in this film we're going to show you how
to lay a sheet vinyl floor with the
right approach sheet vinyl flooring is
quite easy to lay and for most rooms
you'll only need one piece of sheet
vinyl for the whole floor for this task
we're going to wear kneepads because
we'll be spending quite a bit of time on
our knees you'll need to use the utility
knife so make sure it has a sharp blade
keep the blade covered or retracted when
it's not in use when you're making your
cuts do it in such a way that you won't
injure yourself if the knife slips first
give your floor a thorough sweep or
vacuum if your existing floor has been
treated with a wood preservative it's
unlikely to be suitable for covering
with sheet vinyl check the
manufacturer's instructions make sure
the surface is free from any protruding
objects such as nails or screw heads or
dust and debris this is particularly
important because even the smallest
pieces of debris or protrusion will show
through use a hammer and a nail punch to
punch any nail head below the surface of
the floor any oil grease bituminous
compounds or solvent based material
should be removed using a suitable
cleaning or removal agent concrete
floors must also be free from damp there
is a simple method to test for this and
here's how you do it place a piece of
polythene approximately one square meter
in size onto the floor and seal around
the edge using a decent tape
leave it overnight any trace of moisture
underneath the polythene indicates
dampness which must be rectified before
the floor is tiled
if your existing floor is damaged or
uneven you will achieve a much better
finish if you level the floor first see
our films how to level a wooden floor
and how to level a concrete floor for
guidance on how to do this now you need
to measure the room first measure and
record the length and the width of the
room make sure you're accurate about
this and include any alcoves measure
right up to the center of any doorways
as well now add 75 millimetres to each
edge to allow for final trimming and
cutting you now have the measurements
that you need to be able to buy the
sheet vinyl before laying your vinyl
unroll it in the room you're going to
fit it in and leave for 24 hours to
acclimatize if you have underfloor
heating also turn that off 24 hours
before you lay your vinyl
now ruff lay the vinyl and adjust it so
that it fits as closely as possible
allowing for the 75 millimeter excess
with obstacles like a toilet or sink
pedestal you'll need to cut around them
we'll show you the process of doing this
with this sink pedestal cut a series of
slits in the vinyl around the pedestal
with a utility knife the first cut
should be where the vinyl meets the
pedestal this is followed by cuts at
regular intervals better angle towards
the first cut you need to do this on
both sides of the pedestal
press the vinyl down and fold the flaps
up around the pedestal the flaps at the
back of the pedestal should neatly meet
trim the excess with the knife to make a
perfect fit continue to work around the
room using the same method with each
obstacle you come to once you've cut
around your obstacles you then need to
work around the room trimming the edges
where you have a long straight cut to
make use a vinyl cutter which will give
you a nice clean finished edge avoid
making the joint in any wet areas like a
bathroom as water might get underneath
it and damage the vinyl all sheet vinyl
flooring needs to be stuck to the floor
sometimes a sheet vinyl need to be fully
bonded to the floor using an appropriate
vinyl floor an adhesive that is either
sprayed onto the floor or spread across
it using a notched adhesive trowel at
the types of sheet vinyl only need to be
bonded at the perimeter and at any join
using double-sided vinyl floor tape
typically cushion type sheet vinyl only
needs to be bonded at the perimeter and
non cushion sheet vinyl needs to be
fully bonded but you should always check
the manufacturer's instructions the
sheet vinyl we're using only needs a
perimeter bond so our next task is to
fix the double-sided tape to the floor
ready for final laying if your floor
surface is smooth completely dust free
and non-porous you can stick the
double-sided tape straight onto the
floor most floors aren't like this so
we're going to use this spray adhesive
under the tape as well to get addition
to the floor first read the instructions
and safety information on the can then
spray the adhesive along the edge of the
floor taking care not to spray it onto
the walls then stick the tape to the
floor around the edges of the room
without removing the backing paper
use a small block of wood and run along
the top of the tape to make sure it's
firmly fixed repeat for the other edges
and put some tape around the base and
pedestal and any other obstructions now
we're ready to lay the sheet vinyl into
position and fix it in place working
around the room lift each edge remove
the backing paper from the top of the
double sided tape and then push the
sheet vinyl firmly onto the tape
well that's the bulk of the job done we
just need to think about the finishing
touches if like us you're laying the
sheet vinyl in a bathroom or similar wet
area you could seal the joint between
the sheet vinyl and the wall with a
sanitary grade silicon sealant make sure
that the sealant tube nozzle is cut at a
slight angle and is cut to have the
right size hole the bigger the gap the
bigger the hole needs to be start at one
end and move along in one continuous
movement maintaining a steady pressure
and speed to smooth the sealant you can
use a sealant shaper or a wet soapy
finger but always remember to wear
gloves another option is to fit a trim
between the edge of the floor and the
wall finish off your new floor by
fitting a t-bar or threshold bar in the
doorway to make a neat join between the
new floor and the floor and in the next
room and that's the job done a beautiful
new vinyl floor for more ideas and
know-how visit diy.com
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