How to Apply Peel and Stick Vinyl Tiles to Poured Concrete Floors

When you have uneven poured floors in your basement, your "easy" options are few.   The floor isn't level no matter how much your eye tells you it is.  The fastest way to confirm this is to put a long piece of baseboard down and stand back in horror.  Ours showed the edges of the piece were level in that spot, but the middle was almost 1/2" lower.  (Thankfully, we were going to be covering it with a console so you wouldn't see it, otherwise...caulk to the rescue.)

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I debated whether or not to get vinyl planks that look like wood, but the reviews I was reading said that it didn't stick well to poured floors.  You could put down luan, and it stuck well to that, but this was the last thing on our list before we were done with 2 months of work, and I didn't have it in me to lay down luan first.  I found these peel and stick vinyl tiles.

It wouldn't have been my first choice because I didn't want a busy pattern, but it was the most modern I could find that wasn't too harsh on my eyes color-wise.  When they tell you in the description that you don't need any tools and emphasize that, don't believe it.  I was a little more than miffed that it wasn't mentioned until I got the boxes delivered and was ready to go that they tell you you'll need "a tile roller for best adhesion."

So here's what you'll need if you're starting from the middle of a room.

I'm going to tell you right now, we didn't.  We knew we needed to start by a wall and against a different type of floor, so I wasn't going to bother with the chalk line, starting from the middle of the room and working my way out.  This was a basement, and no one would see it but us, so I wasn't worried about it.

The first thing you need to do if you have multiple boxes is go through the tiles, especially if you're dealing with a linoleum-ish situation.  These are factory pressed, and you've got everything from scuffs...

...to nicks you may be dealing with.

Pull those out, and if you're going to have furniture over a specific area, then you can put the duds there.  Otherwise, box 'em up and return them for a new box because, in my eyes, those are defects because some of that doesn't come off.  Out of 15 boxes, I would say two boxes were duds.  I used them in spots I knew would be hidden.

Here's a glance at the painted floors we were covering.

As you can see, it wasn't pretty.

You need to do a little prep work if you're sticking directly to concrete.  Sweep/vacuum the floor and then clean it with a wet cleaner, or I used the water/alcohol solution I use on our granite.

Now, let me enlighten you on what you need (in my opinion) that they don't tell you.  A blow dryer.  When you peel back the backing on each tile, this is the adhesive situation.

The kind of rippled sections are the only parts that have enough adhesion that will actually stick.  The rest of it will have the stickiness of Scotch tape if I'm honest.  The only thing that will bring out the most possible adhesion is a hairdryer on hot.

It took about three minutes per tile, so put on a good playlist, you're going to be there a while.

Make sure you focus on the sides and corners since those are the most likely to peel back in general, especially with more wear and tear.  If you're more ambitious than I am and are putting down luan, this may be all you need on the sticky front.

If you're putting it on the concrete and the warm dryer still won't get it to stick to your satisfaction, get this HomeEasy Carpet and Vinyl Tape.  I saw it in a YouTube video from a floor installation company, and he's right, it worked like a charm.  

I ran lines of it about four tiles worth across and for the seams so each seam all around would be covered.  Then it was time to get to work and just line up the pattern as I worked from left to right.

It was an undertaking, so turn on your heart rate monitor because you're going to burn a lot more calories than you think.  

It took me two full days to get that area done.  The tape really did make a difference, and it's been down for three weeks and hasn't pulled up anywhere.  

I hope this helps someone out there thinking of sprucing up their basement space!

You can also use one box if you want to put a "rug" in front of your washer and dryer.  Stick 'em down then a bead of caulk around the edges to finish it/  Use painters tape to make super straight lines by placing it 1/4" from the edges of the tiles so it catches any caulk overlap and you've got a new, fun, functional piece for under $20!

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