In article .com,
Mike wrote:

On Jun 4, 2:19 pm, "longshot" wrote:
"dpb" wrote in message

oups.com...

On Jun 4, 12:45 pm, Goedjn wrote:
On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:58:36 -0700, Mike wrote:
I bought a small batch of inexpensive vinyl peel and stick floor tile
for a 3'x15' basement closet. This closet doesn't get a lot of use,
so wearability is really not an issue (that's why I bought the cheap
tiles). I simply wanted to cover the floor. If I recall correctly,
this floor was painted with an oil-based floor paint about 15 years
ago. The paint is sound and appears to be adhering well (the paint
stayed on the floor when I picked up one of the tiles). The adhesive
on the tile doesn't appear to be lacking - in fact, in a few places,
it squeezed out from between the joints. I should also note that
drops of paint and poly from previous projects are difficult to remove
from this floor, so it doesn't appear to be an oil or wax problem. I
tried putting bricks on the tiles, hoping that ensuring contact
between the adhesive and the floor would help, but, after clamping it
overnight, there was no difference.

What can I use to stick these tiles to the floor?

Have you tried staples?

I'm thinking leaving the bricks would probably work...

To OP, what do the installation guidelines say about suitable surfaces
for application and preparation?

I've not used apeel 'n stickproduct in over 40 years so no clue as
to how well any of them currently work. We put them down in the
kitchen of the frat house back in the early 60s (uncle the Armstrong
dealer donated a bunch of overstock to us). They worked reasonably
well over a subfloor until the house was sold some 25 years later...

a heat gun or hair dryer will help. but likely you will need some adhesive
as well

Tried a hair dryer - it made zero difference. What sort of adhesive
would be suitable? Would I need to remove the existing adhesive from
the tile backs?

I'm guessing the concrete substrate is your problem. OK, it's clean and
intact, but maybe it's not smooth enough, and you're only getting tiny
contact patches with the tile adhesive. You might need to spread on some
of that what's it called - thinset?