk, so the reglazing process might not even hold up very well to foot traffic (it’s usually done on tubs and walls, neither of which withstand high heeled shoes or puppy claws or anything else that’s as hardcore as a kitchen floor might have to withstand). Double boo! Isn’t it crazy that we can put a man on the moon but we can’t paint floor tile?!
Yet.
I’m sure someone will come up with something soon. Fingers crossed…
xo,
Sherry
Alyson says
Your re-do looks great! We are contemplating doing these in our kitchen and here is my question…what do you do with the thresholds into other rooms? We have a doorway leading into our dining area and I was worried the vinyl tiles might be “higher” than the threshold. Did you pull yours up and reinstall or just cut the tile right up to the threshold? We also have an outside door in the kitchen with an exterior threshold that has been puzzling me. Thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Alyson,
Good question! We pulled our cheap-o metal thresholds up (which originally held the linoleum in place) and just re-hammered them back down into place once we laid the new vinyl tile beneath them. It really made for a super “clean” look in the doorways (no gaps since the thresholds went over the area where the vinyl tiles met the wood floors in the doorways). And of course replacing your thresholds with nice wooden or stone ones instead of the cheap little metal ones is a super quick way to update the entire look of your new floor-especially if you’re keeping it for the long haul. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
JennD says
I know this off the subject – but room is off to the side? It looks like wallpaper in the second picture and I think I like it? LOL Was that a dining room?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey JennD,
Yup, that’s our old never-used-it dining room that we turned into a third bedroom by closing off the doorway that led to the kitchen (gaining a whole wall of kitchen storage at the same time). It already had a closet and a doorway from the other side of the house (which made a lot more sense because it’s where the other bedrooms are) and moving our dining area into the long unused living room also allowed us to get more use out of that space which is also right off of the kitchen. The wallpaper-ish looking turquoise slice that you’re seeing in the pic is actually just Tiffany blue paint above the dining room chair rail with regular old white chalk sketches on it (I drew leafy vines around the room and then sprayed them with chalk-fix from the craft store to “seal” the freehanded leafy look). Here’s an old old old post with a picture of it back when it was a fun (but sadly unused) dining room:
https://www.younghouselove.com/the-dawn-of-a-new-daybed/
xoxo,
Sherry
Dana Miller says
This post couldn’t have come at a better time! We live in a new spec home that doesn’t have all the details we want, but came with a great price tag for the neighborhood. I have been pining over some mahogany flooring to replace our decent (but not ‘us’) vinyl flooring in the kitchen. We really want to save up the money to pay cash for all of our home improvements, so knowing that you guys lived with your vinyl for a few years gives us inspiration! It makes those wood floors that much better when you actually get them, right?! Thanks for being up front about all of your projects: timeline, cost, and practicality.
Emily says
This is a good example about beige undertones! Beige is either green, yellow or pink.
The peel-and-stick vinyl has pink undertones which doesn’t seem to match the painted cabinets in your old kitchen (yellow undertones?). Of course who cares now that you have an amazing kitchen, yes?
I just read an interesting color article about beige undertones here (that’s why it called out to me):
http://colourmehappyblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-everyone-should-know-about-beige.html
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
You raise a good point. We actually wrote the first step of our tile selecting tutorial to address the undertone issue. You see, we brought home a whole box of beige undertone tiles and we were certain that those would would gorgeously in our kitchen but they were eerily similar to the cabinet color, so the whole room looked like the inside of a paper bag when we laid a few out on the floor to try them out. We immediately ran back to the store and snagged some cooler colored tiles (with more of a grey undertone in them). They still had a ton of tan and beige in em, just a less yellowy-tan tone than our first selection.
Second time was the charm. They immediately cut the overly tan feeling that the first ones created, and they felt nice and balanced (and actually looked more like stone). They also had a bit of the cream tones that we brought in with the wall color (while the first tile selection had honey wheat tones, which looked seriously matchy-matchy with the cabinets and didn’t really relate to the walls at all).
In regards to the undertone thing, we definitely believe the key fact that we called out in tip #1: You don’t want anything that matches the cabinet or wall color exactly or the room will feel eerily coordinated. And you don’t want something that clashes with your wall or cabinet colors since that will look totally off as well. The best way to choose the right tile is to purchase a few $1 sample tiles and bring them home to see how they look in the space.
