What kind of tiles are these?

Ain't marble.:devil3: If you put vinegar on Marble, you will know quick.

Vinegar will foam, and eat the Marble.

I see more of a high traffic wear pattern there.

Looks similar to an old vinyl tile from the 60's.


ED

de-nagorg said:

Ain't marble.:devil3: If you put vinegar on Marble, you will know quick.

Vinegar will foam, and eat the Marble.

I see more of a high traffic wear pattern there.

Looks similar to an old vinyl tile from the 60's.


ED

Click to expand...

Thank you, ED! We're hoping to get it back to normal but I'm not sure how.

Kolmogorov said:

Thank you, ED! We're hoping to get it back to normal but I'm not sure how.

Click to expand...

I fear that is well worn vinyl from many decades ago, and if it is wore, no amount of cleaning is going to improve it.

What room is this in, and was part of it covered by a rug, or mat of some kind?

How long have you been living there?

And have you seen that area in better shape?


ED

de-nagorg said:

I fear that is well worn vinyl from many decades ago, and if it is wore, no amount of cleaning is going to improve it.

What room is this in, and was part of it covered by a rug, or mat of some kind?

How long have you been living there?

And have you seen that area in better shape?


ED

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Thank you again for your reply, ED! This is more or less in the living room in an apartment. I'm not sure when the tiles were installed, but it certainly was in place for over 10 years. It was covered by a cage (the bottom of the cage was a PVC lined canvas), although the discoloration does seem to emanate beyond where the cage was. At the same time, you can see a rectangular outline.

I can't recall if it's ever been in better shape, but I believe it has.

Kolmogorov said:

Thank you again for your reply, ED! This is more or less in the living room in an apartment. I'm not sure when the tiles were installed, but it certainly was in place for over 10 years. It was covered by a cage (the bottom of the cage was a PVC lined canvas), although the discoloration does seem to emanate beyond where the cage was. At the same time, you can see a rectangular outline.

I can't recall if it's ever been in better shape, but I believe it has.

Click to expand...

Was the bad area under the cage, or around the cage?

Maybe highly SUN faded.

ED

Try putting hydrogen peroxide on it for several minutes then wipe off.
or
Some type of citrus based cleaner.

If you can get the stains off then use Johnson non-slip hi gloss floor wax.

Old tiles might be asbestos containing and the mastic might be, too. Are they 9” squares or 12” squares? What time period were they installed? Sometimes a heat gun releases them.

Is this an apartment building you own, or are you the renter?
If there all still stuck down good I would not waste my time removing them, I'd go right over them with strip vinyl or laminate.

ron45 said:

Try putting hydrogen peroxide on it for several minutes then wipe off.
or
Some type of citrus based cleaner.

If you can get the stains off then use Johnson non-slip hi gloss floor wax.

Click to expand...

I'll try those. I hope I can find some hydrogen peroxide during these times. :smile: Thank you!

joecaption said:

Is this an apartment building you own, or are you the renter?
If there all still stuck down good I would not waste my time removing them, I'd go right over them with strip vinyl or laminate.

Click to expand...

The person I'm helping is the renter. Sorry, I'm totally new to this. What would strip vinyl or laminate do to it? Would it bring it to nearly the same condition?

Old Thomas said:

Old tiles might be asbestos containing and the mastic might be, too. Are they 9” squares or 12” squares? What time period were they installed? Sometimes a heat gun releases them.

Click to expand...

I couldn't find a ruler, but I compared it to a standard sized paper; it's definitely more than 9", so I'd say 12".

As to the time period, I'm not sure. The apartment is at least 100 years old.

Those are VCT tiles, probably on a slab, and can stain. There seems to be a large gap between them which shouldn't be there. Removing them needs a heat gun, a scraper (basically a broom with a metal fin instead of bristles), or mechanized version of a scraper. You'd have to replace a lot of it and get the adhesive off too.

I wouldn't do anything to something they're renting, unless your friend puts something they can take with them, so:
- Floating sheet vinyl: It just lays down in a 12' roll and is attached via tape. About $.70-$1.00/sf, roll it up when they move.

Speak to the landlord. If a good renter, landlord may purchase new flooring. If your friend caused the problem, good luck. Maybe can negotiate landlord buys, you install:
- Peel and stick 12x12 tiles $.70-$1.50/sf easiest install, corners will come up
- Luxury vinyl planks $2.00-$4.00/sf vary from float, stickyback or glue down
- Laminate $.45-$3.00/sf floats, requires sawing and underlayment

If I was renting, I would discuss with the landlord / manager, If I can do this and if they would offer a discount on the rent for a couple of months, before I did any improvements.

Most places charge a deposit, to tenants, for repairs after the tenant leaves.

ED

I second the last answer.
Most rental agreements forbid tenants from making such changes or improvements...You must discuss this with the owner or manager.

Since you said they are very hard, almost brittle, that gives me a warning bell. And being from the 60's, makes it a warning buzzer. If you had said that the were 9" tiles, Robbie the Robot would be spinning and shouting, "Danger Will Robinson, Danger"

The reason being is that they would most likely be Asbestos floor tile. The 9" is the kicker. They could still be based on the other two warning signs so the best thing to do is nothing. Just leave them be.

As long as you don't disturb Asbestos, it is fine. However, when you start to remove it, that is when you have dangerous conditions that can happen. The little fibers can break free and really cause serious health issues.

If it were my house, I would just put a primer on them, lay down a 1/4" CBU and then put another floor covering over it. Or go wit 1/2" plywood (Use construction adhesive for the plywood and thinset for the CBU)

I would treat those as vinyl asbestos tiles. I would say they are 12’ tiles. Have seen many of those in my day.