B&Q self adhesive vinyl tiles - does it reduce noise of footsteps?

WastedYouth

I have chance today to get to B&Q but not sure what I buying is going to be okay.

Our bedroom is next to the box room. Just has floor boards at the moment and it is like thunder when I walk in there - even with shoes off.

My Woman is a doctor and her shifts and mean often one of us is sleeping.

I've put of coverage the floor long enough.

My choice is between two quick and easy products to install that come to roughly the same price.

Carpet tiles (heavy duty office type) or self adhesive vinyl floor tiles from B&Q.

Problem is that I don't know if the vinyl floor tiles will soften the sound of footsteps.

cruizer101

I don't think they will do much, the vinyl tiles are pretty hard, like a fair bit more than standard vinyl so there wouldn't be much cushioning to absorb the sound

Bannasidhe

Personally, I wouldn't put vinyl tiles directly on floorboards as any movement could cause them to crack eventually and if the floor isn't even it could turn into a nightmare.

I'm building up to put some down in my bathroom but I'm going to line the floor with a thin layer of marine plywood first to make a suitable surface - which means removing the toilet which is why the tiles are still in their box :P.

They do provide some sound dampening.

Carpet tiles would provide more soundproofing and be a bit more flexible/forgiving about how level the surface is.

Years ago I put vinyl tiles down on a prepared concrete surface but within a year they began to peel off where the heating pipes ran underneath - something to keep in mind.

WastedYouth

cruizer101 wrote: »

I don't think they will do much, the vinyl tiles are pretty hard, like a fair bit more than standard vinyl so there wouldn't be much cushioning to absorb the sound

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Personally, I wouldn't put vinyl tiles directly on floorboards as any movement could cause them to crack eventually and if the floor isn't even it could turn into a nightmare.

I'm building up to put some down in my bathroom but I'm going to line the floor with a thin layer of marine plywood first to make a suitable surface - which means removing the toilet which is why the tiles are still in their box :P.

They do provide some sound dampening.

Carpet tiles would provide more soundproofing and be a bit more flexible/forgiving about how level the surface is.

Years ago I put vinyl tiles down on a prepared concrete surface but within a year they began to peel off where the heating pipes ran underneath - something to keep in mind.

I headed for B&Q about an hour so posting but got called into work on my way. I was very vexed but now I'm glad I didn't make it the to the shop.


The floor is even and the tile would have an exact fit with no cutting plus easy to keep clean however the noise is the important thing here.

Carpet tiles it is so.

Any recommendations on where to buy? I was going with Carpet Tile Solutions but I wouldn'tsavinng a bit of money by going elsewhere.

Bannasidhe

WastedYouth wrote: »

I headed for B&Q about an hour so posting but got called into work on my way. I was very vexed but now I'm glad I didn't make it the to the shop.


The floor is even and the tile would have an exact fit with no cutting plus easy to keep clean however the noise is the important thing here.

Carpet tiles it is so.

Any recommendations on where to buy? I was going with Carpet Tile Solutions but I wouldn'tsavinng a bit of money by going elsewhere.

I'm afraid I don't. It's been about 20 years since I bought carpet tiles. It would probably be worth your while to do a quick internet search just to compare what's available.

WastedYouth

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't. It's been about 20 years since I bought carpet tiles. It would probably be worth your while to do a quick internet search just to compare what's available.

I've been doing that search and they are either in packs with too few tiles at too high a price or I have to buy way more than I need.

It is the room itself that confuses me. I have the measurements but it is like the number of tiles needed keeps changing.

And I can't find anywhere local that has the glue.

Bannasidhe

WastedYouth wrote: »

I've been doing that search and they are either in packs with too few tiles at too high a price or I have to buy way more than I need.

It is the room itself that confuses me. I have the measurements but it is like the number of tiles needed keeps changing.

And I can't find anywhere local that has the glue.

It might make more sense to just buy on-line.
That's what I did with the vinyl tiles I'm getting around to putting down.
I used the same brand/supplier (via Amazon) to use in a caravan and they worked out very well.

I did look locally but I found very little verity and I hated all the designs available. And far more expensive.

TBH I get OH to do the working out how many tiles part. I say how many packs of 10 tiles that are a foot square do I need and she tells me. She's not been wrong yet.

Don't forget to factor in you will probably have off cuts that can be used. If memory serves carpet tiles are easier to lay as long as you have a very good craft knife and a cutting board big enough for the tile but small enough that you can drag it around with you - the glue is a bit messy though. Can get everywhere if you aren't careful.

I'm planning on using a dremel to cut my vinyl tiles this time. Used a craft knife other times and it was a bit of a dose with the fiddly bits like around rad pipes. Hopefully the dremel will be easier.

WastedYouth

Bannasidhe wrote: »

It might make more sense to just buy on-line.
That's what I did with the vinyl tiles I'm getting around to putting down.
I used the same brand/supplier (via Amazon) to use in a caravan and they worked out very well.

I did look locally but I found very little verity and I hated all the designs available. And far more expensive.