For a good example of why you don’t always want the undertones in your cabinets to match your tile, check out this kitchen makeover that we weighed in on. By suggesting cooler cabinet colors it really cut all the honey orange undertones in the room for a totally luxe effect. Even our client realized that in not matching the cabinet undertones, we ended up with something spectacuar: “I would have chosen warmer beiges and then it would have been a big adobe mess, so you were right on to go with the green/gray undertone. The pictures don’t do it justice- it looks great!”. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Kylie @ All Things Lovely says
Oh wow, thankyou so much for this! I have horrendous pink tiles on my bathroom floor – and not even a good pink! I thought about using these tiles, and then wondered if I have to use some kind of water sealant underneath. Well, you’ve given me the confidence to give it a go. If they last a year or two, I’m happy!
Julie says
Thanks so much for this post. I’ve been living with hideous orange/yellow/white linoleum in my kitchen for the past FIVE years. I haven’t wanted to do new linoleum because some day we’re going to redo the kitchen and put hardwood in, and I just didn’t want to waste the money on a temporary new floor. Now that I know how easy and inexpensive it is, I think I’m going to do it!
In regard to the question about reglazing kitchen tiles – I’d highly recommend against it. We reglazed the tub in our bathroom and while we were happy with the results, it’s pretty delicate. I dropped a plastic shampoo bottle and it chipped a piece of the new finish off the tub, so I can only imagine what the regular wear and tear of walking or any number of things that you could accidentally drop on the floor might do to it.
What do you do if you have some missing linoleum and want to put these tiles over it? We have just a little corner missing at a doorway. Is there some type of epoxy you can fill that in with so that these tiles will stick over the top? Or to I just cut out a piece of the new tile and stick it there, then go over it with a full tile? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julie,
Yeah, we completely agree that reglazing any floor that gets actual wear and tear (with shoes on and stuff) is a totally different story than reglazing a tub. Thanks for weighing in! As for the missing linoleum question, you can definitely just use a piece of your new vinyl tile (assuming it’s the same thickness) and if it’s not we’re sure you can drop in at Home Depot or Lowe’s and ask for some sort of epoxy or tube of liquid concrete that you can use to bridge the gap (be sure to tell them you’ll be adhering vinyl tile on top so they give you something that will support that next step). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Sarah says
Thanks for the post! I read your blog daily and love all the project ideas. Anyway, just a quick question about the peel and stick flooring? How easily does it come off the existing linoleum? Is it reasonable to do in a rental property or does it wreck the floor underneath?
Thanks!
Sarah
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
I definitely think that the vinyl tiles would leave some serious marks and sticky stuff behind if you were to try to remove ’em (they bond extremely well, which is usually a good thing!). What I would suggest is talking to your landlord or management company about getting their blessing to retile the floor and leave it once you move. A lot of places would be happy that you’re updating their property for them, so you’ll still get that new floor and won’t have to remove it when you go (and they’ll get to maintain a more updated appearance for their next renter).
In NYC I actually completely renovated one of the apartments I lived in (painted the cabinets, new flooring, painted the backsplash, installed a table that dropped down from the wall, etc) and the landlord was more than happy to let me go to town (in fact, he reduced my rent for all the work that I put into the place). Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Emily says
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for your reply! I totally agree that you want to avoid being too matchy. I want to clarify that when talking specifically about beige undertones, there are three choices. The beige either has a pink, yellow or green undertone. So it’s unclear what you mean when you say “beige undertone tiles” or “grey undertone.” I think if you are coordinating beiges (and beiges only), the undertone needs to match, though there is a large range of hues still to choose from without matching the exact color. A beige with a pink undertone will clash with a beige with a yellow undertone. So this would be helpful when matching a beige countertop to beige tiles, for instance. I hope that makes sense. I love that kitchen color conundrum you referred to. It’s beautiful! And yes, buy samples and see them in your space!
heather s. says
These tiles are incredibly easy to put down – I did it to my own kitchen three years ago. One thing to note to those asking if you can lay it over old peel & stick tiles – you certainly can however if your floor has many layers of old peel & stick you may want to remove a layer or two particularily if your floor in an adjoining room is a lot lower. I removed two layers of tile and installed my new floor over the original (orange and brown!) tile that was installed in the house. The floor is now level with the hardwood that runs throught the house. I also have a threshold that I pulled up and then reinstalled once I finished the floor to make the seamless transition from one room to another. While these tiles aren’t incredibly thick having a ton of layers of tile can definitely make the floor level rise a bit. Have fun tiling!
