Peel and Stick Groutable Vinyl Tile ~ Do They Last? (4+ years later)
by Robin
Hundreds of thousands of people have read our post about how to install peel and stick vinyl tiles that you can grout! Maybe that’s how you found our blog? Welcome!
One of the most common questions we get is: “How does peel and stick groutable vinyl tile hold up after time?” or “Do they stick well and last longterm?”
Such great questions, right?! If you’re going to put the work and money into a project, you want it to look great for a long time.
Mind you, this project was fast and cheap – great qualities in a floor. (Better qualities than in, let’s say, a mate.)
Our small bathroom floor cost us a mere $50 and took an afternoon of effort. We were really happy with the results 4 years ago, but how do we feel about it now?
Our Groutable Vinyl Tile Review
The simplest answer: pretty darn good. As you can see from the photos, the tiles have held up really well.
The finish on the groutable vinyl tile didn’t change.
It was always matte, and it still is. I love a matte finish floor! It’s forgiving of streaks and hides a bit more than a shiny one. Less housework!
They aren’t scratched or pitted.
This is our main floor bathroom. It gets herds of foot traffic.
And, while we’re a shoes-off-in-the-house sort of family, this bathroom still get some boot and shoe action. It’s right next to our front door – and when folks with urgent bladder or bowel needs (TMI?) race in from outside, they often high-tail it in there regardless of what’s on their feet.
So sometimes sand, salt, pebbles and puddles are tracked around. It doesn’t show. No scratches that my eyes have picked up on.
The groutable vinyl tile adhesive has held on tight.
There isn’t a single tile that’s gotten loose or shifted. Not even a corner has lifted.
I worried that maybe the middle of the tile might loosen and pop up and down when you step on it. But, nope, those babies are holding on like the day we laid them.
The groutable vinyl tile colours have remained pretty true.
There has been a slight colour change with time. I would call it darkening.
Below is a photo of our floor today, with a leftover tile we purchased when we installed them 4 years ago. This tile was stored in a pile in our dark (and spooky) storage room – so no foot traffic or light has affected it.
just laying on top of the floor we laid 4 years ago. (Sorry for the bad lighting.)
This is the tile we used.
Mind you, this bathroom is east facing and the only window opens into to our deep, shady front porch. Not a lot of light gets in to bleach out colours.
So, if you’re planning tiles for a very bright room, you may see more change than we have.
Long story short: we haven’t babied these floors in the slightest and they still look good.
But the grout is another story…
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s the grout that hasn’t stood up well. It’s definitely changed colour for the worse. (It was polite of you to not mention it. Thanks for that!)
Structurally it has held up; it does it’s groutly job, but it’s not pretty. But, you know, even if we used the most expensive tiles in the world, the grout would still be the same. Grout is grout. It gets dingy and likes to make you look like a slob.
So, do the groutable vinyl tiles last?
Yup. They sure do. At least the ones we chose to use were. They are TrafficMaster Ceramica Marble Peel and Stick in Travertine Grey.
Would we use them again? Yes! In fact, we plan to do just that next year when we update the bathroom for our Mobile Home Makeover. That’s the most telling answer, isn’t it?
Your Next Step: Here’s our simple tutorial for how to install and how to grout vinyl tiles.
We’re no strangers to installing affordable flooring. Check out our other DIY flooring posts here:
Robin and Ed are a DIY-loving couple with over 25 years of design and build experience. Also, Robin is a Nutritionist and former Registered Dietitian and Ed is an award-winning Business Educator. We share strategies for living a rich life on a DIY budget: creative money-savvy ideas for a stylish home, healthy meals and family fun. Our work has been published in the pages of Do It Yourself, Farmhouse Style and Better Homes & Gardens magazines.
Looks great! Did you use a sealer over the grout to keep it looking good?
We sure wish we did, Claudia! We won’t make that mistake again. The tiles held up amazingly though! 🙂
do you need to take off the baseboards before setting the tiles
We didn’t, jj, but it’s best if you do. 🙂
The floors look great. Did you remove the baseboards before installation?
Hi Mary! We didn’t remove the baseboards this time – this was our very first floor DIY! But, for all the flooring we’ve installed since we’ve taken the baseboards off first. It’s ultimately easier and gives a more professional look! 🙂
Hey, do you really have to grout these tiles? Why not just skip the grout?? Elisa
They look so much more authentic when they're grouted, Elisa. The end result is really night and day better. 🙂
I'm going to be doing this in a small kitchen. Going with a light tile and a dark grout color. Hopefully it will hold up against the time worn dinge that sets in with lighter grout!
