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If you purchase luxury vinyl flooring, such as polyflor flooring, some steps and precautions are essential before installing it, mostly around smoothing out your subfloor.
Whenever you choose polyflor vinyl flooring, you will either have it installed by a professional or install it yourself. If you have professional then this knowledge will already be in consideration and applied, but if not then you need to consider these variations in working conditions or special requirements.
Preparing your Subfloor
Once your flooring is delivered, you should unwrap and leave it rolled loosely, standing upright for around 24 hours to acclimatize to room temperature.
Fully inspect all of the polyflor vinyl to ensure no defects are in the order and that all of the rolls are the right size and colour. Your subfloor should be smooth and levelled, ensuring that items such as nails or holes are levelled straight or filled in smoothly. Ensure all dust, wax, grease, paint and dirt are cleaned away from the area. Any left on the subfloor can cause several bubbling or inconsistency with the flooring upon laying it.
If the subfloor is uneven you can use a recommended rapid-drying compound and skim over it until it is even.
Wood
If you are laying luxury vinyl flooring, such as pine parquet flooring, over a wooden subfloor, be sure all existing floor coverings are removed and secure any loose boards you may have. Look at any protruding nails and hammer them down or saw them down to be level with the floor.
Ideally, you would use plywood as an underlay to the polyflor vinyl to help with any unevenness with the wooden floor. you could utilise chipboard also, as both options provide a smoother surface to lay vinyl on for stability.
Existing Tile
Whilst we recommend all existing floor coverings be removed in the process, it is not always practical. It is therefore possible to install it on top of existing tiles if required.
The tiles will need to be securely fixed and in a good state. Thoroughly clean and prime these tiles for starters, being sure that any holes and gaps are fixed with a suitable repair compound followed by a levelling compound in line with a manufacturer’s guidelines. Be sure that these are skimmed with a recommended finishing agent before starting any work on the vinyl layering.
Concrete
When layering over concrete, be sure to use a damp-proof membrane as laying vinyl over new concrete can take upwards of 6 months to fully dry, causing countless problems. If you have had new concrete put down within the room, it is best to consult with your builder to be sure not to lay over expansion joints.
Whatever you plan on covering with luxury vinyl flooring, you will need to check on certain guidelines from the brand manufacturer as well as your supplier to be sure you have all of the important information to hand. The best possible result from your first install is installing yourself in most cases. Taking time to ensure your subfloor is perfectly ready for Polyflor vinyl flooring saves a lot of time and money.
Consult with your supplier on specific brand guidelines where required.