msmezzo says
I have that exact same tile in my kitchen. I live in a NYC rental that had dreadful peel and stick, so off I went to the Manhattan Home Depot. This tile was the ONLY one they had enough boxes of (suburban mega-stores have it all over the big city ones, let me tell you). My husband and I put it down in one afternoon (the kitchen is pretty big, I guess it took about 4 hours) and the only trouble was cutting the edges to fit all the uneven elements (heating pipes, trim around doors, etc) I just used a pair of kitchen shears and it was not too bad! They have held up really well, but some have shifted a bit…you’ll hate my solution to that, after I replaced the offending tiles, I nailed a small wire brad through the edge to keep the dang thing in place. The nail head sort of blends in…hey, its a rental.
My landlord will not even notice that I replaced the tile (if I ever move out, its rent stabilized) but you were very lucky with your landlord. Legally in NYC, any improvements made to your apartment can result in a raise in rent…EVEN IF YOU DO IT AND PAY FOR IT YOURSELF! Of course, that does not stop everyone, one of my girlfriends completely redid her kitchen, even though she knew what might happen (and she lives in a building where the landlord is paying people upwards of $10,000 to move out). Aren’t you glad you don’t live in NYC anymore? Its crazy.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment. Love the new kitchen, wish it were mine.
Millsmom says
OK, I was going to say “I can’t believe you wrote this post because I’m just about to do this exact same thing!” but it seems everyone has said that. See how many folks you guys help?! I am buying my first home, and it has ugly (but new) country blue sheet linoleum in the kitchen. With all of the other more pressing renos that need to be done as soon as it’s mine, I was wondering how I would be able to live with that floor or what I could do to at least “tide me over” just like you guys did. You see, I am not a linoleum fan either- AT ALL. Jess’s post is my exact feeling about linoleum (or vinyl tile),but I’m coming around to the idea and may just love it more than I think (I hope that’s the case)! Thanks for the great tutorial and step-by-step instructions. I think I can manage this! BTW, Jess, if you read this, I would love to know which tile you used, as I am also looking for something that looks like slate. Thanks!
Olga says
I put some of this tile in our bathroom but with me being clumsy, not all the tile is exactly next to each other so there are few tiny cracks…
So I’m thinking of not doing this to our kitchen, too many things would probably fall in between. But what do you know about tile laminate? Expensive, hard to instal? Or is a tile vinyl sheet better..
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Olga,
We really have to admit that we don’t know much about laminate tile. And our guess might be that the problem you had with your vinyl tiles having a bit of a crack between them was due to the fact that your floor might not have been level and even (if it’s bumpy your tiles will have a hard time being flush). Regardless of whether you attempt the vinyl tiles again in the kitchen (perhaps your floor is more level there and you’ll get a tighter fit) or the tile laminate, good luck! And maybe someone at Lowe’s or Home Depot can offer up more info.
xoxo,
Sherry
Millsmom says
OK, so here I am again. I am having the HARDEST time finding tile I want with the faux grout. Do you have any idea what exactly you used (I know it was awhile ago). I was looking for a slate look, but I can’t find it with the faux grout. I’ve checked Lowe’s and Home Depot online and in the stores. I’ve decided the color isn’t quite as important as the grout- have to have that. I was going for dark (and in the gray family more than brown), but I really like what you guys used as well. And are those 18×18 tiles? Any info is greatly appreciated!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey MIllsmom,
We remember checking both Home Depot and Lowe’s and going with a 12×12 tile from Home Depot (with taupey-gray undertones as opposed to the similar ones with orangey-tan undertones). I have no idea if they still carry the same exact products, but if you see two similar tile options with the faux grout and one looks more orange/tan and one looks more gray/tan, go with the gray/tan ones. Hope it helps! Happy hunting…
xoxo,
Sherry
Millsmom says
Yes, I am definitely looking for taupey-gray and not orangey-tan. That’s what I liked about yours. I’ll keep checking- still have a couple of weeks left before I close and the house is mine! Thanks so much!
Amy says
Ouch! I just did this all on my lonesome since my husband was off having a smelly man weekend camping.
I seriously do not think I can be identified with fingerprints anymore! LOL
BTW – any tips on the type of box cutter you used to cut the tile? I am almost in the home stretch here and my hand is so so so sore from the little box cutter I am using.