That sounds like a great idea! Best of luck with your install. Be sure to check out our tutorial for how to! 🙂
We too have fallen in love with the ease of groutable vinyl tiles however we are getting a myriad of mixed opinions on grout. I know they make a specific grout for the vinyl tiles and that is what we have used in the past but it’s a little more expensive and doesn’t come in many colors. Did you use this or just a normal grout? My worry is that a normal grout will chip or crack because it’s so thin and doesn’t have any flex because the tiles are so thin. What are your findings? Thanks!
Normal grout! For sure. No cracking or any problems. Don’t sweat it. Choose the best color and run with it! 🙂
Did you have to remove the old tile, or did this peel-n-stick tile lay directly overtop? If so, after 4 years, does the tile show any contouring or impressions of the tile lines underneath? Looks great, I have a very similar bathroom floor and am considering this DIY!
Hi Brandon! Yes. We did remove the vinyl tile that was there before. Here’s all the details on how we did the install. 🙂
Aaaah, ok. I thought the original floor was older ceramic tiles.
Just cleaned the grout on old tiles in the basement bathroom with a steam cleaner! It worked amazing! It jetted out hot steam and I wiped up the hot condensed dirty water with a towel. Like whoa.
Do you have to use special grout? Or can you use any? When grouting real tiles, I love TEK Powergrout. I have plenty left over from the last project. Cons, it's very expensive $35 for 10 lbs. And only comes in powder form. Enough for most to skip right past it. BUT… It is a NO SEALANT EVER NEEDED product. They advertise spilling red wine -no problem. My experience? It handled my son's gusher of a nose bleed like a champ. Years later, it still looks fantastic. I'm sold. So do you think this will work or do I have to have special grout?
Hi Laura! Nope. No special grout needed. Sounds like the one you shared is amazing – you can def use that one. 👍
I have a floor like this in my kitchen, and had the same complaint about grout. Just last week I used a Mr. Clean Eraser to clean the grout, and it almost looks as good as when I first put it in!
Ooh! I’ll have to try that. Thanks, Christie. 🙂
You did a wonderful job on your floor and now, 4 years later, it still looks great. Grout, on the other hand, whether you seal it or not, is going to absorb every little dust speck it can, and will get dingy with age because of it. Even mopping will discolor your grout, and it's usually something you will need to live with. I have a tiled, grouted entry-way that was installed in 1990, but has been covered pretty much all the time, so the grout is just as new-looking as the day it was installed. Pity. This means my entryway looks like 1990; light tiles/dark brown grout. I am planning on adding another grout layer over the existing one, to lighten it up and into the 21st century. My bathroom floors, also tiled and grouted, were also covered all the time, but if I find them to be getting dingy now that they've seen the light of day, I'll also give them a new layer. Grout is very porous, so I do believe a new layer will adhere and grip to the old one very well. We shall see. But, it it does work, it would be an easy way to update and freshen old, dingy or dirty grout!
Thanks for this! It sounds like a really viable option. 🙂
Grout is my nemesis- installing and maintaining. I've done many ceramic installations and by the time I get to the grouting, my knees are done. But then you're finished and your new floor looks beautiful…. For about a week. Sealer makes little difference I find, it needs to be reapplied, at least annually but I don't bother.
But funny you posed this question, I just tried a cleaning method yesterday with great success without scrubbing. Mix 2 parts baking soda to 1 part hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Apply liberally to grout lines with a toothbrush, just to apply not scrub- making sure there's enough that grout is covered, let sit for 15-30mins it will bubble a bit (15mins was enough for mine). Use the tooth brush to just rub a bit (not sure if this is entirely necessarily but I figured it would help lift dirt that has been worked out of the pores). Wipe up with a microfibre cloth. I didn't rinse the floor after but I rinsed out my cloth frequently. There was a bit of baking soda left behind on the floor- slightly gritty underfoot- that wouldn't be if you did a rinse after. However, once the floor is dry, it sweeps up without extra water or effort. I have done battle with grout cleaning many times, scrubbing and scrubbing and still stains remain. This is the first time I found something effective AND virtually scrub-free to boot.
I LOVE that tip, Cred! 🙂 So simple and non-toxic. I even have all that on hand. I'm trying that for sure! Thanks!!!!
Yes! This is what I was going to say. It is a great grout cleaner.
I have heard that a bleach pen would clean grout like that up without much trouble.
Did you seal your grout? That may be why you noticed staining since grout is porous.
Our one bathroom is hideous. I really need to look into something like this. HEY. the other day I saw peel and stick backsplash. Any info on that?
You should try this, Kyla! Low cost and super cheap. And even if you're not big DIYers this ones pretty doable.
I've seen the peel and stick backsplash. Some of them don't look too bad. But they all seem so expensive! You can do real tile for much less cost (with the right tile). But skill wise, pretty doable. 🙂