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I have acquired a property abandoned by some inexperienced flippers. They left some materials behind and one of the things was about 75 sq ft. of vinyl self stick tile.

I am not a big fan of self stick, but these tiles are pretty thick (about 3/32"). I would like to use them since there is enough for both bathrooms, but the pattern does not look to match up ( see pics)

No matter which way I turn the tiles there is always a part that does not match the pattern beside it.

I have tried with the arrows all aligned. With the arrows opposed to each other. With the arrows 90 deg. to each other. Nothing gives me all 4 tiles with a matching pattern.enter image description here

A friend suggested that they be placed with allowance for about 1/8 grout line. However I have never grouted vinyl tile ( What would you use? Is there vinyl tile grout?) The idea seems odd.

Are these type of tiles made to be used in some manner I am not familiar with? Or are they just bad tile and should be thrown out?

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Edit update: I found that the manufacturer describes these as "groutable" However I have never grouted vinyl tile and don't know what to use. It seems that Standard grout would crack and come out with the flex of the vinyl. Or am I wrong and it stays put nicely. (These are going over a 3/4 plywood subfloor.)

This is all new to me. If I can grout these the pattern mismatch may be minimalized My mind is saying "don't grout vinyl" but there must be some way that works. Help!

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  • Usually you lay the tiles with all the arrows aligned. I have a feeling those tiles were found on the reject pile, if all are the same. Check to see if all the numbers match. Might have got two different batches and will need to compare.
    – crip659
    Aug 1 at 14:14
  • I grabbed just 6 out of the same box to try the pattern and see what others thought . ( 3 like, 2 don't like) The numbers all match.
    – RMDman
    Aug 1 at 14:18
  • Probably they were seconds. I do use peel and stick in closets. I think using peel and stick in a bathroom is a bad idea. DWYL.
    – Ecnerwal
    Aug 1 at 14:27
  • @Ecnerwal, I hear Ya, I have seen these used in baths, but never did it myself. I would never have purchased this tile, but I inherited them, and hate to just throw them out. It's looking like the dumpster my soon be their home.
    – RMDman
    Aug 1 at 14:29
  • They work fine in closets, and in closets, the pattern mismatch is no big deal.
    – Ecnerwal
    Aug 1 at 14:30

1 Answer 1

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A quick search for "stainmaster vinyl tile" shows an image of a floor with similarly misaligned patterns. So it might not be random bad luck that they are poorly aligned.

But it looks like this might be meant to be grouted, like this. The page says "Vinyl performance with the look of ceramic" and refers to a grout to use with the tiles. There's apparently such a thing as vinyl tile grout. While not ideal, it should make the mismatch slightly less offensive.

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  • That's Fantastic! Just what I needed to know. I learned something today. Thank You Very Much.
    – RMDman
    Aug 1 at 14:38
  • @RMDman I learned something too! Seems like an interesting product without the difficult subfloor requirements of actual tile.
    – Olivier
    Aug 1 at 14:39

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