How to Install Vinyl Flooring

In recent times, vinyl flooring has almost become a default option, as far as flooring is concerned. From residential apartments to hospitals, shopping malls to offices, vinyl flooring is being extensively used as an affordable, attractive, convenient and long-lasting flooring option. Vinyl flooring comes in the form of vinyl tiles, planks and sheets. Each of these has its own unique characteristic features and properties. All of them are available in a wide range of colors, patterns and sizes, thereby providing the user with plenty of options. We take a look at the way in which each of these vinyl flooring types are installed.

Installing Vinyl Flooring Tiles

Procedure

1. Remove any existing flooring material along with any loose debris and sweep the floor thoroughly. Get rid of all the bumps, raised nail heads and make sure that the entire floor surface is clean and leveled.
2. You should begin laying the tiles from the center of the room rather than from a corner. For this purpose, draw two lines, one joining the midpoints of the two longer walls and the other joining the midpoints of the two shorter walls. The intersection of these lines gives you the precise center point of the room and it also divides the room into 4 equal quadrants.
3. Using this as a reference, begin laying the tiles in an outward manner, i.e. from the center point onwards, towards the wall. Peel off the backing paper to reveal the tile adhesive and place the tile firmly on the floor surface.
4. Repeat this process for each of the other three room quadrants.
5. For covering those odd-shaped corners and areas adjoining the wall, cut the tiles into appropriate shapes using a sharp knife and lay them in a similar way.
6. Once done, use a tile roller over the newly laid tiles to fasten and level them.

Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring

Procedure

1. Using basic hardware tools, clear the floor surface of any debris, bumps, etc. so that it becomes smooth and leveled. Sweep the floor surface to remove any traces of dirt and dust.
2. Vinyl planks should be laid out in a parallel fashion, starting from one wall and working your way towards the opposite wall.
3. Using a marker, draw parallel lines which act as guidelines for laying out the planks. Line up the plank along the length of the wall, peel off the backing paper to reveal the adhesive and fix it firmly onto the floor surface. Apply pressure evenly over the entire plank surface so that it gets properly fastened.
4. Repeat this process for subsequent planks, until you reach the opposite wall.
5. Additionally, to achieve a more realistic wooden finish, you can also opt for laying the planks in a staggered fashion i.e. alternating between full-length and half-length planks.
6. Finally, use a floor roller to smoothen, level and fasten all the vinyl planks.

Installing Sheet Vinyl Flooring

Procedure

1. Using a pair of pliers, remove any superficial nails and other loose debris. Wipe the floor surface to rid it of dust, dirt and other rubbish.
2. Measure the room dimensions carefully to get the accurate size of the room. Next, cut the vinyl sheet into a size that is slightly larger than the actual room size.
3. Spread it across the floor surface and press it evenly to achieve smoothness. Cut off any excess or protruding corner pieces to get a perfect fit.
4. Now, you need to glue the vinyl sheet to the floor. For this purpose, use only the prescribed adhesive and not any general purpose adhesive.
5. Roll back the vinyl sheet from one wall to the center of the room. Using a trowel, apply even layers of adhesive across the exposed floor surface. Once done, roll back the sheet to its original position. While doing so, apply pressure evenly to make sure that it sticks properly.
6. Repeat this process for the other half of the room. Wipe off any excess or spilt adhesive, using a cloth and a suitable solvent.
7. Once done, use a floor roller to smoothen and fasten the vinyl sheet uniformly.

As a thumb rule, while purchasing flooring material, always buy 20% more than the exact required quantity. This can come in handy when compensating for breakage, dealing with fitting errors or for covering odd-shaped nooks and corners.

Vinyl flooring, with its variety of designs and colors, offers supreme durability and is extremely cost-effective. The popularity of vinyl plank flooring is rising as an excellent substitute for hardwood flooring, which otherwise, is very expensive. Vinyl flooring, with its simplicity and ease of use, enables homemakers to solve their flooring problems within no time at all. At the same time, it is also a very pocket-friendly home decoration idea.