# Replacing 12x12 floor tiles with better stuff - what do you prefer?



## Buffalo Bob (Dec 27, 2013)

Had a sewage backup problem last month and about half the sticky-back 12x12 vinyl tiles had to be removed. Floor is clean but now tacky from the old tile. So before I can reorganize the shop I need to repair or replace floor tiles. Obviously a bigger job than I intended so I may have a flooring guy do it for me. If you had your 'druthers, what would you use?

Rest of the basement is unfinished so I could move equipment around. Retired on S/S so cost is important but I have ruined some tiles with spilled solvent & paint which doesn't bother me but is notable.

Bob Snare


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## xalky (Dec 27, 2013)

I wouldn't tile it at all. 

I'd get the old tile and glue off, degrease and Epoxy paint the floor. It'll be cheaper, tougher and real easy to clean. Surface prep is the key though. You won't ever have to worry about a water leak ruining your floor again and it's almost impossible to leave a stain in it. You can do just a section at a time, which might be real handy in your case.


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## Buffalo Bob (Dec 28, 2013)

xalky said:


> I wouldn't tile it at all.
> 
> I'd get the old tile and glue off, degrease and Epoxy paint the floor. It'll be cheaper, tougher and real easy to clean. Surface prep is the key though. You won't ever have to worry about a water leak ruining your floor again and it's almost impossible to leave a stain in it. You can do just a section at a time, which might be real handy in your case.



Yes I like that idea better. Section by section would work. No oil down there unlike the garage which I've thought about Epoxy but hard to prep. I'll check with Home Depot to see what solvent they recommend for dissolving or cleaning the residue. Great project! Now I can plan my shop layout instead of moving stuff to the nearest empty area. I think Grizzly has a shop planning dealey for arranging equipment. I used to have a couple woodworking businesses and just lost my enthusiasm plus arthritis going on. NO desire to be moving 4x8 ply sheets around.

Just returned to my roots as a metalworking hobby. I have Sherline stuff now but am thinking about Tormach as it would work for me. Probably have a move to a single level place soon. Stairs are getting too hard and dangerous. Always something..........

I have been glued to the computer watching machine shops do stuff. Older belt driven jobbos and early mills & lathes are fun to watch. Taken care of and with skillful machinists they can do anything. And to me, seeing tooling, jigs and fixtures well made are like jewels. The hardened tool steel has such a warm patina I never get tired of watching other people work! Youtube is really great. Thanks folks..
Bob


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## xalky (Dec 28, 2013)

Hey Bob.  I'm glad you like the epoxy paint idea. Home depot probably won't have the right solvent for the glue. They're moving away from anything that contains high voc content. A paint store that sells a 2 part epoxy will be your best bet for the paint. 

I'm not sure which solvent is best to remove the glue. If it's a yellow color, it's probably a latex based glue, especially if it softens up when exposed to water. Do a little research online, it'll pay off. There are specific products available for this application.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


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## DAN_IN_MN (Dec 28, 2013)

When you are using a solvent to remove the adhesive,  keep ventilation in mind!  Some of that stuff can be tough on a guy!


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## DaveD (Dec 29, 2013)

Be real careful with any kind of solvent based cleaner or paint in your basement with that gas hot water tank sitting on the floor. There is a 'go boom' point and you have no idea where it is.

Same for that drain. Don't need to see the manhole covers out in the street get shot into the air)


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## xalky (Dec 29, 2013)

I was poking around online and found a pretty good write-up here for adhesive removal methods. http://voices.yahoo.com/how-remove-vinyl-floor-tile-adhesive-4539575.html?cat=30

The dry ice method seems interesting. Removing the glue and getting the floor clean is the worst part of the deal. I'd try the less caustic methods first. Citrus or soy based adhesive removers would be my first items to try. Buy a few products in a small size to try what works best, before you buy the larger size. Every glue and circumstances is a little different.

Marcel


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## LEEQ (Dec 29, 2013)

For myself, I would clean it and not paint it. That's just me though. I have friends that lay commercial carpet and vct(vinyl commercial tile). It's cheap and they get payed squat to do it. I would venture a guess that a new vct floor would be cheaper for someone else to install than to epoxy paint yourself. There is also hours on your hands and knees doing the cleanup/glue removal to consider. Concrete is cold and it seeps into your bones.  As far as clean up advice, if it's new enough to be latex hot water mopping/soaking and lots of fresh razors on a 4" scraper would make quick work of removal. If you wanted to apply something besides vct to it I would then etch the floor with muriatic acid from  Home Depot and the like. A word to the wise about that is to safely dispose of any not used. It is not held in the bottle once the foil is broken. It will rust everything near it! I put a closed bottle in my truck bed along with my high end rc truck, drove home and parked it for the night. The next morning every steel piece/shaft on my truck was coated in rust. Lesson learned. One more bit of advice is to look for contractors through large flooring suppliers that typically don't bother with showrooms. Fancy flooring showroom outfits specialize in monetary rape of unsuspecting homeowners as well as subcontractors.


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