Vinyl plank flooring is designed to look like a real solid hardwood floor and they come in various styles and looks. Some have a very pleasing antique look while others look like authentic ceramic or wood. Rather than the traditional square flooring, people have made luxury vinyl flooring the trend as far as interior design goes. Vinyl floors come in narrow strips or planks that are usually between 36 to 48 inches long and between 6 to 8 inches wide.
The best things about vinyl planks are that they are thinner than ceramic tile and they don’t need an underlayment. This makes it easy to run the planks right over your current floor without having to raise the surface too much. They are also very easy and efficient such that you do not need to hire a professional to do the plank floor installation for you. Another advantage of doing it yourself, other than saving money on outsourcing, is that the work might take you half the time it would to install ceramic tiles.
Why You Need To Install This Type Of Flooring
Vinyl plank flooring is known for being long-lasting and versatile. They are able to add to the aesthetic pleasures of any home by creating a sleek and attractive finish in every room. They are very comfortable to the foot and if you find otherwise, you can add some underlayment while doing the plank floor installation to make it less stressful on your feet especially in areas that involve a lot of standing such as the kitchen. They are able to dampen noise and are water-resistant, thus making vinyl plank flooring a good choice for people living with children or pets.
If you are concerned about maintenance, this shouldn’t be an issue because all you might need to is clean using a broom or a mop, just as you would on any other kind of flooring. However, regular and simple cleaning makes sure of its durability and attractiveness.
Choosing The Right Style Of Vinyl Plank Flooring For Your House
The first step in any plank floor installation is deciding exactly which type and style of vinyl plank flooring do you need your house to have. Are you going for hardwood, redwood, or something totally different? Does a rustic style suit your living area or do you want to achieve a modern look for your house? You also need to know what brand of vinyl plank floors you are buying from.
Vinyl planks come in three major groups all based on how they are installed; glue down, click-lock, and grip strip. Glue down vinyl plank flooring is installed with the help of two kinds of adhesives; pressure-sensitive and hard set. Pressure-sensitive adhesive is stuck beneath the plank and bonds with the subfloor when the plank is pressed. The pressure-sensitive adhesive is highly preferred because it makes replacing individual planks a lot easier. The other option involves hard set adhesive where the adhesive is spread across the floor and then the vinyl planks are laid on top of the subfloor.
Grip strip vinyl plank flooring comes with an adhesive layer that joins the planks together. It kind of creates a floating floor because it covers the subfloor without coming into contact with it at all. Places with heavy foot traffic such as dining areas or retail spaces will benefit the most from glue down vinyl plank flooring. Click lock vinyl plank flooring also creates a floating floor but uses tongue and groove joints that join the planks together rather than using an adhesive. These three methods are all easy for beginners and can be laid over any surface or subfloor.
The Tools Required To Conduct Vinyl Plank Floor Installation
Vinyl plank floor installation requires just a few tools to get the work done. Those tools will include some chalk, a measuring tape, vinyl cutters, and a straightedge. If you are using grip strip or glue down vinyl plank flooring then you will need the appropriate vinyl floor adhesive as per the type of vinyl floor you intend to install. For safety purposes, safety goggles and a pair of work gloves should also be among your tools.
Preparing The Floor For Installation
Before rolling out your vinyl planks, you need to first ready the subfloor for installation. Get the right measurements and then buy about 15 to 25% more of the flooring than you think will suffice. This ensures that you have more than enough planks to floor the room as well as additional planks for future replacement. Clean the subfloor and make sure it doesn’t have any cracks. You might have to remove the toilet if you are going to put the vinyl floors in your bathroom.
Plan Your Flooring Layout
Lay the planks out in the room and mark the areas where the excess will have to be trimmed out. use a utility knife or vinyl cutters to do the job. Install an underlayer if you have to. Underlayers are important because they assist in providing a smooth and level surface for the best results during our plank floor installation. Ignoring this step might prove detrimental in the future in that your vinyl flooring may start to come up and become uneven.
Putting Down The Vinyl Flooring
Your vinyl planks will most likely come with a pattern of some sort. Make sure that you don’t start a corner with your pattern. Instead, start in the middle of the room if you want your pattern to be symmetrical. If you are installing planks that require adhesive, use a rolling pin or floor roller to make sure your planks are securely bonded with the subfloor. Leave the adhesive for a few hours and allow it to dry before doing anything else. If you have to undercut the jambs, do so so that you can hide the cuts beneath the vertical sections of a door thus concealing them from open sight. It will give off the illusion that the planks were installed seamlessly. If you are installing our planks over tiles, make sure that the tile floor is coated with a leveling material to make sure all grout joints are full to avoid depressions.