Knowing how to install vinyl flooring can help a homeowner to upgrade the appearance of their home without the necessity of paying for professional installation. To install vinyl flooring properly will ensure that a material of good quality will last without problems for years, standing up very well to the rigors of heavy traffic and use. 

 

Benefits of installing vinyl

One of the great benefits when you install vinyl flooring is that it is easier to clean and to keep clean than a floor that utilizes flooring tiles. The gaps and spaces between flooring tiles tend to gather dirt, but on a vinyl floor there are no crevices for dirt and grime to congregate. In terms of the time necessary for installation, vinyl flooring can usually be installed in a day or less even by those who have never done so before. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty though, Holmes Flooring is available to help. We’ve completed over 15,000 flooring installations in the greater Birmingham area so far and we’re happy to schedule an in-home estimate with you.

 

Remove the old flooring

One of the most important steps to install vinyl flooring is to make certain that after the old flooring is removed that the floor beneath is properly prepared before applying new vinyl. Old adhesive must be stripped meticulously because every bump will result in a bump that can be seen when the new vinyl flooring is installed. Not only do these look terrible, but they result in wear spots and even possible tears in your new vinyl flooring.

 

Ensure the floor is level

It is also important when you install vinyl flooring to ensure the floor is level. This can be easily accomplished with the use of a straightedge and a flashlight. At one end of the room you are working in place a flashlight pointed toward the other end of the room. Slowly slide the straight edge along the floor toward the flashlight with your eyes at floor level – if you can see the light beneath the straight edge it is an area that will need to be addressed using a floor fill mixture that is applied in the same manner as smoothing freshly poured concrete.

 

Install the vinyl flooring

Once the floor has been cleaned of old adhesive and leveled, it is easiest to purchase a vinyl flooring installation kit that contains the items necessary to make a pattern of the room. One this pattern has been made, it can be placed on top of a piece of new vinyl flooring and the new vinyl can then be cut to fit perfectly. The last step to install vinyl flooring is to place the vinyl against the wall in the room that you are working in with the most angles and obstructions and apply flooring adhesive a few feet at a time as the vinyl is unrolled toward an open end of the room. After allowing the adhesive to dry overnight, furniture can be replaced in the room and the vinyl flooring installation is completed.