apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is a really weird question... but I'm moving soon and I want to do a really quick and simple makeover to the new place's grody kitchen. It has a gross peeling-up vinyl floor and I can't afford to replace it with anything nice for the time being.

I'd like to get some vinyl stick-on floor tiles but my neighbor tells me they don't last very long, about a year or so? Would it be possible to coat it with a polyurethane or floor wax of some sort in order to seal it, make the gaps between the tiles "stick" more, and make it more durable and water resistant?

Or if anyone has a better idea for replacing the floor (its 35 sq ft), it has to cost less than $50 though ;)

I used the stick on floor tiles from Home Depot on my 3 season porch when I moved in 5 years ago and for the most part they have totally stayed down and in great condition (a corner of one near the door popped up and the tile needed to be replaced) even thought drastic changes in temperature and lots of traffic.

I think it depends on the type of vinyl floor tiles you get -- don't go cheep and they'll last!

We used a product call Ardex to level the floor and fill in the gaps between the old floor tiles in our kitchen before putting down a new sheet floor. Ardex is a cementitious floor leveler that is mixed w/water and troweled on to an exisiting floor to create a smooth, level surface. Of course you'd have to remove the loose tiles before applying it. Ardex has a website to check out. Any hardware store or big box retailer would have a floor leveler--look for it near the floor tiles.

i have a question along the same lines as aysha's. my apartment has great hardwood floors everywhere except the kitchen, where they are in terrible shape (gaps between planks, warping, different wood species). i don't think i'm ready to go with stick-on vinyl tiles everywhere, but i was wondering whether anyone knows of any attractive interlocking padded floor mats that function in the same way children's play mats that are like puzzle pieces do, but aren't so childish? i need something that is anti-skid and also non-pourous and easy to clean, but also configurable to my odd kitchen layout. ideas?

I have a suggestion for floor mats for the kitchen in addition to my earlier post about floor leveling. We did the floor leveling in our tenant's kitchen and in our kitchen we put down rubber tiles--the thick kind you might find in a weight room. They are black with light brown flecks and are stuck down to the existing vinyl floor with double-sided carpet tape. We found them at chain home improvement store (Menards). I looked extensively online for the these tiles and buying them retail proved to be cheapest because they are heavy so it costs a lot to ship them! If you have a Menards in your area, I think they are on sale this week!!

thanks for the suggestion arcgrrl- i will definitely stop by menards!

I found a clear floor wax that works specifically for vinyl tiles at Ace Hardware (its Ace brand), it seems like it would probably help a cheap floor last a bit longer.

Aaaah thanks so much for the responses, but I went to Home Depot tonight and found ceramic tiles on sale for 99cents/sqft! I can have a real floor after all WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

:D

Let the small bathroom renovation begin...

Thanks for posting on this topic. Totally helpful!

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