TBH I get OH to do the working out how many tiles part. I say how many packs of 10 tiles that are a foot square do I need and she tells me. She's not been wrong yet.

Don't forget to factor in you will probably have off cuts that can be used. If memory serves carpet tiles are easier to lay as long as you have a very good craft knife and a cutting board big enough for the tile but small enough that you can drag it around with you - the glue is a bit messy though. Can get everywhere if you aren't careful.

I'm planning on using a dremel to cut my vinyl tiles this time. Used a craft knife other times and it was a bit of a dose with the fiddly bits like around rad pipes. Hopefully the dremel will be easier.

Meant respond earlier - yes My Woman came home this morning and took charge. She had been wondering why I wasn't using iTunes or Netflix lately. She thought I already had the carpet tiles gathering dust in the room. That room isn't a big deal and it is for my use and I started with not caring about the condition but somehow became obsessed with the floor.

Anyway, the measuring is done and got on the phone to a seller up north who is agreeable to splitting a box if we need. We will be ordering from them on Monday in order to be here for a delivery but she will check out the self adhesive carpet tiles later as we would both like to avoid glue. She had a quick look though and the prices along with waiting for a delivery don't look good.

What glue would you advise as self adhesive is doubtful? Woodies don't seem to have such glue (it isn't showing online anyway) and screwfix & B&Q are expensive.

Bannasidhe

WastedYouth wrote: »

Meant respond earlier - yes My Woman came home this morning and took charge. She had been wondering why I wasn't using iTunes or Netflix lately. She thought I already had the carpet tiles gathering dust in the room. That room isn't a big deal and it is for my use and I started with not caring about the condition but somehow became obsessed with the floor.

Anyway, the measuring is done and got on the phone to a seller up north who is agreeable to splitting a box if we need. We will be ordering from them on Monday in order to be here for a delivery but she will check out the self adhesive carpet tiles later as we would both like to avoid glue. She had a quick look though and the prices along with waiting for a delivery don't look good.

What glue would you advise as self adhesive is doubtful? Woodies don't seem to have such glue (it isn't showing online anyway) and screwfix & B&Q are expensive.

As I said it's been about 20 years since I laid carpet tiles so I wouldn't have a clue what glues are available now. Quick look on Amazon showed a few.

Would self adhesive work out that much more expensive than tiles plus glue?
I imagine the weight of the glue would make delivery costly...

WastedYouth

Bannasidhe wrote: »

As I said it's been about 20 years since I laid carpet tiles so I wouldn't have a clue what glues are available now. Quick look on Amazon showed a few.

Would self adhesive work out that much more expensive than tiles plus glue?
I imagine the weight of the glue would make delivery costly...

That does explain the cost alright.

We will go with the guys in the north.

For my curiosity what is nylon carpet like?

All the samples I got from them are " 100% polypropylene ".

Purgative

WastedYouth wrote: »

The floor is even and the tile would have an exact fit with no cutting plus easy to keep clean however the noise is the important thing here.

You seem to be under some misapprehension here.


I don't believe that any vinyl tiles have ever been laid in a room without cutting. Chances are the room is not exactly square.

Bannasidhe

WastedYouth wrote: »

That does explain the cost alright.

We will go with the guys in the north.

For my curiosity what is nylon carpet like?

All the samples I got from them are " 100% polypropylene ".

I have to admit the first thing that comes to my mind is static electricity.

WastedYouth

Purgative wrote: »

You seem to be under some misapprehension here.


I don't believe that any vinyl tiles have ever been laid in a room without cutting. Chances are the room is not exactly square.

I meant almost an exact fit and maybe no cutting

Not sure how I mistyped there

WastedYouth

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I have to admit the first thing that comes to my mind is static electricity.

WastedYouth

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I have to admit the first thing that comes to my mind is static electricity.

This kind of carpet tile is used in offices so I assume there is little to no static electricity in them.

tenbob1

WastedYouth wrote: »

That does explain the cost alright.

We will go with the guys in the north.

For my curiosity what is nylon carpet like?

All the samples I got from them are " 100% polypropylene ".

Nylon is the best quality. Poly prop is fine and used in offices all over the country, its a cheaper fiber. You don't need much adhesive at all, you only need to glue in a few anchor tiles. A nice quality spray adhesive will work <€10 per unit.



You shouldn't have any static problems unless you are going super cheap.

WastedYouth

tenbob1 wrote: »

Nylon is the best quality. Poly prop is fine and used in offices all over the country, its a cheaper fiber. You don't need much adhesive at all, you only need to glue in a few anchor tiles. A nice quality spray adhesive will work <€10 per unit.



You shouldn't have any static problems unless you are going super cheap.

I think a nylon tile was picked. Not cheap but got at a discount.

Thank you for that information the glue. Good to know.

How will I know which tiles to use as anchors? Or does matter? Can I just pick them at random?

tenbob1

Yep without going into more detail, the concept of carpet tiles is that they can be replaced easily, hence the idea of anchor tiles. Rule of thumb is glue the central tile with just enough adhesive to hold, and the surrounding tiles are loose, but glue as necessary.