How to?This message has been edited. Last edited by: Magentahoneyrose,
Aug 31, 2012, 04:51 PM
Magentahoneyrose
I want to design my kitchen floor with actual vinyl tape (google it). My question is how do I begin to do this. Do I need a special base? How do I seal the floor?
Aug 31, 2012, 06:21 PM
swschrad
hmmm... so many things to say, and so many rules of online etiquette...........
OK, I think I can get away with this...
DON'T!
-0-
(1) you know that tape scuffs up as you walk on it, right? and that heat and time destroy the adhesive?
(2) did you also know that any sealer worth using will dissolve the adhesive, and some will soften the tape as well?
you could paint a smooth wood floor, but the paint will wear within months to a year, too.
if you really, really want an art floor, you are going to have to consider doing many inlays with vinyl sheet floor, which generally is good wearing. however, in addition to being a devilish task with all the must-fit intercuts, know that every time you cut the surface of a modern vinyl floor, you are cutting the wear layer, and the floor is going to shed, peel, and look rather leprous in a few short years.
do please think again about this.
now, if you were willing to stay with geometric rectangles, it might be worth thinking about using different colors of solid wood flooring and doing inlay work with that. Titebond III could be used to put rosettes and other non-machined-edge designs into a wood floor, and it might have a better chance at long life. you would have to get it right, then sand, vacuum, and lay 2 or 3 coats of oil-base floor varnish over it for best durability.This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,
sig: if this is a new economy, how come they still want my old-fashioned money?
Aug 31, 2012, 11:27 PM
Nestor
MagentaHoneyRose:
I agree with Swschrad that using vinyl tape as flooring is a bad idea. Vinyl tape simply isn't durable enough to stand up to people walking on that floor with rough leather soled shoes. Any dirt on the floor would get embedded into the tape, and you'd soon see dark traffic lanes on your floor.
Keep in mind that if this is something that Martha Stewart did on her show, it only had to last until they finished taping. It didn't have to stand up for 10 years like you'd expect any decent quality flooring should.
The only way a floor like that could work is if you coated it with a finish and maintained that finish by periodically scrubbing the dirt embedded layer off and putting down more finish. But, whether the finish would stick well to the vinyl tape is another question.
If you decide to go ahead with this, at least pay extra to use a proper lane marking tape that's made to stand up to foot traffic. Any of the places listed under "Adhesives" in your yellow pages phone directory will sell lane marking tape or know who does.