VCT tile installation

[budl]

I have a brand new 24x34 3 car garage and I'm leaning heavily toward a checkerboard vct floor. I know there are many posts on this site regarding vct installation but I have a couple of specific questions.

1. What is the "working time" for the glue?

2. I know I won't be able to lay the whole floor at once so can I trowel glue over glue on day 2 ( i.e. area glued but not tiled on day 1 in case my knees can 't cover my ambitions)?

Thanks
Bud

 

[ketas47]

Depending on brand of glue, but most take about 1 hour after you put it down and have up to 10-12 hours to put tile down,then roll the tile with 100# roller. I only put down enough glue that I knew that I was able to put tile down. You do not want to put glue over glue.

 

[wjh0919]

adhesive container will state the open time. mine was 24 hours which I thought was insane. I worked the entire 23 x 23 garage in about two hours. It goes pretty quick once you get started.

as everyone notes - the FIRST tile is the key. it all works or goes south from that tile.

measure five times - then go.

 

[JimVonBaden]

adhesive container will state the open time. mine was 24 hours which I thought was insane. I worked the entire 23 x 23 garage in about two hours. It goes pretty quick once you get started.

as everyone notes - the FIRST tile is the key. it all works or goes south from that tile.

measure five times - then go.

That would be my experience. I found 1 hour after the close to minimum time, but would not go more than 10 max. The tackiness starts to fade, and although it might stick fine, it felt odd. Do NOT go too soon or the tiles will slip around too easily.

Jim

 

[budl]

Thanks for the replys. I bought the Armstrong tile from HD yesterday. Given that my garage floor has only 2 "cut around" obstructions ( the bases for the lift), I think I can lay half the 24x34 in one session. My neighbor who has done it before thinks I'm over over confident in my ability and stamina for a fat old man. My contractor thinks it's doable but says you don't need to roll it. He has also laid vct in the past. Any fat old men want to affirm or contradict those predictions?

Thanks
Bud

 

[budl]

Excuse me if I seem **** about this but I just don't want a big "uh-oh". If I am going to do the floor in 2 or 3 parts should I go to the trouble of masking off the parting line before spreading the glue for day 1? The roller, where do I get one? My local HD says they don't have one. Equipment rental places?

ThanksBud

 

[SteveB]

My wife and I laid 540 sq ft in half a day, the full garage floor. Towards the end I concentrated on cutting edge tiles while she did the rows.

I finished off by rolling the entire surface, rental roller.

Yes, I too am a fat old man.

 

[Red05GT]

Henry and other companies have adhesives known as clear thin spread. They will go on
a cream\tan color and turn to clear signaling time to lay the tile. I have troweled it and also
rolled it on with a short nap roller. One commercial job we did has been down 20 years
and still looks good. We had to take some up in one area for a remodel and the glue actually
pulled some surface chunks out of the concrete. Roller after installation is a plus to insure
full contact. Nice thing about the clear thin spread products is you can strike your layout
lines and you will see them through the adhesive. Google clear thin spread and it will give
working times for various brands of adhesives. Do a dry layout first and a slight shift one
way or the other could ease the installation and or preclude having a small unsightly cut
line. Starting and staying square is the main thing to having a good looking installation.
If you've never laid tile before, maybe start in the back quarter of the garage that will be
least seen before applying all of the adhesive, just sayin!

 

[JimVonBaden]

Thanks for the replys. I bought the Armstrong tile from HD yesterday. Given that my garage floor has only 2 "cut around" obstructions ( the bases for the lift), I think I can lay half the 24x34 in one session. My neighbor who has done it before thinks I'm over over confident in my ability and stamina for a fat old man. My contractor thinks it's doable but says you don't need to roll it. He has also laid vct in the past. Any fat old men want to affirm or contradict those predictions?

Thanks
Bud

I did my 20X20 in two halves, ONLY because I had to move the stuff from one side to the other.

I am 49 and fat, and could easily have done the whole 20X20 in one day. It goes fast once you get the first row done.

Jim

 

[budl]

Just read the armstrong adhesive web site and they say do NOT roll their Exelon tile after installation. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Bud

 

[wjh0919]

I've done excelon in two garages and I've rolled both times. No problems in either case.

I also used a rubber mallet to get better sealing at some edges where I didn't think it was laying well enough.

 

[MRAJB]

What kind of prep do I need to do before laying down the vct tile? How clean does the floor need to be for the glue to stick? I'm got some nasty oil stains from the previous owners.

 

[n4lb]

I saw a job of a VCT tile floor in a garage. One or two tiles kept slipping. I think what caused it is that the floor was not rolled with a 100 lb. roller after installed and it is not sticking very well.

 

[Gerald O]

Just read the armstrong adhesive web site and they say do NOT roll their Exelon tile after installation. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Bud

I think you may have misread that. Installation instructions specifically state that it is to be rolled.
http://www.armstrong.com/pdbupimages/200839.pdf

 

[duneslider]

I am betting what you read said not to roll the glue, you need to trowel out the glue with the CORRECT sized trowel. You need to roll the tile after install to bed the tile in good to the glue.

I would think a bigger rental place would have the rollers.

 

[nh_yota]

Whatever you do, don't put the glue down too thick. Learned that the hard way.

 

[rburke65]

Amazing that you can have 2...3...4 different people reading the same instructions and come up with 2...3...4 interputations. Not that I haven't done the same thing....just saying.