Author Topic: PVC Floor Tiles  (Read 10689 times)

Offline raynerd

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PVC Floor Tiles
« on: September 23, 2014, 04:45:27 PM »
Other than the slightly mind blowing cost of these things, has anyone any positive or negative experience with PVC hammer together locking floor tiles? I was lookin at something like the 7mm tiles - there are a few companies doing a slightly less pretty recycled version working out at about £15 per square meter, rather than the normal £25 for non-recycled stuff.

Offline John Rudd

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2014, 04:54:31 PM »
Chris,
You seen these?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Interlocking-Vinyl-Floor-Tiles-Flooring-Heavy-Duty-Gym-Garage-Schools-Workshop-/200998234083?pt=UK_Flooring&var=&hash=item2ecc6da7e3

While I was watching aeroplanes at Reno last week, I checked out the hangars, seems they were using floor tiles on the floor, looked cool to me.....

About £9 a metre if my maths is right....
eccentric millionaire financed by 'er indoors
Location:  Backworth Newcastle

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Offline raynerd

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2014, 05:18:29 PM »
Yea I have but I`m a little concerned by them. If you look around the various forums, especially the car forums, they mention these tiles that are quite thick at 14mm! yet cheap at only about £3 a tile. The issue is they are apparently spungy and not solid and rigid like the 7mm more expensive tiles.
My intention was to tile the full empty floor and mount everything on them. That way it would give me one fully covered floor. It does seem a heck of a price though for the other ones.  :coffee:


Offline awemawson

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2014, 05:34:00 PM »
Chris,

I've screwed and plugged 18 mm OSB 3 sheets on my workshop floor then painted it with floor paint. Stands up very well to machines and is easy to sweep swarf up from and is cheap. Every now and again I touch a bit up with more floor paint (especially under my desk)

OSB3 is the variety of this sheeting that is damp resistant - don't use OSB1 or OSB2
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline DMIOM

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2014, 07:00:55 PM »
Chris,

Alternatively you might want to consider a solid floor (be it OSB or concrete) and then use rubber matting where you're standing. I've got a number of the 5' x 3' mats from Allendale* in front of my machines and they're a real treat under the feet, and can be easily rolled-up or lifted for sweeping if required. 

* First one on this page (usual disclaimer - no connection other than satisfied customer).

Dave

Offline raynerd

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2014, 03:54:48 PM »
Its an interesting thought.

I`d need 5 sheets (4 1/2) of OSB3, wickes are selling for £22 = £110, floor paint = £20.
If I then laid the pvc mats just where I was standing, I bet I`ve just lost the saving of less matting in the price of the OSB sheet.
I just fancied the pcv matting to stand on but I expect with it being so rigid, it i`d be no different than the OSB.

I must admit, I like the idea of raising the floor a little - will the OSB give some insulation from the cold concrete floor or not really without any true insulation under it (which I haven`t got head height for).

Chris

Offline awemawson

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2014, 04:57:17 PM »
The osb must give some insulation but I'm in no position to judge, as I laid 100 mm of expanded polystyrene onto the dpc barrier that sits on the sand blinded hardcore base before laying 6" of reinforced concrete on top. My osb sits atop of that lot but the workshop is heated by oil fired warm air central heating so the mass never goes below the 7.5 degree C night time setting (17.5 daytime)

My motivation for the osb was to give a good dust free surface, as in my experience concrete even when floor painted soon breaks down on the surface with workshop use.

The knobbly surface pvc sheets will be fun sweeping swarf off, especially when they come off nice and blue and melt into the pvc! I have some 'lin bin' plastic boxes on the wall near my lathe, and swarf often impales itself into them and sticks fast if I'm taking serious cuts  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Eugene

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2014, 04:25:47 AM »
Quote
will the OSB give some insulation from the cold concrete floor or not really without any true insulation under it
Chris, in my experience, yes it does and you don't need the heavy sheets, the lighter stuff (9 mm from memory) is fine. I covered mine with cheapo Cushionfloor, for a bit of extra comfort.

It does need something though; it gets very shabby very quickly otherwise. Garage type floor paint as Andrew pointed out isn't very robust; the best stuff is the two pack epoxy variety. I've used that in outside dog kennels and it's bombproof. Obviously neither it nor the OSB or Cushionfloor  will stand heavy objects being dragged across them so you need to be a bit soft softly about shifting lathes and mills.

