Carpet and vinyl tiles are often available in the size 30 by 30 centimeters. Due to the seams they are not suitable for laying in wet areas. When water gets to the adhesive, the tiles will come off. Parquet tiles are a type of wooden tiles, often also in the size 30 by 30 centimeters. Some types are plywood with a thin veneer layer. Other types consist of solid wood parts that are held together at the back with a thin textile layer.
Laying vinyl tiles and carpet tiles
quantity
The amount of tiles depends on the floor area and the surface of the tiles themselves. For a rectangular space, multiply the length and width and then divide by the area of one tile. In any case, buy a few extra spare tiles that you will ever need.
laying self-adhesive tiles
- Remove the skirting boards from the wall with a crowbar.
- Then you will clean the surface well.
- Then divide the space into four equal parts by drawing two perpendicular intersecting lines. The intersection is in the center of the floor. From here you start laying the tiles.
- First, open all packs containing tiles so that you have them at hand.
- Place the tiles from the center point. To avoid color difference, take tiles from different packs.
- First you lay the uncut tiles and only later the tiles that you need to cut to size with a utility knife.
lay non-adhesive tiles
For non-self-adhesive tiles, you naturally apply glue first. The type of glue depends on the tiles and the substrate.
Make sure the distance between the last tile and the wall is a quarter width of one tile. If you have a smaller piece left, lay the tiles from one of these walls. With half a tile you can move the corresponding adhesive so that you do not have to cut the tiles in half each time.
cut tiles to size
To do this, you use a trick: place a tile exactly on the last whole tile from the wall. Draw a line along the top tile on the one below and cut the latter along the line. Stick the cut tile against the last whole tile and it closes perfectly.
press on tiles
You can press the tiles with a rolling pin or rent a linoleum roller.
Laying parquet tiles
This is not so different from laying carpet tiles, just keep an eye on the pattern. You should also use special parquet glue.
A layer of moisture insulation is required for a cement subfloor. A wooden intermediate floor is often also required. It is also not wise to apply parquet tiles on a cement floor with a crawl space underneath. In that case, you must call in an expert.
The preparation starts with clearing, cleaning and removing baseboards. Sometimes it is necessary to cut away about ten millimeters from the bottom of the doorposts with a saw. Also make sure that the floor is not creaking somewhere. Then first remove the squat.
step-by-step
- Make four equal parts of the space. Draw two perpendicular lines each from the center of a wall.
- Apply parquet glue to the surface (one square meter at a time otherwise it will dry too quickly).
- Place two rows of tiles from the center towards the walls, at right angles to each other.
- Cut the tiles to size at the edge (see also carpet tiles for how to do this).