Looking for Experiences with New Flooring for Kitchen/bath

Hi
I have used the individual 12X12 self stick tiles and they don't hold up in high traffic areas. Especially in areas where you need to mop frequently or where water will be spilled or where you have high humidity ect.

The corners pull up and if you have kids or dogs they will find that corner and pull up half the tile! Or they "slip" or get scuffed from chair legs.

I have to replace 2 large room of these tiles and its been less that 5 years since I did them. (and quite a bit of money) I preped the rooms as directed an the box but the warrany doesn't cover wear, scuffs or damage.

I would suggest you go for high quality sheet linoleum or go with ceramic tiles. both projects seem fairly simple in theory and I'm going to attempt ceramic tiles myself this spring. Good luck!

How fun and exciting!! I DEFINITELY recommend the self-adhesive vinyl tiles. I had them in one bathroom and then recently installed them myself in another bathroom. They are SO durable, easy to clean, and look really great if you do it right. Take your time and make sure you really line them up and PUSH them together so that there is virtually NO space at all and you can't even see the seam. They will sort of "relax" after a bit and there may be some seaming, but you want to lay them as close as possible. They are so easy to install and are very forgiving (you can pull them right up if you make a mistake before they've "cured"). Also, per the directions, make sure they sit in the room you intend to install them in for at least 24 hours so they can acclimate.

This summer I installed a new vinyl floor in the kitchen and mudroom by myself. It was easy and is holding up well so far. I purchased the flooring from Home Depot. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called but it was in the flooring section near the vinyl tiles. The floor looks like 12 x 12 tiles but is actually a plank system (3 tiles together). The planks stick to each other. No glue. The vinyl is water proof so I imagine it would hold up well in the bathroom. Another woman I know used the same floor in her salon floor. She is concerned about the seams separating but I have had no such problems. It was easy to do myself with some planning and basic tools. Looks great and is holding up to an active 4 year old, 2 dogs, and a messy husband.

We recently replaced our lino floor with tiles. We did this ourselves, whilst a builder did the more major work of knocking down walls, building a pantry, etc. As we started lifting up the floor, the builder took a look at it and said it looked like asbestos flooring. So we had someone come in and test the lino, it was about $250. So take care that your floor isn't asbestos, especially being 20+ years old.

Hi - we have pergo in our kitchen - it's very durable ,looks like wood (but not cheesy/fake) and it comes in large squares, so not that difficult to install. good luck! O.

I have no experience what so ever and I put the peel and stick tiles down in my kitchen with no problem at all. They have lasted for about 10 years now. I actually put them right over the old linoleum and it worked out great. Also really inexpensive. Good luck and have fun. : )

I have used the peel and stick tiles in my kitchen three times over the past 28 years - they have always worked well for me. I have a very tiny kitchen, however. I have redone it because yes, they have worn, but also because the style was outdated. It is inexpensive and I have seen them used on HGTV/the home improvement shows - and Designed to Sell uses them a lot too. So they must be pretty good for others as well, not just me. If you really don't want to spend a lot doing something more involved, like hardwood floors or regular tile, these will be great for you. The new style that they use on Designed to Sell are the brownish ones, with the swirl thing on it - they look a like marble type flooring. Good luck. P.S. To make your job easier, put the tiles right over your linoleum if possible. If it has been down for 20 years, pulling it up might open up a can of worms! So if the floor is pretty even, just add the peel and stick right over the linoleum. You can also get a pretty rug to put over the center of the room, or in front of the sink, which will cover up any bumps or anything!

Hi K.,
If you are changing the cabinets, it is the perfect time to change the floor. It will only look more dingy and dinged whe you put something new in there. I have done the pergo type floors, linoleum tiles (self-adhesive), and ceramic tile floors. Even with no prior experience, all of these are possible. I am not a master carpenter, but if you look online for advice or go to the home depot/lowes classes, you can do anything. Linoleum tiles are by far the cheapest with click floors and ceramic having huge ranges but are relatively comparable when all the materials are added together. As someone else pointed out, the key is having a good base to work from!!! I can not stress the importance of that. If your floor is irregular, ceramic tile joint lines will crack and any click together floor will not lay flat. I think you first need to decide whether or not you will be going over the existing linoleum or replacing the subfloor? Do you have lots of corners/angle to contend with? Is it an older house where nothing is square?
Good Luck

Last year we replaced a kitchen floor with Cork because it is very eco-friendly and easy on the hips, not to mention that it is very easy to clean. My husband installed it himself and it was pretty easy as the pieces interlock. We like it so much that we are in the process of putting it in one of our bedrooms.

I suggest you check Home Depot, Lowe's or IFloor. The prices range from $3 per square foot on up.

Good luck!

S.

I think your best bet would be ceramic tile.A bathroom would not cost that much somtimes you can find tile for as little as .80 a square foot.Home Depot is always having how to classes and they also rent most of the tools you'll need.

My DH and I had our bathroom remodeled a couple of years ago and put down the vinyl floor by ourselves (though the contractor put down a new subfloor for us). It is a tiny bathroom, and took us a couple of evenings to get everything cut and pasted (it probably took us longer than it could have because we're perfectionists...) :) We had no experience with flooring, but I thought it was pretty easy to do. The only problem we've had is with the subfloor -- the contractor didn't do things right and we have screw bumps and seams under the vinyl. Next time, I would double-check that the subfloor is level or do it ourselves. Also, a larger area (like a kitchen) would be challenging, since you have to deal with multiple sheets of lino. So I would maybe start with the smaller bathroom by yourselves and see how it goes.

Do not do peel & stick tiles in a high traffic area or in a kitchen where chairs will get slid back and forth - the corners will come up. I have some in a back foyer that gets little use and it's fine. I wouldn't do them where there is water either. Individual tiles that are put down on a glue base might work but you need to be very precise. If it's a small area, look for sales on leftover tiles from a bigger job - you might find what you need. My contractor did laminate flooring in one of our bedrooms and it wasn't bad at all, about $2 a square foot. There's a lot of sawdust but a good vacuum takes care of that. He put a waterproof liner underneath and some cushioning. Not expensive. He has done this in his parents' home in a high traffic area and said it's holding up great for years.

Good luck!

hello - we've used the lino tiles many times - in our old place AND in our new house. We do now have ceramic tiles in our kitchen & granite tiles in our upstairs bathroom, but we had the lino tiles in our old kitch & bath & they worked great! easy to clean INCREDIBLY EASY to do yourself. I actually just did the lino tiles in my kids soon-to-be playroom & it's great! I did it 100% by myself (if u need any tips - send me a message!) & it came out perfect! and it looks good. its great for heavy traffic & holds up really well. again easy to clean as well! hope this helps