Full Spread Vinyl Flooring - Installing the Flooring

Most Common Mistakes

1. When estimating the amount of sheet vinyl, forgetting to account for pattern matching at a seam.
2. Unrolling sheet vinyl too early, or waiting too long to lay it, thereby causing it to shrink before it is permanently laid in place.
3. Neglecting to use flooring materials with the compatible adhesive and appropriate trowel at seams.
4. If you are applying a seamed floor, not laying the smaller section first.

Full Spread Sheet Vinyl Flooring

Carry your roll of cut vinyl flooring into the room in which it will be installed. Carefully unroll and position it over the clean, dry floor, matching up the landmarks you indicated on your template. Carefully assess your cutting job. If any additional trimming needs to be done, this is the time to do it before any adhesives have been applied. One of the most important things about working with adhesives is that you use the correct type of applicator or trowel and adhesive. This information will be included in the manufacturer’s instructions. The adhesive should be applied to as much of the floor as will allow you to properly place the sheet vinyl and give you some working and adjusting room. If you are applying a seamed floor, lay the smaller section first. Follow the instructions for seams as described below.

Installing Seams

The first part of the new floor to be secured is the seam This is done by applying the adhesive along the floor between the two sections of flooring. First, gently fold back one section and temporarily tape it back out of the way. Draw a pencil line along the edge of the other section to mark the seam line. Gently fold back the second section and tape it out of the way.

Apply a band of adhesive to the Undenying floor surface along the seamline, using the recommended notched tooth metal trowel. Remember that the old floor needs to be dean and free of wax.

Check the manufacturer’s recommendations at this point. Some require only a 3” band (1 1/2” on either side of the pencil line); others may require as much as 6” of adhesive 3” on either side of the seam.

Lay one piece into the adhesive, and then the other. Make sure the edges of the vinyl are tight against each other. If you don’t, you’ll get a condition called ledging where one side rides up higher than the other. Dirt can build up here and draw attention to the seam.

Now go over the seam with a rolling pin or seam roller, to press the vinyl into the adhesive and eliminate ledging.

To prevent moisture from getting under the floor along this seam, use a special seam sealer kit. Read and follow the instructions carefully. When applying solvent, hold the bottle at the proper angle and don’t wipe up any of the excess. It will dissolve, and you won’t see it after a short time. Give the seam a few hours to set up before walking on it.

If you have done a careful job of outlining the odd and irregular shapes of the floor, and of transferring the template to the right side of the flooring, getting the sheet floor to fit should present no problems. If possible, remove the toilet and run the flooring underneath. Once the flooring is in place, I recommend you go over it with a rolling pin or a 100-lb. roller. This assures the floor’s getting a good bond with the adhesive. Roll from the center of the floor out toward the edges, to get rid of all the air bubbles and waves. Note: These days, vinyl floors are made to be “no-wax.” Once the floor has contracted into its final position, all you have to do is damp mop. As always, follow the manufacturer’s suggestions for cleaning and care.