Floor Covering.

M

Markove

Registered User
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I intend laying vinyl (3mm) on a concrete kitchen floor measuring 4msq. Is it advisable to lay some sort of underlay using adhesive firstly and would the vinyl need to be stuck down at the edges to prevent any movement? What type or brand of adhesive would be suitable ,if required?
 
It's quite a small area, what product are you putting down and is it on level smooth concrete?
 
The floor is smooth and even, yes. The product is standard vinyl floor covering, or Linoleum as it used to be known, of medium thickness.
 
If there's skirting board going round the area you should be able to use that to keep it down and yes, for comfort underneath and to stop piercing the vinyl i'd use underlay. Any floor covering store will give you advice on adhesives, etc, even if you didn't buy anything from them.
 
Talk to the supplier about underlay, if the vinly you've chosen is of good quality, you should not need one. Adding too much beneath it will make it spongey and more prone to damage over time as the surface will stretch more. It would also be critical that the underlay is fully bonded to the floor before the vinyl is laid which may involve waiting a few days for the adhesive to cure.
 
Yes, I'm satisfied with the quality and thickness of the vinyl so I won't use underlay. I'm informed that double sided tape should be used at the edges to secure it although it's not strictly necessary. Cutting and fitting accurately will be challenging !
 
Markove said:
Cutting and fitting accurately will be challenging !
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Measure twice, cut one and all that...

If you're laying yourself, make sure the floor is completely free of all debris first. Use a very thin bead adhesive spreader to ensure you have a nice even coverage, don't leave too much in any spots, as this can result in bubbles or high spots. If you do get any of these, use a roller (like a wallpaper seam roller, but a flat wine bottle will work in larger areas) to gradually work it out and spread the excess towards the edges.

If working around pipes or awkward shapes, cut some stiff card to the shape in advance and use that as a template for cutting the vinyl. When at all possible, remove fittings and lay the covering underneat rather than cut around them.

Also, use a good sturdy sharp knife, the snap off blades work well, ideally in a metal body knife. Most builders providers will stock these. Forcing a blunt knife through will lead to problems. And cutting sery slightly longer is easy to remedy, cutting shorter, not to much.
 
Sue Ellen said:


Why on God's earth would ya do a job like this after a few pints!
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, that's exactly the question I asked myself when I saw it the next morning!
I had been really pleased with it when I went to bed, so somebody else must have messed with it after! That's the story my wife heard.
 
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