Does Self-Adhesive Vinyl Flooring Waterproof Concrete?

Adhesive

• What some people fail to remember is that adhesives are not waterproof. They are used as glue to keep materials stuck down to one surface or another. The adhesive that is painted onto the backs of the vinyl tiles and then covered with a sheet of plastic that can be peeled off later is not waterproofing. It is a glue that, once uncovered, is meant to adhere to the installation surface and only that. Many adhesives are water-based, which means they adhesive will eventually dissolve if water reaches it.

Tiles

• Just like ceramic tile flooring, vinyl flooring needs to be prepped for the installation of tile. That means the concrete needs to be flat, smooth and perfectly clean before the vinyl tiles are installed. If you're needing a waterproof subsurface, apply waterproofing before the vinyl tiles are installed, such as with a paint-on waterproofing that goes on and then dries as part of the prep for vinyl tile floors.

Waterproofing Basics

• Waterproofing comes in many formats, but the end goal with any waterproofing protocol is that once it is installed it forms a seamless protective covering over the top of the surface on which the tile will be installed. Membranes, fabrics, interlocking sheets and paint-on waterproofing are all solid options for concrete floors, but they are waterproofing products, not adhesives.

Realities of Tile

• Because tiles are set as individual pieces, even with adhesive on the backs of them they do not connect to create an impenetrable layer, which is what waterproofing is. Instead, water can penetrate around the edges of the each individual tile. Vinyl adhesive is susceptible to water; too much will render the adhesive useless. Self-adhering vinyl tiles may adhere to concrete, but they do not waterproof it.