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photo: Scott T. Kubo
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With
very little effort, most do-it-yourselfers can change the appearance of
a room with peel-and-stick floor tile. To install peel-and-stick floor
tile, you need a tape measure, a utility knife, a chalk line and
Fix-All® floor patch compound.
Before
placing tile over wood floors or new concrete, make sure the floor is
moisture-proof by taping a 2-inch-by-2-inch piece of plastic film to
the middle of the floor. After 24 hours, if moisture has accumulated
under the test film, moisture is a problem and the floor should be
sealed.
Next,
find the center of the room. Measure and mark the center points of two
opposite walls. Using a carpenter’s square, determine if the
intersecting lines are at 90-degrees angles. Then snap the chalk line.
To
lay the tiles, start in one quadrant marked by the chalk line. Do not
remove the backing-paper from more than one tile at a time.
Most
floor tiles have arrows printed on the back. Lay the tiles so that all
of the arrows are facing in the same direction. Lay the first tile at
the center point of the floor, making sure it is square with the
bisecting guidelines. Continue laying one row along the guidelines in
the quadrant, then work outward from the first row in a pyramid fashion.
To
trim tiles for the borders, align a new tile directly over the last set
tile from the wall. Place a third tile over this one as a guide. Score
a line in the second tile with a utility knife. Snap the second tile on
the scored line and fit it between the set tile and the wall.
After
the border tiles have been cut and placed, install moldings or cove
base to hide trim spacing where the floor tile meets the wall.
To
cut irregular shapes or curves, bend a piece of solder wire and
transfer the curve to the tile being marked. To cut intricate shapes,
heat the tile with a hair dryer until the tile is pliable, and then
make cuts with a utility knife.
For Hawaii Home + Remodeling magazine, this is Frank Suster saying, “You can do it yourself.” | 
