Vinyl flooring is quite popular in modern homes. This is mainly because it is available in wide range of attractive colors and patterns that suits the interior designing of the modern homes. It is not very expensive and highly durable. Besides, it has got a waterproof surface and can be used in those areas of the house which are exposed to a lot of moisture like basement, bathroom or kitchen flooring. Cleaning and maintenance of this flooring is not that difficult. Most importantly, vinyl flooring installation is quite simple and does not require much extra effort.
Vinyl Flooring Installation Instructions
Vinyl flooring comes in the form of rolls. You have to take the measurement of the room and buy the material as per your requirement. A few tools are also needed. They are: measuring tape, flooring knife, straightedge, trowel, adhesive, flooring roller, sealer, etc. Now that you have procured all necessary items, let us find out how to install vinyl flooring:
Preparing the Work Area
You need a clean and leveled floor for installing vinyl flooring. Place a straightedge on the floor and flash a beam of light along it. If you see some light filtering, that means those spots have uneven surfaces. A wood floor can be leveled by sanding down the surface. The holes and patches of concrete floor should be filled with the help of a leveling compound. The moldings along the edges of the room should have enough space through which the vinyl flooring should slip through. If that gap is not available, you either have to trim it with the help of fine toothed saw. Or else, you can remove it completely. Once the repair work is done, you have to go for floor cleaning. This is important because it enables the adhesive to bond well with the floor surface. Firstly, vacuum it to get rid of loose dust and dirt and then scrub the floor to clean up greasy stains. Wait until the floor dries up properly and then install vinyl flooring.
Preparing the Vinyl Flooring
Cut the vinyl flooring sheet as per the dimensions of the room. Measure the length and breadth of the room with the help of a measuring tape. Roll out the newly purchased vinyl sheet in an open space. Mark the sheet as per the measurements of the floor. You should keep a few inches extra which you can cut out after installation. Take a straightedge and a flooring knife for cutting the vinyl sheet to make it fit perfectly for the floor. Be careful while cutting the vinyl sheet because you cannot afford to make any mistakes.
Laying Vinyl Flooring
Spread out the vinyl sheet on the floor of the room where you want to install it. Make suitable adjustments so that it aligns properly with the walls of the room. Pull back a part of the vinyl sheet so that the underlying floor is exposed. Now, take some adhesive on a notched trowel and apply it on the floor. Use an adhesive which is recommended by the manufacturer. You need not apply adhesive up to the wall border. Keep a gap of 12 inches between the wall and border of the adhesive. Put the folded part of the vinyl sheet back to its place. Proceed to the other side of the floor where you have to glue the vinyl flooring following the same technique. Once the entire floor surface is glued, press the vinyl flooring with a flooring roller so that the sheet bonds well with the underlying glue and no vacuum air pockets are formed inside.
Finishing Touch
The extra portion of the vinyl flooring which is folded up the wall has to be cut out with the help of a knife. Then the ends of the vinyl flooring should be sealed with caulk. Apply the caulk with the help of a caulk gun held at a 45 degrees angle. Then smooth it out using a caulk smoother. While working with the caulk gun move it slowly to ensure that the edges are properly fixed. Finally, apply a thin coat of sealer on the surface of the newly installed vinyl flooring to protect it from shoe marks and stains. Keep it untouched for half an hour for thorough drying of the sealer.
Vinyl flooring is also available in the form of tiles with adhesive at the back. You just have to peel off adhesive sticker and fit it on a clean and even floor surface. Vinyl flooring prices largely depend on the quality of the material and can vary between $2-$5 per square foot. As far as vinyl flooring installation cost is concerned, it is going to be $1 per square foot or more. This is all for now on vinyl flooring installation. Hope it helps.
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Graeme Stephens has been running the largest owned carpet cleaning company
in new Zealand for 24 years. IICRC qualified "master restoration technician"