What you need to know about vinyl flooring installation

Vinyl floor installation can be a tricky business. At the Floor Store, we suggest you have your vinyl flooring professionally installed. Our installation staff has experience with the heavy, difficult work that it takes to ensure a vinyl floor comes out looking the best it can. Any of our Floor Store locations can help you with your installation needs. We can also help you know what to expect before, during, and after your vinyl floor installation.

As with any flooring installation, you’ll need to clear the room of furniture and other items before the vinyl is installed. It may be necessary to remove baseboards and molding in advance; be sure to ask your installer about this. Vinyl flooring can be installed on virtually any surface, but it will show imperfections in the materials below it, if they exist. For this reason, it’s important that you talk to an installation professional about your flooring substrate (the material on which the flooring will be installed) before installation. Depending on your subfloor, you may need an underlayment laid before the vinyl is put in place. This will help ensure the surface is smooth, dry, and free of imperfections.

Once your substrate is ready to go, vinyl will be installed. Vinyl can be installed with one of three techniques: full spread, perimeter adhered, or floating installation. With full-spread installation, installers apply adhesive to the entire substrate. With perimeter adhered installation, the adhesive is only applied to seams and perimeters of the vinyl flooring. Finally, a floating vinyl installation is when no adhesive is used to glue the vinyl to the substrate. As with any other flooring product, it’s important to be prepared and know what to expect when having vinyl installed.