On the upside husband was mighty surprised when he came home to new flooring in the kitchen/ hallway (and new paint! hear me roar! :P)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
Congrats on your almost completely done new floor! Trust me that it’ll all be worth it in the end (and your hubby will be so surprised!). As for the box cutter we used, it’s just a regular old Stanley, but we did learn that changing out the blade pretty often really kept us moving right along. Hope it helps! Good luck in the home stretch!
xoxo,
Sherry
Julie says
Hi Youngsters,
I’m curious about why you should center the tiles and lay them all out before you begin. Is that only if you’re doing the tiles on a diagonal, or do you recommend that even if you’re laying them out straight across?
Thanks,
Julie
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julie,
Definitely lay them out (just a row of them, not the whole floor) either way- it helps you avoid ending up with a sliver of a tile in a doorway while there’s almost a full tile on the other side of the room (and makes for a much more symmetrical and eye-pleasing arrangement). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laura says
I have had problems withe tiles coming up. Is there anything short of starting all over that would help. I had self-adhesive tile too.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, this is the first we’ve heard of this problem with new self-adhesive tiles. Perhaps the temperatures in your house changed drastically after you laid them (but before they have time to “cure”) so they’re popping up now? Off the top of our heads we’d suggest an adhesive like Liquid Nails to keep your tiles in place (put a dot of glue in each corner of the tile and lay heavy books on them to hold them down until they cure). We also think asking a few experts at your local home improvement store might result in alternative adhesive recommendations that might work even better or more easily. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jami says
What color did you use? We have a white kitchen also. What store did you buy them at? Looks great
YoungHouseLove says
They came from Home Depot and were about a buck a tile. We don’t know the actual product color name, but we would describe them as having a few cool shades of gray and brown mixed in (there was a more brown-on-brown color for the tile that was also available, but we liked the cooler ones with some gray worked in so they didn’t match our painted cabinets too closely). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Candi @ clearlycandi.blogspot.com says
Hey Sherry and John,
I just finished peel and sticking my bathroom floor. I used lots of your advice from this post, so I wanted to say thanks! I would love for you to check out my before and afters on my blog: clearlycandi.blogspot.com.
Candi
YoungHouseLove says
Turned out awesome, Candi! Thanks for giving us the heads up about the post.
-John
Stef says
Do you think these tiles would work on a fireplace hearth? We have a hearth similar to yours – almost flush with the floor – but it’s a reddish slate (or something like that), which really draws the eye when the rest of the room is neutrals with greens and blues. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stef,
Unfortunately we don’t think they will, but you can certainly grab one and see (it’s just $1 for one, and you’ll be able to see if the adhesive is strong enough). If it’s not you can probably use Liquid Nails or some other high-intensity glue to hold them in place. It’s probably not the most permanent solution but it could tide you over until you redo the hearth with tile or stone. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Twebby says
Hi Sherry! I’m so loving this blog – hubby and I bought our first home this summer and there’s *so much* to do – your site is making it all seem bearable:)
Right now, our kitchen floor is just a plywood subfloor (I think that’s what its called!) and we were planning on having sheet vinyl (Mannington Sobella) installed. But… after seeing this post – it’s got me rethinking! Including installation that is going run us around $1k and if peel n stick is really as do-able and functional as you say… we might just have to go that route! I’m a baker – so I’m always in the kitchen (concocting and of course cleaning), how did yours wear? Have you heard of how the two compare, I’ve been a googling machine but nothing beats a real human’s personal advice:)
So appreciate your blood, sweat and tears on this incredible blog!
-Tessah
YoungHouseLove says
We actually have heard that the individual tiles wear better because they’re thicker than a sheet of vinyl (and you can hold onto a few extra ones and replace specific tiles if they get damaged by a dropped knife for example). Of course it depends on the pattern or the amount of movement you select (the more, the more easily it hides crumbs and stuff) but we definitely think it’s a great option for you! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erika says
Did you put these self stick tiles right over the sheet linoleum that was already down? If so, have they stayed down? I wanted to put peel and stick over my linoleum kitchen floor but everyone said that I would need to remove the old linoleum first. Thanks in advance!
