Installing rubber floors in a kitchen!

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hi there!

I live in Chicago, and am looking to install Pirelli rubber floors in the kitchen. I have the large "tiles" ready to go and my contractor doesn't feel comfortable installing. Does anyone know a pro who could help!! (I've included a pic of the floor samples).

Thanks in advance, and happy home making!

Joanna!

Featured Answer

PRO

Cancork Floor Inc.

9 years ago

Find out if your installer knows any "commercial" installers for this stuff. Very, very, very very few residential installers will have seen/heard of rubber flooring. Out of those guys, maybe ONE has installed it.

A commercial installer, on the other hand, will have heard plenty about rubber - and MAYBE installed it himself.

Of course you will pay more for a commercial installer. They are SUPER busy and they prefer to make their money with jobs that are 10,0000sf or so. You will have to tempt them with a BIG pay day (like 3-4 times more than the residential installer) so that they will take a day to install your rubber floor.

And these highly textured floors will be a nightmare to keep clean. The numbies will gather pounds of dirt that becomes well established because sweeping is ineffective and mopping just makes the dirt stick more. Vacuuming will be the best option....but it will still be very frustrating to do this.

There are rubber floors (commercial grade) that LOOK like hardwood. Super expensive and very convincing. And definitely need to be installed by a commercial installer. Which brings me back to the original question = commercial installer will have a much better idea how to do this than residential.

And just for fun, have you left these sit in a warm spot for a day? Rubber like that has a history of "smelling like rubber" in the summer months. Some are less likely to do it....but other (lower cost rubber floors) have been known to cause enough odour to bring on headaches or migraines in those who suffer from them.

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Comments (8)

joannameagher
Original Author
9 years ago
Wow - thank you for the detailed response. This is very helpful - I'm going to see if we can return the rubber sheets. What's your experience with forbo linoleum or marmoleum? Thanks!
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PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
9 years ago
Sheet linoleum is a fantastic product. It is the reason why "sheet vinyl" was introduced: expensive, successful product. Vinyl sheets are less expensive and do the same thing as lino = why people use vinyl more than lino (cheaper).

If you are looking for anti-fatigue properties (like rubber offers) then linoleum will give you more than vinyl. If you REALLY need the anti-fatigue properties (achy back, legs, ankles, etc) then cork is even better.
wacokid
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have the polyvinyl diamond pattern in my laundry room. I did get the 9' x 20' roll and not the tiles. I like it. In the laundry room it does not get very dirty so I just sweep and vacuum up. I will warn you, I laid the balance in my garage in front of an exterior door. It was raining one day when I walked in, I hit that wet floor and my feet went out from under me, I was lucky to grab a door handle. I moved it away from the door. I would not put it in my kitchen because of that.

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Misc · More Info
User
9 years ago
I might not be as derogatory to rubber flooring as some but you do need to look into the maintenance requirements. In general you can either spray buff it (great for a commercial area if you own a buffer) or strip it and apply an acrylic sealer. Most people aren't wild about either option.

It's not that hard to install but the proper procedures need to followed in regards to acclimation and preparation and you must use the correct adhesive.
steve_o
9 years ago
My understanding (from when I was investigating flooring choices 15 years ago) was that rubber was a bad choice for areas in which it might be stained with oil/grease (like a kitchen). Does the sealer JFC mentioned address this or has rubber floor material science improved to the point where this is no longer an issue?
Stacy Weiss
8 years ago
Wow. What good and interesting advice. I wanted to install rubber flooring in a second floor rental for sound absorption and the coolness factor. Guess we'll stick with vinyl.
pdx_gal
8 years ago
And here's another option, with a top vinyl layer. Kind of the best of both worlds, rubber and sheet vinyl combined.

https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/vinyl-roll/plyorobic-rolls-wood-series.html#!