How to lay vinyl flooring

Before we look at how to lay vinyl flooring, let’s look at why chose vinyl for your new floor. Vinyl floors are a great choice. It’s a total floor solution for every look and budget, and at Arnold Laver we’ll have a style and finish to suit. Finding what to choose hard? Check out our website and see how the floor looks within a setting. It can be tricky to imagine your space with a variety of floorings, but think about the practicalities, think about whether you want more than one style within your room space, and whether you want a stand out floor, or blend in design – our experts are on hand to advise you and help you decide on a flooring that will give you the quality finish and the look you’re after for every room use. The best thing about vinyl flooring? It’s perfect for a multitude of room uses, and an easy floor to install.  Doing a number of rooms? Then vinyl is one of the most cost effect methods to multi-install. Working on your own home? Read on to find out how do your very best job! 

You’ve considered the orientation (lines can widen a room, or elongate the eye), you’ve looked at colours in different lightings (day and evening) and you’ve considered the room’s use. Think finish first; standing water or hard wearing, then think design; engineered timber, floorboard style or stone look.  Time to get ready. Don’t be daunted, this can be a simple process. Like most DIY projects, preparation is key. We’d recommend you had the following to hand: measuring tape, pencil, pair of scissors or a craft knife, double sided tape (optional), vinyl adhesive and an adhesive trowel (this is worth the investment and can be bought for a relatively small amount – don’t lay a floor without one, it’ll make your task much easier!) 

Remove your new vinyl flooring from its packaging for at least 24 hours. Unroll it and let it ‘relax’.   

Prepare the floor which will be vinyled by ensuring it is clean (dust can be problematic so vacuum as well as sweep if you can). Do the entire room’s floor, don’t clean piecemeal. Check any lumps or bumps are evened out. Some lumps may show through to your new floor so ensure it’s nice and smooth. Consider removing any existing skirting and refitting or adding new once the vinyl is laid. 

We’d recommend you ordered approximately 15cm more than  you need. For smaller rooms you can create a template using strong paper (especially good for bathrooms), then add the 15cm to your requirements. Alternatively draw up a plan with measurements for every nook and cranny, then add the 15cm to these. If you’re coming into the depot, bring your measurements with you to order. Never presume you know your measurements or ensure you factor in door ways, fireplaces and steps.  

Whatever size room you’re looking to re-floor, we recommend adhesive. Double sided sticky tape can work for smaller rooms, but we’d still recommend a firm adhesive. These quality floors merit the best kind of installation. Once you’ve cut to size using your scissors or craft knife (remember to have protection underneath where you are cutting), re-roll your flooring so you can unroll it without adhesive to check it fits well. If it’s slightly larger than you need, then you can trim while it’s in situ to get it spot on.  

You can get great advice from our teams, why not call by and ask our advice before you choose or order your vinyl flooring? We want you to be confident that you’ve got the right floor for your needs and that you’re installing it correctly. 

Our vinyl floors can look spectacular and whilst installation might look simple, it’s worth the time and assessment to get it right. For that final professional finish, don’t forget to add skirting after you’ve laid the floor.  It’s a job for a day, with really effective results. Don’t just dream about a stone or wood floor, lay it in vinyl! Visit Arnold Laver and find out what design would work for you.