Vinyl tiles in the bathroom

[Maus Magill]

We're doing some renovations in our bathroom in the Magill compound. We had wanted to use ceramic tiles, but the budget wouldn't allow. Second choice was vinyl flooring. Unfortunately, all the patterns in rolled vinyl was fugly. This leaves vinyl tiles. There are some very attractive patterns, but we have some concerns. How would we be able to prevent water from getting between the tiles and screwing up the floor?

[pabstist]

Water got underneath mine, and screwed up the floor. I even glued mine down (they were self adhesive).

[not what you'd expect]

I would look for some other options. I really don't think those tiles will do well. What is the floor now? Maybe a nice painted concrete with big throw rugs?

[Sparky812]

Originally Posted by pabstist

Water got underneath mine, and screwed up the floor. I even glued mine down (they were self adhesive).

How else would you install tile besides using glue?


Vinyl tile are fine in a bathroom providing they are installed properly and treated with the proper materials.
Self-adhesive tiles are not recommended as they are flimsy and do not have enough adhesive to bond to your subfloor. You must use a latex-based vinyl tile adhesive. I use Premium Vinyl Composition Tile(PVT) Adhesive 2057 made by Roberts and/or Ultra/Bond ECO 600 from Mapei for vinyl asphalt tile (VAT).
One problem with vinyl tile is that over time any imperfections in your subfloor will eventually show through leaving an impression of the area. You must insure that you sand, fill, and clean the subfloor before laying your tile.
After that it's quite simple: spread the adhesive over the entire area, wait the required drying time (until tacky), then drop your tile. You must keeps your seams as tight as possible and when finished you should roll them with a roller weight to ensure a good bond.
Until the adhesive cures, limit foot traffic (24 hours) and water for up to 2 weeks.
You could also treat the floor with a vinyl tile sealer such as Armstrong S-495 which will protect it from staining and may also prevent water from penetrating at the seams.

[Sattua]

Our kitchen and bathrooms have commercial vinyl tile floors. We had a professional install them, so the seams are nice and tight, and the floors then get waxed and buffed. I assume the wax keeps water out of the cracks. We re-wax them about once a year.