How To Secure a Vinyl Floor

How do you secure a loose vinyl floor tile?

A lifting vinyl or carpet tile is more than an eyesore — it is a trip hazard, and it gets worse every time someone catches the edge. Fixing it is a contact-adhesive job: clean the old adhesive off, coat both surfaces, let them go touch dry, then bring them together and weight the tile down. The product this guide uses is Selleys Kwik Grip Horizontal, a contact adhesive made for horizontal bonding of materials including laminated plastics, rubber, leather, canvas, wood, cork, hardboard, metals and fibrous cement sheeting.

Check compatibility before you start — this matters on vinyl

This is the one thing to read before you open the tin. The Kwik Grip range is solvent-based, and Selleys' own technical guidance for the range carries an explicit warning: ensure compatibility with the materials to be bonded, test on an inconspicuous area or confirm with the material's manufacturer — some vinyl floor coverings are incompatible with solvent products.

That is not a reason to avoid the product; it is a reason to test. Some vinyls are affected by solvent and will soften, discolour or curl. Others are entirely fine. A five-minute test on an offcut or a hidden corner tells you which you have, and it is far cheaper than discovering it across a whole floor. If your vinyl turns out to be solvent-sensitive, check with the flooring manufacturer for a compatible adhesive rather than pressing on.

What you need

• Selleys Kwik Grip Horizontal
• Mineral turps and a cloth
• A brick or another heavy object to weight the tile
• A hair dryer, if the tile is deformed

How to secure the tile

1. Prepare the surfaces. Make sure the old adhesive has been cleaned off with mineral turps and that the surface is dry. Old adhesive residue is the most common reason a re-stuck tile lifts again — the new adhesive bonds to the residue rather than to the floor.
2. Test for compatibility. Apply a small amount of adhesive to an inconspicuous area of the vinyl and check that it is not affected before doing the whole tile.
3. Coat both surfaces. Apply Kwik Grip Horizontal to both the back of the tile and the floor, spreading it evenly so both are completely covered. This is what makes it a contact adhesive — the bond forms between two coated, tacked-off faces, not between glue and bare surface.
4. Let it become touch dry. Keep the surfaces apart until the adhesive is almost dry. Selleys' Kwik Grip directions give this as approximately 20 minutes, and no more than 40 minutes. Too early and the bond is weak and the tile slides; too late and the adhesive has skinned past the point of grabbing.
5. Bring the surfaces together. Do this carefully — the glue bonds instantly on contact and you will not get a second attempt at alignment. Work from one edge across the tile.
6. Weight it down. Place a brick or another heavy object on the tile. Running a roller over the bonded surface, or hammering it from the centre outwards with a padded block, helps secure the bond.
7. Leave it. After 12 hours the weight can be removed and the glue will be well adhered. Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours, so keep traffic off it for the rest of the day if you can.

If the tile has curled or deformed

A tile that has been lifting for a while often will not lie flat again. Try heating it with a hair dryer before applying the glue — the warmth lets the tile bend back to shape far more easily, so it sits flat instead of fighting the adhesive. Do this before you coat anything; you want the tile relaxed into position before the adhesive goes on, not after.

Why the tack-off window is the critical step

Contact adhesives behave differently from the glues most people are used to. Nothing bonds while the adhesive is wet. The solvent has to flash off first, leaving a tacky film on each surface, and it is those two films meeting that create the bond — instantly and with essentially no repositioning.

That is why the timing window has both a lower and an upper bound. Under about 20 minutes and there is still solvent trapped in the film, which gives a soft, creeping bond. Past 40 minutes the film has dried too far to fuse. Between the two you get a grab that holds immediately and reaches full strength over the next 24 hours.

It also explains the weighting. The bond is made on contact, but pressure is what brings the two films into full intimate contact across the whole area rather than just where your hand pressed.

Limitations — where Kwik Grip should not be used

• Some vinyl floor coverings are incompatible with solvent products. Test on an inconspicuous area or confirm with the material's manufacturer before you commit.
• Not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics. Selleys directs you to All Plastics for those.
• Kwik Grip products are not to be used below 10°C. For easier application, let the product warm to room temperature first.
• Ventilation. These are solvent-based adhesives; use them in a well-ventilated area.

Choosing the right Kwik Grip

The range is split by orientation, and it is worth using the right one. Kwik Grip Horizontal is for horizontal work such as a floor. Kwik Grip Vertical Gel is a non-drip gel for large vertical flat, close-fitting surfaces and is heat and water resistant, with a coverage of 0.25 m² per 40 g of one surface depending on porosity. Kwik Grip Spray suits bonding large surface areas.

Clean up

Clean up wet adhesive with mineral turps. Ensure contents are completely dry before disposing of them. Kwik Grip products may thicken in storage at low temperatures — if that happens, warm the tin to room temperature for 24 hours, or stand it in the sun or a bowl of hot water for a short period with occasional stirring.

Common questions about securing a vinyl floor

Will contact adhesive damage my vinyl?

It might. Selleys' Kwik Grip guidance warns that some vinyl floor coverings are incompatible with solvent products, and directs you to test on an inconspicuous area or confirm with the material's manufacturer first.

How long do I leave the adhesive before joining the surfaces?

Until it is almost dry — approximately 20 minutes, and no more than 40 minutes.

Do I have to coat both surfaces?

Yes. That is how a contact adhesive works; the bond forms between two tacked-off coated faces.

Can I reposition the tile after it touches down?

No. The adhesive grabs immediately on contact. Line the tile up before you lower it.

How long until I can walk on it?

The weight can be removed after 12 hours and the glue will be well adhered. Maximum bond strength is reached after 24 hours.

My tile has curled at the corner. Can I still use it?

Try heating it with a hair dryer before applying the glue — the heat lets the tile bend back to shape more easily.

Do I need to remove the old adhesive?

Yes. Clean it off with mineral turps and let the surface dry. New adhesive bonded to old residue lifts again.

How cold is too cold?

Kwik Grip products should not be used below 10°C.

What cleans up the excess?

Mineral turps, while the adhesive is still wet.

Will it bond a polypropylene tile?

No. Kwik Grip is not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics — use All Plastics instead.

My tin has gone thick in the shed over winter.

Warm it to room temperature for 24 hours, or put it in the sun or a bowl of hot water briefly, stirring occasionally.

Is there a vertical version for wall tiles or splashbacks?

Yes — Kwik Grip Vertical Gel is the non-drip formulation for vertical surfaces.