Vinyl flooring is easier to install than other types of flooring, but you may still want a flooring company to put in your new floors so they look professionally done. You may need to trim the flooring around a toilet or cabinets, and you may also need to make transitions at doorways and when the vinyl flooring meets up with carpet or another type of flooring, which can be difficult to do. Here are some of the basic steps the flooring company may take when installing your new floors.
Clean And Repair The Old Floor
Some vinyl flooring floats over the old floor, so it isn't always necessary to remove the old floor first. However, the floor should be clean and free from imperfections that might show through the new vinyl flooring. Cleaning and prepping the old floor might be the most time-consuming part of getting your new floors, but this step is necessary so bumps or holes don't show through the new vinyl.
Prepping for the new floor also requires removing the baseboards so the new floor can fit against the wall. The installer might need to remove the doors temporarily. After that, the room needs to be marked with chalk lines so the flooring can be installed with straight lines and so the planks have a pleasing appearance.
Before the vinyl flooring is ready to go down, the installer will deliver it and allow the flooring to acclimate to the conditions inside your home for a few days so there won't be excessive swelling or shrinking once the flooring is installed.
Install The Flooring
Certain types of vinyl flooring go right over the old floor, but other types may need a vapor barrier put down first. A flooring company knows the best way to install vinyl flooring so you get the best results. Vinyl flooring has different installation methods based on the way the floor is designed.
Vinyl sheet flooring might be glued down, but some sheet flooring is made so it goes down flat and doesn't even need to be glued. Plank flooring usually attaches to itself rather than the floor. The planks might attach with glue strips or a tongue and groove method that allows the planks to snap together. You might even opt for peel and stick vinyl planks. The flooring company will let you know if additional glue is recommended for the installation.
Vinyl flooring can go down fairly fast, but it depends on the size of the room and how many protrusions there are. Vinyl planks have to be cut and trimmed, and fortunately, this can be done with a utility knife or hand saw.
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