The Vinyl Answer (Install a Vinyl Floor)

By Larry Walton

Rolling out a new look in an old standard.

This is not your grandma’s linoleum. Today’s sheet vinyl flooring is available in a large variety of colors, textures and patterns. Often categorized as resilient flooring, sheet vinyl can be a relatively inexpensive alternative to other hard surfaces for kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms.

Vinyl flooring is available in a variety of grades, which means the choices go beyond cosmetic considerations of color and texture. In general, higher grades of vinyl are thicker, which means stiffer, especially when temperatures are low during the installation process. In fact, if you select a heavy grade of vinyl, we recommend you make a pattern of heavy paper to get the layout as close as possible.

Mixing filler compounds right on the floor saves time and clean up trouble.

About 1/8" is enough gap for the most vinyl thickness.

The shinier the floor surface, the more demanding the install. If you select a vinyl with a matte finish, however, it will camouflage more little imperfections such as uneven glue and bumps in the subfloor.

Cut the vinyl about one inch extra all the way around. Pay attention to the best locations for full pattern squares as you should with tile floors.

An undercut saw trims casings and door jambs very close to the floor so the sheet vinyl can tuck under.

Keep in mind that a strong cross-light source, such as a patio door, will also accentuate ridges and bumps in the floor and may call for more attention during the preparation phase.