Floating tile floor questions

My basement laundry room has old patterned "vinyl" (I'm only guessing here) tile that has peeled in some places and is missing in others, with plenty of adhesive left behind. There has been occasional flooding in the room because of defective water heaters and plumbing lines, so moisture is sometimes a problem. I have no desire to peel up the remaining tiles and scrape off the adhesive, but I've heard that there are products such as Tileflex that allow a modular installation of square tiles over imperfect existing surfaces. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows of such products and has any suggestions regarding their use, suitability, price, etc.
Thanks so much!

[Nick Arrera]

New product out have not installed any yet .. Just read the specs on it , seems like a decent product ..$5.00 a square ft , thats $45.00 a yard .. doesn't say anything about how flat the floor has to be , But i would assume the standard 3/16 " in 10 ft ..
Will call the dist for you tomorrow and see what i can find out ..

[cproader]

Never even heard of it before. Just read the specs, that is some neat lookin stuff. Heck I got a spot that needs a floor like that.

[Peter Kodner]

Googled Tileflex and got to a couple of sites. No tech info I could find. There are numerous free lay interlocking tiles but all I am familiar with require a flat floor. I don't see where this product would allow you to install over tile void areas without eventually telegraphing. Probably will require a modicum of prep/patching before installing.

Thanks so much for the responses thus far! I really appreciate any research or information you can share.

[Nick Arrera]

I e mailed their tech support with a load of questions .. flatness being one of them .. I know you are going to have to flash the places where there are no tiles .. I also asked them if they sold transition moldings to match their floors .. Will post back as soon i get a response from them .. they make mention of expansion in high rh areas .. When your basement floods , how deep does it get ?

[Nick Arrera]

RESPONSE FROM TILEFLEX ..

Hello Nicholas

As we have over 50 different flooring products - please specify which product you are requesting information on ..
Here is there site you can pick out the name of the floor and i will e mail them back for the specs.. just click the link ..
TileFlex - Raised Flooring

Thanks, Nick Arrera, for all your work--I have been looking at the Tileflex product in white, beige & taupe (I want to do an alternating pattern with white & whatever color looks best with it). I've asked the company for samples and hope they can send some. We don't have a lot of flooding here barring the occasional strange mishap (2 defective water heaters) and Seattle drain difficulties (fixed)--the water heaters were by far the worst, with probably an inch of water at the deepest, but we've been pretty lucky all in all. There is a small area of cement exposed where the tiles closest to the water heater peeled up, which feels a little moist sometimes, but as it is under the washing machine, I figured that was the reason. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any tiles peeling or moisture seeping in. If you have any other questions, please ask, and thanks again.
Donna

[Bud Cline]

I think we are going to see even more floating floor products on the market in the future, it's just the next logical step for ceramic tile I think.

There have been a few attempts at floating ceramic tile floors but they haven't met with great success until just recently. The floating ceramic floor tile known as 'Edge' (sold at Lowe's) was a dismal failure but that's because the product didn't stand a chance from the beginning, it was very poorly designed and not at all thought-out before going to the marketplace.

One of the newer products which has new owners and has been redisgned is getting good response in the marketplace. This is a porcelain ceramic floating floor tile system named 'SNAPSTONE.

As I type, SNAPSTONE is being distributed (next week) in the Canadian market through the Canadian Home Depots. SNAPSTONE is also available at a few independent ratailers in the midwest as well as Menard's Home Centers.

I think this product shows a lot of promise. Take a look.

SnapStone Floating Porcelain Tile System

[Nick Arrera]

You should be fine Donna , But there are a few questions i would still like to ask Tileflex .. will post back .. at $45.00 a yard ,we want to make sure they are not going to have to replace the floor if the water does happen to rise above them ..

[Peter Kodner]

I have a brand new Edge Flooring #801 blade if any one wants it Got it in '03 as a gift when I was there being certified to inspect their products. Never got a single commission form them but at least got this saw blade I'll never use

[Nick Arrera]

Hello Nicholas,

Thank you for your email.

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. The TileFlex product is flexible. I don't have a number for "flatness standard" but 3/16" in 10' would not be an issue for this product.
2. Yes, I would allow a small space of 1/8" to 1/4" (maximum) for expansion and contraction. If the room it is installed in has fairly consistent temperature and humidity levels, then the product will not expand and contact much at all, once it is acclimated to the room. It is always a good idea to allow the tiles to sit a day or more in the room before you install them, to acclimate to the room.
3. A little water for a short period (a day or so) won't usually ruin the product, but the tile is not meant to be submerged for long periods or to be used outdoors. If the product is submerged for days, it certainly could become damaged and need to be replaced. We have other products that are completely waterproof, but the TileFlex product cannot make that claim.
4. The product has a Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion which is 6 X 10 (to the -5th power) Inches / Inch / Degree Fahrenheit.
5. We don't have any baseboard moldings for this or for any of our products.

#4 is a riddle for Tandy ..

[Tandy Reeves]

#4 means the expansion will be greater in the 10 length than the 6 width.

[Nick Arrera]

Thank You Tandy .. I knew you would know ..