How to Install Vinyl Flooring in a Rental (That You Can Remove!)
How to Make Permanent Vinyl Flooring Temporary
For the Closet Makeover, I wanted to change up the floor. The original floor was not nice (to say the least), but since I live in a rental, I couldn’t make any permanent changes. I browsed the internet and either the temporary flooring options were 1- Too expensive, 2- They didn’t look nice, or 3- Didn’t give off a realistic feeling (they tend to looked more like a giant sticker), and that’s not something I wanted at all. I came up with what I think is a solution to this problem. I do want to note that this is a low traffic area. These floors will not have the wear and tear of higher traffic areas like an entryway or hallway, so I was comfortable with this process. Keep reading if you want to know how I did this!
Materials Needed for this project:
Tools Needed for this project:
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Clean the floors and stick painter’s tape to the floor.
I had a ton of dust left over from demoing the closet and installing the hardware, so I had to clean it all up to have a nice clean base to work with. I used some dish detergent and warm water to clean up the floors. I then used a sponge then went over it with clean water and a cloth. I let it air dry before moving using painter’s tape as a base layer to protect the floor. I figured that it wouldn’t be so harsh on the floor, and it would make it much easier to remove if the landlord chose to do so.
Step 2: Plan the layout of the tile.
Before I cut a single piece of tile, I laid them out on the floor to get a feel of how many I needed. I used only 12 or so tiles for the floor (including me messing up some cuts!).
Step 3: Stick the tiles to the floor.
I removed the back protective paper and laid out the tiles that didn’t need cutting first. I also made sure that I put down the tile where it was centered with the door. I didn’t want it to look funny, so I placed the tile in the center of the doorway, and worked my way around from there. I used the tile spacers to evenly space the tiles and cut any tiles that needed to be cut. It was fairly easy to cut - I only needed a box cutter.
Step 4: Grout.
I mixed grout for the first time and honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was correct! LOL. It was very powdery and it didn’t seem like the water would mix - I was tempted to pour more in but I trusted the process, and I’m so glad I did! It took a little bit, but it mixed beautifully! I pushed in the grout with a trowel and followed the instructions for removing the grout from the tiles. I let it sit for several minutes then wiped away the excess with a sponge. As a side note, be sure the vinyl tile you choose is groutable! The box specified this, and I love that it makes it look that much more like real tile.
Step 5: Seal the grout and caulk.
Once the grout dried overnight, I taped the perimeter of the closet and caulked the edges. I used a baby wipe to wipe away the excess caulk for a smooth application. I removed the tape and sealed the grout with the grout sealer. I let the sealer and caulk dry for a few hours before I used the area.
THAT’S IT! I hope you enjoyed this, and it inspires you to decorate your space! Just because we live in a rental, doesn’t mean we can’t have beautiful spaces! Let’s make rentals beautiful one DIY at a time!!
