Stick on wall tiles

[markopolo]

Any success with self-adhesive wall tiles?

self adhesive wall tiles.JPG

I bought some from a clearance center. I saw the same brand in Home Depot yesterday so maybe the quality is better than I assumed.

I have enough to easily cover the painted bathroom walls in the van - http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f8...html#post12312

It should jazz things up a bit.

Some things, like good quality velcro, adhere well in the van. On other things the adhesive lets go after a while because of heat or cold or the surface. I'm thinking an adhesion enhancer of some sort might be good but haven't been able to source anything like that locally.

My latest though is to try a single layer of water based contact cement as a base coat. I guess I could skip the base coat then repair loose tiles later ..........

Any ideas or thought on this would be appreciated.

[wincrasher]

They make mastic products that will hold it in a vehicle. Also, you don't want to grout these. They make flexible, caulk-like products for that.

[booster]

I think you could just try it and see how they hold, and try something else if they don't stick well. The fact that you are on paint will probably be a plus if it is well attached.

The fall back position may be to mount them like the semi-cheating method used for mounting towel bars and such to tile or walls in bathrooms and showers, without using fasteners.

All you do is use is a few small pieces of double side mounts, like VHB tape, in a few places, and put an appropriate adhesive over the rest of the mount (usually silicone for tile). The double sticky holds the pieces in place until the adhesive cures and gives it the durable hold.

[mkguitar]

the big thing with these products is figuring out how you will finish or trim out the edges.

mike

[eric1514]

They are so thin, finishing the edge is not an issue. They work quite well in motorhomes. The adhesive on them is good enough but being plastic/vinyl, don't use them next to an open flame. They will melt.

[markopolo]

That's what these are like; a 10" x 10" square sheet of thin vinyl. The tile effect is from the individual little squares that are maybe raised 1/16th inch.

Good to know they stick well. Easy is better than hard sometimes.

[eric1514]

I think they look pretty good for what they are and the fact that you can cut them with a utility knife or scissors makes installing them a breeze. They are also flexible enough to use on a curve. We have a pretty good selection of them in our local Lowe's.

[SiennaGuy]

Here's installation info for another brand of these kind of tiles. Installation of your tiles should be similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9kUFF_sMcI#t=12

[Bruceper]

I'm thinking an adhesion enhancer of some sort

I read that and the first thing that popped into my head was "PL200!" lol

[markopolo]

That video was great. I found a few videos from Stick-it brand also. I'm going to wait until temperatures warm up a bit here then get on with this project.

I gave up on the idea of wet bath walls a while ago & continued with the original shower curtain design.

[markopolo]

I made a small start on this project yesterday by removing some adhesive mouldings & measuring etc. I might just have enough of these tiles. The clearance place only had 5 packages & I bought them all for around $80. I saw them at Home Depot so at least I can get another package if needed but at around $40 per package.

March is trending colder than Feb here Freezing rain & ice pellets today!

It's easy to get the van warm to be comfortable to work in but I always turn off any heat sources when done. Now, I'm thinking a 60 watt or 100 watt incandescent left on should maintain at least some of warmth in the van overnight for when I start sticking tiles in place.

[wincrasher]

I think you want more heat in there than a light bulb. You want the wall and the tiles both to be warm and close in temp when you stick them - at least in the 60's.

[eric1514]

How much area are you doing? That stuff is only $8/sheet (1 sq/ft) here at Lowes.

[markopolo]

Good point about keeping it warmer than I was thinking. I have an oil filled 500 watt heater that actually keeps it pretty warm in the van. No moving parts like fans that could fail & potentially cause a problem if unattended.

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There are 8 x 10"x10" tiles per package with this brand. Approx 5.5 sq ft per package so around $8 per sq ft taxes in if you buy the package from HD here.

I have to measure again.

[markopolo]

I got off to a good start on this project.

good start.JPG

I left a heater running in the van overnight but came back to some curling edges the following day.

edges curling.JPG

The edges would curl a bit on loose tiles that were out of the package also. From that point on I put a base coat of thin, low voc, contact cement just on the wall. The tiles on the contact cement base do not curl up at all.

I'll check daily for any lifting edges and put contact cement under. I've already repaired many with that and they now adhere well.

put it all back together.JPG

I still have to caulk the corners.

improved.JPG

I'd need one more package to do this section:

might just get a new wider mirror.JPG

but I might leave it as is and just buy a wider mirror.

[booster]

The tile even matches the shower curtain to a large extent!

Is it an illusion, or are there more dark squares on the RH side compared to the left?

[markopolo]

It's just an illusion. This photo shows it better:

illusion.JPG

[booster]

Big difference! Nice looking bathroom.

[markopolo]

Thanks Booster!

I've only used the shower a few times as it is very small. My wife has never used it but might try it this season now that it is fixed up. The shower tub is handy to store a duffle bag type hamper and or recyclables.

[booster]

At least with the toilet facing the aisle you can use the shower for storage and still use the toilet. The enclosed bathrooms can't do that.