Eug
« Last Edit: September 25, 2014, 07:45:35 AM by Eugene »

Offline Swarfing

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2014, 03:58:40 PM »
Hey Chris have you thought about using pallet wood? Chop out the good sections rip down to same width and glue to floor with this stuff

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Roofing+Drainage/Roof+Compound+Waterseals/DPM+5L/d250/sd2809/p10290

Once you have sanded the wood off, apply several coats of thinned down PU varnish so it seeps into the wood toughening it up. Top off with a final un thinned coat. Make sure you let it dry thoroughly between coats .Good thing about this solution is every few years a quick sand and new coat and it it will be fresh again. The other nice thing is all the oil spills etc will add character. Bingo a smashing looking floor for peanuts  :)
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Offline Arbalist

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2014, 05:21:41 PM »
I used 9mm WBP ply on my floor with a few coats of floor paint. The WBP is nice and smooth so you get a great finish once it's painted.

Offline raynerd

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2014, 06:07:26 PM »
Hi Swarfing, I appreciate the suggestion but there is no chance I`m laying pallet wood - last time I bought it it was aweful stuff - random sizes, randome thickness, random width despite all being "the same" and it took me forever to sort, store and cut. that was for a small picket fence and my parents allotment and I don`t want to even think about laying it as a floor  :bang:   That said, I do appreciate your idea and I`m sure it would work if you had the patience!

Based on the rest of the comments, I think I`m going to go with Andrews suggestion of OSB3 and then once everything is, maybe get a few cheap mats to put down on the section I`ll walk on. Andrew you are 100% correct - you have totally put me off expensive pvc with the thought of hot swarf embedding in it!

Offline Meldonmech

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2014, 07:29:40 AM »
 
   Chris I used 18mm green flooring grade damp resistant chip board, that slots together.  This on top of a damp proofed 100mm concrete floor.  The chipboard makes a tremendous difference to heat loss, and I can stand on the floor all day in all weathers.

                                         Good Luck 
                                                                  Cheers David
                                                                   

Offline Jonny

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2014, 12:12:24 PM »
18mm green flooring grade damp resistant chip board, that slots together.                                                         

I use that stuff for lining the walls on battons and to partition off.
Wouldn't like to skid a machine over it though.

Its not any dampness in the winter its the cold coming through the floor travelling up your leg bones. Even the cheap 3mm ribbed matting transforms and you can cut round machines. Could do with replacing mine after two years, money well spent.
Something like this just sweep down the length then flick the debris across. Or turn it upside down. Various lengths available, next time might go 5mm thick since coolant gets at it.  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3mm-THICK-FINE-RIBBED-BLACK-RUBBER-MATTING-MAT-1-2m-X-0-25m-48-x10-RIBS-PER-INCH-/380429324800?pt=UK_H_G_Garden_Plants_Landscaping_Garden_Materials_ET&hash=item58935ad200

Personally would lay like above matting over waterproof and self sealed OSB. Not bad for hot swarf its fairly resilient unlike the plastic OP mentioned which would need trimming on all edges.


Offline awemawson

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2014, 12:34:17 PM »
Advantage of using square edged rather than T&G sheets is that if one gets damaged it can be lifted and replaced.

When I was clearing up prior to a move a few years back I managed to drop the headstock of a round head Colchester Student out of the loft hatch in my workshop - it was a 9 foot drop  :bugeye: There was remarkably little damage to the OSB floor lining and even the headstock survived  :lol:
Andrew Mawson
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Offline raynerd

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2014, 04:57:06 PM »
Just a question - if I lay something on the floor wood wise, am I not at risk of drilling and screwing through the damp proof membrane????

I was literally about to order and then though! I didn`t lay it so I`ve not idea how much concrete is on top of it.

Chris

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #15 on: September 29, 2014, 02:48:11 AM »
Chris

If you are worried then bond it down with construction adhesive that will hold it .
Note it's the stuff from the builders merchant not the day stuff


Stuart

Offline awemawson

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Re: PVC Floor Tiles
« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2014, 03:02:52 AM »
I agree with Stuart that construction adhesive avoids the possibility, if you use it you'll need to weight the sheets to stop them bowing as it sets. But if there is a dpc it should be under the concrete slab, and for a garage that slab should be at least 4"

If you are using 18mm osb3, (and personally I wouldn't use any thinner stuff) and 2" No 10 screws you should only be penetrating 1 1/4".

I hope that you have a decent SDS drill - it's a lot of screws on an 18" matrix, and that's what's needed to stop slight humps that 'click' when you walk on them.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex