How easy to lay vinyl flooring?

redrabbit29

I have just bought a house and the kitchen floor is quite grubby and definitely needs replacing.

I see online that you can buy rolls of vinyl very cheaply. Especially when compared to somewhere like Carpet Right who charge loads for it and to install.

How easy is it for an average non-expert to lay the roll of vinyl?

Is it worth buying a roll online and trying it myself or should I just bite the bullet and pay for an expert to come and install?

ormus

you can buy it online, but i would always get a man in to do the job. unless the kitchen was perfectly sq or a rectangle.
its far too easy to ruin it by diy. worth every penny for an expert to do it. they charge about 50 quid ish.

in the old days when it was cheap stuff, you didnt mind doing it diy, but not now. its just too expensive to ruin.

redrabbit29

Thanks.
The kitchen is about 4 metres by 4 metres so fairly square but some awkward bits obviously.

I can get the amount I need for just £118 inc vat.

I'd be really happy if someone would install for £50, will call about tomorrow.

WestonDave

One cheat, if you really can't run to paying someone else to do it, is to use the old vinyl as a template - however, be very very careful to ensure you get it the right way round - i.e. if you are drawing out the shape on the back you need the back of the old piece facing you NOT the front, otherwise you will get a mirror image and it won't fit! Its not entirely foolproof as you'll need to ensure they are both absolutely flat, but if you allow a bit of a margin for trimming off, you can get a reasonable result this way - I've done it on a B&Q cheapo piece of lino for a bathroom, which was a fairly awkward shape.

phill99

Fitters make it look really easy. But it isn't. Ormus is right - get someone in. Its probably more like £30 or £40. For an experienced fitter its about an hours work. Just make sure all the appliances are out of the way.

redrabbit29

I rang two fitters today.

The first quoted £90 excluding VAT.

The other quoted £65 exclusing VAT.

Think I will get all my utilities installed first - washing machine, cooker, etc..

babywillow

We recently got some vinyl flooring from carpet right for our bathroom - only needed 2 x 2 so cost £36, fitting with them is something like £6 per sqm I was well chuffed - until they said they charge a minimum of £40!!!
Wish I paid it now - dh did not do a good job for first attempt!

phill99

redrabbit29 wrote: »

Think I will get all my utilities installed first - washing machine, cooker, etc..

But they will have to come out when you get the vinyl laid.