If you ve chosen luxury vinyl plank flooring as a replacement for your current flooring you ve made a very smart choice.
What do i need to put down vinyl flooring.
A concrete floor seems like the perfect base for a vinyl floor installation.
It s extremely beautiful flooring that mimics natural hardwood and sometimes even stone.
Follow the instructions of your chose skim coat product and mix it with water and use a masonry trowel to spread it all over the entire floor.
Your floor needs to be flat and level for the best vinyl flooring installation results.
Leave the vinyl in.
Most glue down vinyl plank flooring needs to be rolled with a floor roller after installation to firmly and evenly seat the vinyl planks into the adhesive.
To install each piece peel the adhesive backing off of the plank and stick it to the subfloor.
If your room needs it installers will handle sanding and leveling at an additional cost.
A concrete floor with a too high moisture content can wreak havoc on a vinyl floor.
Wipe away or use a knife to peel away any adhesive that gets into the seams between planks.
Check with the manufacturer for specific instructions for these types of installations.
Trim the border planks as needed leaving manufacturer recommended expansion space.
Peel and stick vinyl plank flooring the floor preparation and layout are the same for peel and stick vinyl planks as they are for floating vinyl plank floors.
In some cases vinyl can be glued directly to old vinyl ceramic tile and wood floors but special fillers and glue down procedures are needed.
For installation of vinyl flooring you need a smooth even surface for the underside of the flooring to achieve the best contact for adhesion.
Sanding and leveling your floor.
A thin layer of joint compound suitable for indoor use spread over the old vinyl floor will patch up any gaps or dents and the holes left by removing the broken bits of the old vinyl floor.
Clean the floor with a wet dry vacuum to remove any dust and debris.
Tape a 3 foot square piece of scrap vinyl to the concrete with duct tape sealing the edges tight.
Test the floor for moisture.
A concrete floor may need a moisture barrier before vinyl flooring can be installed.
Pass a carpenter s level across the surface of the concrete.