Vinyl flooring provides durable surfacing for
high-traffic areas in the home. It’s also a really attractive flooring option
for any house. Best of all, it’s easy
to install with very little DIY
knowledge.
Before installing the vinyl, your subfloor
should be in fairly good condition as any irregularities or bumps can cause the
vinyl to tear or wear out quickly.
Vinyl can be installed over old vinyl flooring
so long as the surface is flat.
What You’ll Need To
Prepare The Sub-Floor
- Duct tape
- Scrap vinyl
- Floor patching compound
- Carpenter’s level
- Belt sander
- Paint stirring stick
- Wet-dry vacuum
- Putty knife
- Tape measure
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Drill and screwdriver bits
- ¼ inch plywood
- Circular saw
- 1 inch deck screws
- Household floor cleaner or dishwashing liquid
Preparing A Concrete
Subfloor
- First, check the floor for any moisture. To do this,
tape a 3-foot square piece of scrap vinyl to the concrete with a piece of
duct tape. Seal the edges really tight and leave the vinyl for 72 hours.
Pull the tape up, and if it releases easily that means that the floor is
too damp for vinyl flooring.
- If the floor is suitable, clean the surface with a
wet-dry vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust and debris.
- Pass the carpenter’s level across the concrete floor
surface to make sure the floor is level. Mark off any high or low spots.
- Open up the ready-to-use floor patching compound, and
stir it well with a paint stirring stick. Fill any low patches on the
floor with the compound using a putty knife. Next, feather the edges of
the patch so that it blends with the rest of the concrete floor. Leave the
patch to dry for about 20 minutes and then sand rough edges with
medium-grit sandpaper. Attach the sandpaper to the belt sander and grind
off any high spots on the floor.
- Clean the floor with the vacuum cleaner once you’re
done sanding.
Preparing A Wooden
Floor For Vinyl Flooring In Melbourne Or Elsewhere
- Cut out a ¼ inch piece of plywood or thicker using a
circular saw. The piece of wood should fit the entire floor of the room as
you want to have a wooden subfloor consisting of two layers of at least an
inch thick.
- Arrange the plywood over the floor so that the joints
don’t align with the subfloor. Allow a quarter-inch gap along the walls as
well as in between the joints – this is for expansion purposes.
Secure the plywood to the subfloor using 6 inch intervals and 1 inch deck
screws along the edges. Make sure you set the screw heads just below the
surface.
- Apply the floor patching compound to the joints as well
as over the screw heads and smooth in place. Leave the compound to dry and
then sand the rough edges.
- Clean the floor with the vacuum cleaner to remove dust
and debris.
Preparing Vinyl
Subflooring
- Thoroughly clean the old vinyl flooring with normal
household cleaner to prepare it for vinyl flooring in
Melbourne by Market Timbers. You could also
mix a few drops of washing up liquid with water. Rinse the floor well and
leave it to dry thoroughly.
- Apply the floor patching compound, particularly to any
old cracks that appear in the old vinyl to create a smoother surface.
Leave the compound to dry and then sand away any rough edges with the
medium-grit sandpaper.
- Vacuum any leftover dust and debris from the floor.
Preparing floors for vinyl flooring is as easy
as that. But be sure to wear a face mask or even a respirator when you sand
wood or concrete subfloors and keep all the windows open for good ventilation
when sanding and working with the patching compound.
So get your floors ready today for vinyl
flooring in Melbourne or in your homes.
