Laying vinyl flooring

Jolaaled

Does anyone know where i can find simple, clear, step by step instructions for laying vinyl flooring in my bathroom?? I've been told it's a reallly simple job and not worth paying someone. In particular, how do i get neat cut around the loo??!
thanks

alanobrien

Jolaaled wrote:

Does anyone know where i can find simple, clear, step by step instructions for laying vinyl flooring in my bathroom?? I've been told it's a reallly simple job and not worth paying someone. In particular, how do i get neat cut around the loo??!
thanks

It is a pretty easy thing to do using a template but you must get the planning right.

Its all shown here, a bit American but very well described i think;

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/articles/199912/vinyl/tools.html

I suspect that wickes and the like will also provide guidance leaflets in store on this subject.

Jolaaled

thanks for the link..i'm gonna try my first ever vinyl floor laying this weekend!

plumb1_2

Jolaaled wrote:

thanks for the link..i'm gonna try my first ever vinyl floor laying this weekend!

Have a nice night on the tiles.

russabbot

Four important pieces of advice that really helped me were:-

1. Don't trim the vinyl to the exact shape.. you can always trim a little more off but not so easy to add it back on.

2. By putting beading around the edges you can hide any rough cuts that you've done (easier using a mitre saw for the angles)

3. Take your time and plan out what you're going to do - if there's a particular spot you will have difficulty getting to (like behind the toilet) do that section seperately - no one will be treading round there so it will be a good place to have a join.

4. If you do need to do a join - overlap the two pieces and then cut over them both to get the best results.

Russ.

Jolaaled

russabbot wrote:

Four important pieces of advice that really helped me were:-

1. Don't trim the vinyl to the exact shape.. you can always trim a little more off but not so easy to add it back on.

2. By putting beading around the edges you can hide any rough cuts that you've done (easier using a mitre saw for the angles)

3. Take your time and plan out what you're going to do - if there's a particular spot you will have difficulty getting to (like behind the toilet) do that section seperately - no one will be treading round there so it will be a good place to have a join.

4. If you do need to do a join - overlap the two pieces and then cut over them both to get the best results.

Russ.

Thanks very much, Russ. do you know if it's best to also put sealant along all the edges afterwards???

Nile

This might not apply to vinyl flooring but hopefully someone will either correct me or confirm that it's a good tip.

If the roll of vinyl flooring is being stored in a cold garage until you're ready to lay it..........bring it inside the bathroom for a couple of hours to warm up and reach room temperature before you start to cut it to size.

I'm not a carpet fitter so feel free to put me right.

Bonzo52

Make a full template out of strong lining paper.Cut and tape it as much as you want then lay it on the vinyl,mark round it then cut it.I wouldnt seal it as it will wrinkle when it expands with warmth.Check first that your wood floor is pretty well flat.Enjoy.

Jolaaled

Bonzo52 wrote:

Make a full template out of strong lining paper.Cut and tape it as much as you want then lay it on the vinyl,mark round it then cut it.I wouldnt seal it as it will wrinkle when it expands with warmth.Check first that your wood floor is pretty well flat.Enjoy.

Thanks, Bonzo. When i'm laying round, say the loo, would i try and poke the edge of the vinyl underneath a bit...or do the cuts have to be incredibly accurate??

Bonzo52

Try an offcut round the loo base first to see if you're happy with the result.If not,and I'm presuming the loo base isn't a perfect fit to the floor, you can paste up the gap first using that wonderful cure-all silicon sealer.Make sure you dont get acrylic sealer as it doesnt adhere and it does crack away after a few weeks.Happy weekend.

russabbot

Personally, i didn't put sealant down as well as the beading. I had pretty uneven floorboards, so I put together a "jigsaw" of hardboard that i bought from B&Q for 98p per sheet - i only needed about 7 sheets that i screwed down (always better to use screws rather than nails in case you need to get to the floorboards again) and this gave me a good solid, even floor to fit my vinyl to.