Installing Sheet Vinyl Floors
Sheet vinyl flooring is an affordable way to update old, worn flooring in high-traffic areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and entryways. Vinyl flooring is moisture resistant and provides your feet with some cushioning, where tile and laminate flooring cannot. Vinyl flooring is available in different grades. The higher the grade of vinyl, the longer it lasts and the more it costs. With proper preparation, installing a sheet vinyl floor is a manageable weekend project. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Leveling compound
- Embossing leveler
- Pry bar
- Thin piece of wood or thick cardboard
- Tape measure
- Utility knife or utility shears
- Straight edge
- Multipurpose carpet and sheet vinyl adhesive
- 1/16-inch square-notched trowel
- Vinyl floor roller
- White cloth
- Soap
- Mineral spirits
- Finishing nails
- Nail setter
- Hammer
- Wood putty
Instructions
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1
Prepare the sub-floor for the vinyl floor installation. Remove most existing flooring, such as ceramic tile, cushioned resilient sheet flooring, carpet and carpet tacks. Clean and level concrete sub-floors with leveling compound. Coat old, embossed or damaged sheet vinyl with embossing leveler. Follow the directions on the leveling products to apply correctly to your sub-floor.
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2
Remove the baseboard from the perimeter walls. Slide a pry bar between the baseboard and the wall. Place a thin piece of wood or thick cardboard between the wall and the pry bar so you do not damage the wall when pulling the baseboard off the wall.
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3
Sketch out your room's dimensions including any permanently installed fixtures, such as base cabinets or a fireplace hearth. Add the exact measurements to your sketch, checking each measurement twice.
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4
Roll out your sheet vinyl flooring face up on a clean, flat surface like the garage or your driveway. Transfer the measurements from your sketch to your vinyl flooring. Extend each measurement by 3 inches to allow for cutting and fitting the sheet around the perimeter of the room. Recheck all flooring measurements.
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5
Cut the vinyl flooring along the 3-inch allowance measurement using a utility knife or utility shears and a straight edge if necessary. Roll up the flooring and transport it to the installation site.
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6
Unroll the sheet vinyl flooring and position it in the room. When the flooring is placed in the room correctly, the 3-inch allowance will curl up against the perimeter walls. Continue to shift and adjust the flooring until the flooring pattern, if any, is squared and centered on the floor.
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7
Slit the 3-inch margin allowance at the inside and outside corners of the room to let the flooring lie flat. Be careful not to cut past the 3-inch margin.
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8
Trim the 3-inch allowance from the vinyl by pushing the straightedge against the wall. Trim the flooring between the straightedge and the wall with a sharp utility knife. Check all the edges and trim away any excess vinyl you missed.
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9
Lift the vinyl sheet and carefully fold one-half of the flooring over the other. Stir the multipurpose carpet and sheet vinyl adhesive and allow it to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
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10
Spread the adhesive over the sub-floor using a 1/16-inch square-notched trowel. Start in the corners of the room and work toward the center of each wall. Lay the vinyl over the adhesive and repeat for the remainder of the floor.
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11
Press the flooring into the adhesive with a vinyl floor roller. Roll the floor from the center to the perimeter edges, moving left to right, then up and down.
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12
Dampen a clean, white cloth with soapy water, and wipe the wet adhesive residue from the sheet vinyl. Use mineral spirits to clean dried adhesive from the vinyl flooring.
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13
Replace the base board by driving finishing nails through the baseboard and into the wall studs. Countersink the nails into the baseboard using a nail setter, placed onto the center of the nail head. Hit the nail setter with a hammer. Cover the finishing nails with wood putty.
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