Laying TrafficMaster Vinyl Tiles With Grout

Clean the subfloor by sweeping away dirt or debris with a broom and mopping remaining dirt away with a pH-neutral cleanser and a mop. Rinse the cleanser from the floor after mopping with clean water and dry the floor by patting the surface with cloth.

Test concrete floors for sealant by dripping water onto the floor surface. Beading water indicates a sealant is present, and you'll need to remove it before laying the tiles. Remove the sealer by covering the floor with paint remover, then scraping off the sealant with a floor scraper. Clean the floor again after removing the sealant.

Drag a leveling bar across the floor to check for level. Shine a flashlight under the bar and look for voids beneath the bar to indicate low points or an upward bowing of the bar to show high areas. Mark the areas with chalk.

Lower high areas of a concrete subfloor, using a concrete floor grinder; use a floor sander for wooden subfloors. Fill in voids by spreading a self-leveling compound into lower areas and smoothing the compound with a trowel. Allow the compound to dry overnight. Clean the floors again before continuing.

Cover the subfloors with a layer of latex primer to avoid the floor’s absorption of adhesive from the tile before the adhesive can bind the tile into place. Use a paint roller to apply the primer, rolling it into place in overlapping rows for full coverage. Allow the floor to dry overnight.

Measure the length and width of the room, using the tape measure. Divide each measurement and mark the location of the halfway point onto the floor at the edge with a piece of chalk. Extend a chalk line between the two floor markings at opposite ends of the room and snap the chalk line against the floor to create a cross with its center marking the center of the room.

Place a carpenter’s square on one of the angles at the intersection to check that the angles made at the cross point are 90 degrees. If the angles are not 90 degrees, place the long arm of the carpenter’s square along the longest line and use that line as a guide to draw and extend a new chalk line along the other arm of the square across the length of the room.

Lay a test line of tiles across the long wall of the room, using one of the 90-degree lines as a guide for the edges of the tiles to test the tile positioning. Include the tile spacers in the testing positions. Move the center tile position along the line so any partial tiles at the edges of the floor against the walls are of equal size. Lay a second line of tile across the short wall length and repeat the repositioning process. This ensures your tiles appear evenly set throughout with no odd-looking border areas.

Remove the paper backing from the tiles in the rows and set them back into place onto the floor, pressing firmly across the surface of the tile to set the glue into the floor. Cut the tiles to fill partial spaces at the floor edges by marking a cutting line onto the tile with a pencil and straightedge. Cut along the line with a pencil. Leave 1/8 inch of space along the walls to allow for floor expansion.

Place the rest of the tiles onto the floor, working in rows to fill each quarter of the room.

Remove the tile spacers. Roll over the tiles with a 100-pound floor roller to make certain the tiles are all firmly placed.

Spread grout into the tile joints with the rubber edge of a grout float. Immediately remove any grout that remains on the tiles after filling the joints, using a damp sponge. Remove any grout haze form the tiles in two hours, using the lint-free cloth. Allow the grout to dry for the time recommended by the grout manufacturer, often 24 hours.