Separating Peel and Stick Tiles

[Becky]

We have peel and stick tiles in our kitchen and bathroom and some of the tiles have separated from each other and have left spaces. Is there any product that you can buy to fill these gaps?

[mac]

Not that I'm aware of. Is it a waterproofing or cosmetic issue? If cosmetic, here's an idea - a felt-tip marker Seriously.

[Mary]

I would suggest biting the bullet, so to speak, and having them all pulled up. If the floor is okay underneath, level, not water damaged, etc then someone (our handyman is our "someone") can prep the floor, put glue on, and lay a sheet of vinyl flooring down. Even if the floor underneath has some problems, they can all be repaired.

He uses butcher paper and masking tape laid down to get a pattern of the floor, then lays this on the vinyl and cuts it to the right shape.

We got our vinyl floor at Lowe's in the remnant bin (a 9 X 12 roll), but the floors we covered were pretty small. You can buy sheets of vinyl in whatever size you need.

We have also put down laminate flooring in the kitchen, which looks great, but it's more expensive than vinyl. Laminate is not recommended for bathrooms due to the moisture, but wherever it is, you must be careful with it not to drop something heavy (it chips) or get water spilled on it that isn't wiped up promptly.

The vinyl flooring is patterned to look like large tiles with grout, and it looks wonderful.