In the 1975 building, I have PVC tiles in the kitchen (60x60x0.4cm (24x24x0.16 inches), flexible, light gray adhesive, not FloorFlex). The tiles are still firmly in place, but there are issues with the grout in some areas. The grout material is coming loose and needs to be replaced.
But: What kind of material was used back then for the grout, which was about 3mm (0.12 inches) wide? It’s not silicone or acrylic. Definitely not traditional grout for stone tiles, more like a type of rubber. Still flexible, but firmer than silicone.
What could I use? Any advice?
Thanks
michael
But: What kind of material was used back then for the grout, which was about 3mm (0.12 inches) wide? It’s not silicone or acrylic. Definitely not traditional grout for stone tiles, more like a type of rubber. Still flexible, but firmer than silicone.
What could I use? Any advice?
Thanks
michael
@ "ölschlamm":
If the joint material between the PVC panels has served for 50 years without showing any noticeable issues, it not only performed excellently but also the milling and heat-sealing work carried out at that time were done very professionally.
The old joint material, as you describe, is removed using a special milling machine. Every professional flooring installer has these electric handheld machines.
Afterwards, the floor surface is thoroughly vacuumed, and a new heat-sealing cord is inserted between the panel edges using a weld automatic machine. The width of the new heat-sealing cord will naturally need to be somewhat wider because the edges of the old flooring are milled off in a V-shape by a small milling head.
As you can probably guess, this is not a DIY task but one for a specialist.
Anything written about using elastic sealants for this purpose cannot provide a lasting solution. “Not lasting” means that the sealant will very likely come loose from the joints after just a few weeks, as it simply cannot achieve proper adhesion between the edges.
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Good luck: KlaRa
If the joint material between the PVC panels has served for 50 years without showing any noticeable issues, it not only performed excellently but also the milling and heat-sealing work carried out at that time were done very professionally.
The old joint material, as you describe, is removed using a special milling machine. Every professional flooring installer has these electric handheld machines.
Afterwards, the floor surface is thoroughly vacuumed, and a new heat-sealing cord is inserted between the panel edges using a weld automatic machine. The width of the new heat-sealing cord will naturally need to be somewhat wider because the edges of the old flooring are milled off in a V-shape by a small milling head.
As you can probably guess, this is not a DIY task but one for a specialist.
Anything written about using elastic sealants for this purpose cannot provide a lasting solution. “Not lasting” means that the sealant will very likely come loose from the joints after just a few weeks, as it simply cannot achieve proper adhesion between the edges.
-------------------
Good luck: KlaRa
Ah,
Thermal rope is what’s inside the joint. That already helps me a lot. I can look into that.
Thanks to you, KlaRa.
If you think the work was done properly fifty years ago, then it probably isn’t worth consulting a lawyer (irony). In fact, it will likely be difficult to find a specialist company willing to come out for just 90cm (35 inches) of thermal rope. That’s all there is—and all the other joints are fine.
But as I said: this already helps me move forward.
Regards and thanks,
michael
Thermal rope is what’s inside the joint. That already helps me a lot. I can look into that.
Thanks to you, KlaRa.
If you think the work was done properly fifty years ago, then it probably isn’t worth consulting a lawyer (irony). In fact, it will likely be difficult to find a specialist company willing to come out for just 90cm (35 inches) of thermal rope. That’s all there is—and all the other joints are fine.
But as I said: this already helps me move forward.
Regards and thanks,
michael
It was not clear from your request that the distance was so short. For such small repairs, a parquet flooring specialist is also the right contact. In this case, a manual router is used instead of an electric one. With a length of 90 cm (35 inches), this is not a major effort. Afterwards, a manual tool is used to insert the new thermal cord into the created V-groove, and once cooled, it is trimmed flush with the surface of the covering. My estimated time required for this is about 40 minutes.
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Regards, KlaRa
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Regards, KlaRa
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