Erika
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erika,
Yup, we went right over the linoleum and they stuck really well (as long as yours isn’t peeling or lumpy or otherwise not a smooth foundation for peel and sticks you shouldn’t have to remove it). We later replaced that half of the house with hardwoods, but when we added the hardwood the peel and stick tiles were still going strong. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sherrina says
We have the grossest carpet in the vanity area of our two roomed bath (one small area for the vanity with the blue 70s carpet and another area separated by door for the toilet and bath). I really want to have a fresh bathroom done before our baby comes in February (hyper nesting mode).
I want to use the peel and stick tile but am worried about what might be underneath the carpet.
Thoughts on how we should proceed?
p.s. Our DIY skill level is beginner.
YoungHouseLove says
You have to find out what’s under that carpet! And lucky for you that’s easy. Just pry up a corner and see what you have. From concrete to plywood or even hardwood, you’ll most likely find a perfect “foundation” for your peel and stick tile. And of course you can ask for help at your local home improvement center after you figure out what you’re working with. Good luck!
xo,
s
Christina says
I’m thinking about redoing the peel & stick in my kitchen. There’s peel & stick right in there right now. However, one of my dogs chewed at a tile when he was a puppy so there’s a little hole there. I wanted to find out what was underneath the peel and stick and there’s linoleum under it- looks like a sheet of it- not peel and stick tiles. Who knows if there’s something under that. In any case, do I do another layer of peel & stick (obviously replacing the chewed tile with a tile that is same thickness) on top or do I rip up all peel and stick and then install? Also- it is QUITE sticky under there. If I have to peel them up- do you know the best thing to use to get all the sticky gunk off the linoleum underneath?
YoungHouseLove says
We would definitely remove that first layer of peel and stick tiles and then pick up some sort of de-sticking agent (maybe GooGone?) from the home improvement store. You might just want to walk in and describe the stickiness and the project and they should be able to show you what you’ll need. Good luck!
xo,
s
Frankie Oneil says
Hi,
My wife and I want to put this type of tile in my basement. Would peel and stick work well? We are also concerned about moisture causing issues. The style of tiles that we’re currently considering to purchase is from this site: http://www.tilesandrugs.com/vinyl-flooring/black-white-checkboard-vinyl-tiles.html
Would they eventually peel off and get damaged from moisture or is there something similar that you recommend?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure, maybe call and ask that company/manufacturer if they can work in moist basements? Good luck!
xo,
s
Chelsea says
As first time home owners who aren’t planning on staying in our first house for more than 6 years, and who have a relatively small home improvement budget (plus we have to be careful to not update the house beyond a price we can get for it in a few years) – I’ve felt like we were doomed to live with our kitchen in its current state… which means staring at dark, DARK, shiny cabinets and the lime green linoleum that was put in during the 6 months in the 70s when lime green stuff was “in” (which you can see here: http://cilowes.shutterfly.com/pictures/909). HOWEVER, your posts have just given me a surge of hope that with a few buckets of paint to lighten up those cabinets (and the paneling! Ah! More paneling!) and some peel and stick tiles we may be able to cheaply update the space into something I don’t mind using for the next 6 years! YES!!!! Any color suggestions?!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, white is always classic for the cabinets. Or a light tan color, or medium mocha. Soft gray is really pretty too. Or even a light sage or celery color! So fresh!
xo,
s
Vivien says
Hi I know this is an old post but I wanted to say thanks! I recently redid my living room using peel and stick vinyl, and this post and the comments were helpful in convincing me that it was good to use!
http://freshfrippery.com/2012/12/30/new-year-new-floor-style-selections-novalis-vinyl/
YoungHouseLove says
Nicely done! It looks great!
-John
Tall Tee says
I was just hipped to something I didn’t know existed–groutable vinyl tile (insert gasp). I am honestly not quite sure what I want to put down in our kitchen, and the existing linoleum was poorly installed so I figured the groutable vinyl tile would be a good interim fix. Now? I don’t want to change the floor :D. A bunch of people so far did not know it was real tile, and I am so pleased with the end product.
YoungHouseLove says
So cool!
xo
s
Another Sarah says
I know I’m leaving a comment on a very old post, but I’m hoping you can help! I want to do these laminate tiles for a quick bathroom update… The floor is currently single sheet linoleum. I don’t want to pry up the baseboards, so where the new tiles meet the tub and baseboards, do I need to caulk or seal somehow? Is there a product you’d recommend for this? LOVE your blog and all the inspiration I find here!
YoungHouseLove says
I would just go as flush to them as possible and stick them down. We didn’t do any caulking and they seemed to be ok.
xo
s