Q: We just bought a house. The floors in the kitchen are stained. Is it possible to lay sheet vinyl over old stick-down vinyl tiles?A: (from DIY home improvement expert, Brad Staggs) It's definitely possible to install new sheet-vinyl flooring over your old vinyl-tile floor. Depending on the size of your room, it may take a full weekend, but it's a budget-friendly floor treatment. However, be aware that for a professional-quality look you can't simply lay down new sheet flooring over just any vinyl floor. There are a few important factors to consider. Following are the rules and some installation tips. Materials: Sheet-vinyl flooring
Embossing leveler
Flooring adhesive
Putty knife or scraper
Utility knife; hook blade
Craft paper
Masking tape
- The old floor must be tightly adhered to the sub-floor. It also must be above grade -- meaning that you won't be installing it in a basement or onto a concrete slab that would allow moisture to seep in and cause the old floor to pop. Also, avoid installing more than two layers of vinyl flooring.
- Sheet-vinyl flooring is available in a myriad of patterns and shades including wood patterns, slate-tile look, stone, marble, etc. Most come in either 12 or 6-foot widths. To install flooring, first remove any furniture and movable appliances from the room. Next, remove all of the trim, including the toe-kick in the cove base beneath the cabinets (figure A).
- To ensure a perfect fit for your sheet vinyl, make a pattern of the floor of the room using craft paper and tape (figure B). Cut the paper slightly larger than the size of the room, then fold the edges into the creases along the wall and use a utility knife to cut the pattern to the exact size of the room. Be sure to cut around any obstacles such as floor-mounted electrical outlets.
- Once you have your pattern cut out, roll out sheets of flooring face-up onto a clean, smooth surface (such as on your garage floor), then center your pattern on top of the vinyl sheeting and cut the flooring to the proper size and dimensions using a utility knife (figure C). If your cuts are not exact, don't worry as you'll be trimming the flooring to a precise fit as you put it in place.
- Since you'll be applying the new flooring over an old vinyl floor, it's critical to apply an embossing leveler. Any seams, depressions or raised texture in the old floor (figure D) that are not covered by the leveler will transmit or "telegraph" up through the new floor and cause imperfections in the new surface.
- Embossing levelers are color-coded (figure E) to indicate what materials they are suitable to work with. The same holds true for adhesives. Check carefully to ensure that you are using the right products for your flooring.
- Use a smooth trowel to spread the leveler thinly and evenly (figure F), making certain to get it into any embossed designs on the floor. Once the leveler has been applied, it may take from 15 minutes to 2 hours to dry, depending on moisture and humidity. Once it's dry, scrape down any ridges in the leveler and sweep the surface clean.
- Now you can test-fit the flooring and do some trimming. With the flooring rolled pattern-side-in, check the back for dirt or debris, then carefully position the sheeting onto the floor (figure G). Place the edge of the floor against the longest wall, and square it up.
- Once the flooring is in position, trim away any excess using a utility knife (figure H). Don't try to do the whole job in a single cut. Instead, make several cuts until the vinyl is flush with the vertical surface. A hook-blade works well, and will help prevent damage to cabinets or walls as you trim away excess vinyl.
- Once you're done cutting, roll half of the sheet toward the middle of the room, making sure that the pattern is facing inside the roll. Now you're ready to start gluing down the flooring using adhesive.
- Important: Check the "open time" on the directions that come with your adhesive to get an idea of your work time. (In our case, the open time was 10 to 20 minutes.) That's the amount of time between the spreading of the adhesive, and the laying down of the vinyl. Applying the vinyl too soon may cause the floor to be lumpy.
- Spread the adhesive using a smooth trowel designed specifically for applying vinyl adhesive. Hold the trowel at a 60-degree angle and spread the material evenly and sparingly (figure I). Follow the adage "less is more" when it comes to spreading vinyl adhesive. Excess adhesive will leave bumps on the finished floor. Make sure that you spread glue all the way into the corners and into nooks and crannies. Spread adhesive next to the rolled vinyl in a straight line, using caution not to apply excess.
- Once you're sure you have good coverage, and you've waited the appropriate amount of time, roll the vinyl carefully over the adhesive (figure J). Spread the flooring smooth with your hands, and "roll" toward the edge to work out any air trapped between the layers.
- Repeat the steps for the other half of the room.
- Once the flooring is down, use a roller to press the flooring down as smoothly as possible, working from the center of the room outward. We used a professional floor-roller (figure K) to help ensure a smooth surface. These are typically available at rental centers. For smaller areas, an ordinary rolling pin can be used for similar results.
RESOURCES :
Installing and Finishing Flooring
ISBN: 0806992956
Author: William Spence
Order this title from Amazon.
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Flooring 1-2-3: Expert Advice on Design, Installation and Repair
0696215888
The Home Depot
(June 2003)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
The Home Depot
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