For the past several years I'm renting an apartment with a cuboard size kitchen unit. The problem is the vinyl covering is just a thin sheet over concrete laid around the baseboards and wall. As there are no seals any time the floor has to be mopped, the dirty water goes underneath and causes the vinyl to warp etc, but most of all adds to a build up of dirt underneath, which is a health issue as for a day or so afterwards mopping the underlying damp dirt causes a bad smell and attracts flies from outside.

The floor would be mopped whenever I use flour to make bread or buns. This has therefore not been practical. This has been a set back as my passion used to be to bake nutrious bread and buns.

I had requested the agent to seal the edges. But after 2 years of waiting he just got a man to put in another vinyl sheet and the dirt remains underneath. The gaps are open again for more water to go underneath.

I will be fixing this myself with paint primer for the pier, adhesive, silicone chalk and plinth strips, bought from my local hardware.store.

Due to other circumstances it has not been & is not possible for me to get a place to rent elsewhere.

This has been a purely hygiene concern, and I have no aesthetic needs about it or how it looks, but for visitors obviously the pier itself would not be appropriate.

Since this is a hygiene issue that could so easily and simply be resolved by landlords and property groups I am going to campaign that be put to law for all future tenants.


Any advise on someone, maybe a hygiene consultant to visit my kitchen where they could prove it is a hygiene and health concern for this purpose would be appreciated.

Vinyl flooring has to be sealed down all around the edges and is usually then covered with a baseboard. In kitchens this is often a vinyl material too, with a slight cove at the bottom, that is glued to the walls and cabinet bases.
So yes, rip it all out, scrub with soapy water and bleach, dry thoroughly, and put down a new floor covering. Take pictures of the dirty floor as you rip up the old, and of the work you do, and keep all receipts. Submit them to the owner or landlord and say you aren't charging for labor, and did him a favor by not calling the Health Dept!