Taping down rubber floor

9 years ago

I am installing a thick 1" rubber floor tile over concrete in my home gym. I don't love the idea of gluing the tiles because of how permanent that is - difficult to remove and might damage the flooring in the process.

I understand that double sided carpeting tape could be used. And I've read that Gorilla Tape can be used. The bottom of the tiles is not smooth but has dots. It looks like this:

Will tape work with this tile? If so can someone recommend a product? Keep in mind that it is possible for some sweat or fluid from mopping to get between the tiles and onto the tap.

The tiles weigh 17lb each so generally stay put, I just need the tape to keep the tiles from shifting.

This tape sounds interesting since it is designed to be removable, but I question how long the adhesive is good for. Will it last 20 years if I never have a reason to remove the tiles?

If I go the tape route how long will the tape hold? Does the adhesive eventually wear out? And if I ever want to remove the tiles, will I be able to do it without damaging them?

TIA

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Comments (3)

PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
9 years ago
I would not personally risk using double sided tape to hold down rubber tiles like this. The chances of hurting yourself are very high. At 17 lbs each, that SOUND like a lot....but the BIG mats are normally 75 - 100 lbs. Those are the one's that stay in place with gravity and a bit of tape! Simply because they are so heavy.

These sound like rather small squares which will probably shift much, much, much more than the big heavy duty mats.

Contact the manufacturer of the mats to find out their RECOMMENDED method of install over concrete. Get names of adhesives (there are plenty out there...only a handful will work with RUBBER).

These are relatively small, light weight rubber flooring tiles. They are too light to sit with tape on them. I'm sorry but a full spread adhesive is probably the safest way to do this.

And just for fun, have you tested your concrete for moisture levels? Specific adhesives must be used for specific moisture levels. And rubber is known to "cap" a concrete slab thereby increasing the moisture levels rather quickly. Those sudden changes in moisture (in the slab) can wreak havoc on adhesives and flooring alike...

Just be aware of what rubber does and what it needs. Good luck.
uscpsycho
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Actually, it was someone form the manufacturer who suggested the carpet tape but he wasn't too sure how it would hold up for years. He said they use the carpet tape at trade shows and for the period of the trade shows it works great.

I know 17lb doesn't sound like a lot when compared to rubber rolls or mats. But trust me, even without glue or tape these aren't going anywhere when they cover a room wall to wall. I have them laid out and they won't accidentally lift. The edges are even beveled so no way to kick an edge up.

The issue is that I'd like to hold the tiles in place to keep them from shifting and getting small cracks between the tiles when they shift. So I'm trying to find the least aggressive way to do that. I'm not worried about them coming up.
If I decide to use glue, and I might do that, thank you for the advice I had no idea there were so many factors to consider!
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User
9 years ago
I'm having a similar dilemma using roll rubber in my garage workout area. Recently I did a floating LVP job where the perimeter trim was high. The manufacturer recommended using a double sided tape called Gecko Tape. I was considering using it in my application and it might work for yours.
I had a hard time locating it online. Here's one source but it looks pricey.
http://www.fmhflooring.com/product/free-form-gecko-double-sided-tape/