A floating vinyl floor can be installed anywhere in your home and on almost any surface. In today's times vinyl flooring has become a economical option as far as flooring is concerned. It has been used extensively as a convenient and a surviving floor option. Vinyl flooring are available in various forms such as vinyl tiles, sheets and planks. All of them are available in a wide range of colors, patterns and sizes.
Installing a Floating Vinyl Floor
Setting up a floating vinyl floor may seem like a herculean task, but it's not. If you have some basic knowledge a small lay out of tools, you can install this floor in no time. Let's divide this explanation in to 4 parts.
Lay the Flooring: First prepare in advance the measurements you would require. Estimating and identifying the space should be given utmost attention. It's very annoying to run out of material while you are in the middle of flooring. Do the planning of flooring in detail. Giving out a few minutes for the layout will save you lots of time later. While measuring an area for flooring make sure to consider the cut outs and unevenness of that area. Don't neglect closet spaces as they will need covering also. Another advice is buy 20% extra materials. This is done to make sure that you have some extra sources of materials if you require.
Decide on the Type of Floor: Decide in advance which sub floor you want to use. The uniqueness of a floating vinyl is in its adaptable nature. You can install a floating vinyl floor on any substratum including concrete, wood sub floor or existing flooring. The vinyl floating panel can disguise some abnormalities in your existing floor. Eliminate any dents or lumps before installing a vinyl floating panel. You should always check the moisture content in the flooring area. If you don't have a moisture meter available, place a small piece of vinyl floating floor in the desired area and check after 24 hours. If you find dome condensation on the vinyl panel, it means the moisture content is high. So as a precaution you can lay down plastic sheathing as a vapor barrier between the slab and the flooring.
Installing the Floor: Once you have done all the preparations for the flooring area, it's time to install the floating floor. It is advisable to leave a gap of 5/16 inch from the wall. Take help from wood or plastic spacers to maintain the expansion space until you have installed the floor. The expansion space is an important part of the floor installation, it ensures that if the floor becomes swell, there wouldn't be any incidents of crowding or misalignment on the floors. Start laying the floor from the farthest point of the doorway. Start laying the first row with groove side against the wall, use half panels which help cause floating effects row to row. Use small amounts of wood glue on the panel so that it sticks properly on the existing flooring and gently tap panels with a rubber mallet to achieve a smooth new flooring surface. If you are installing the flooring over a large area, a 3/8 inch joint (two pieces of wood joined) should be provided with every 30 to 40 linear feet. Use an expansive joint sealant to join two planks of floors wherever required. It is recommended to use sealant around bathroom and kitchen areas to prevent water seepage.
Finish Up: To finish up the installation of your floating vinyl floor. Always measure the width needed for the last planks for flooring. Take a help of a jigsaw to split the planks to proper width and eliminate doorway notches if necessary. Don't let anyone walk on the floor it takes at least 24 hours for the glue to dry. Then clear the floor from any debris left over from the installation process and check all the joints for evenness.
Floating Vinyl Floor Installation Tips Applying a vinyl floating floor in your basement or bathroom is a great idea. When you are about to begin the installation of the floating floor, you have to apply a moisture barrier insulation first whether you have chosen to remove the old flooring or not. Make sure that you lay down moisture barrier correctly. If moisture barrier is in its right place your room will not expand and contract. Just make sure to secure the edges so that they don't roll or come loose. Installing floating vinyl floor is a simple process, just make sure you have all the right materials and tools in place.
