Floors

The Secret To Laying Vinyl Floor Over Old Vinyl Floor

Vinyl flooring is cheap, cost effective and perfect for areas such as kitchen or bathroom that have to deal with high levels of humidity. However, after a few years it is likely that you will need to replace your old flooring… if you choose to try your hand at laying vinyl floor over old vinyl read this article first so you get the best results possible from your new floor.

Problems When Installing Vinyl On Vinyl Substrate

There are two common issues when installing new vinyl flooring on top of old one:

The texture of the old vinyl is still visible on the newly installed one
Marks, pokes and bubbles from the old flooring show up instead of being covered by the new vinyl layer.

These two common problems with installing vinyl are caused by the same reason: vinyl sheets or tiles are very thin and will show any imperfections in the substrate, no matter how small they are.

How To Install Vinyl on Vinyl Substrate Like A Professional

The first thing you need to do when installing vinyl flooring over old vinyl is preparing the substrate. Remove all the furniture and the base board moulding, and make sure there is nothing in the way.

Once you have cleaned the area it’s time to check the old vinyl flooring for bubbles, holes, dents and areas that are loose or loosening up from the substrate. Use a razor blade to cut out and remove all these areas. Don’t worry, the next step will fill in any holes or gaps.

Vacuum the floor and remove all dirt and debris, so you are ready for the next step: applying a skim coat. Skim coating is often used in walls, before painting, in order to achieve a perfectly smooth surface. But you can do the same to prepare your floor so the new vinyl flooring will have a perfectly even surface to adhere to. A thin layer of joint compound suitable for indoor use spread over the old vinyl floor, will patch up any gaps or dents and the holes left by removing the broken bits of the old vinyl floor.

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Follow the instructions of your chose skim coat product and mix it with water, and use a masonry trowel to spread it all over the entire floor. This will ensure the texture of the previous vinyl cannot be transferred to your new flooring. In areas where there are deeper gaps or dents use a thicker mixture of skim coat and water. Pay attention to this bit and make sure to do it right: skim coating the old vinyl floor is the secret to install vinyl on vinyl flooring like a professional.

You will need your skim coat to be as perfectly flat and even as possible, so after waiting for it to dry (which can be 14 or 18 hours, particularly if the room has poor ventilation) go through it with the trowel and gently scrape off any drips or lines left when spreading it. Some people even suggest lightly sanding any imperfection, particularly if you are installing the flooring on a room with very intense lighting. Spend time doing this, and your new floor will be perfect.

Once this step is complete, you can continue installing vinyl flooring as with any other substrate. While there are different types of flooring you can choose (vinyl planks, luxury vinyl, vinyl tiles or even wrap vinyl) using a skim coat to even the floor surface is the secret to laying vinyl floor over old vinyl successfully.

How to Remove Vinyl Floor Tile Adhesive

Filed Under: DIY Installation

If you have turned to the Internet to learn how to remove vinyl floor tile adhesive, chances are you have all but given up and are ready to call a contractor to do the work for you. Sore knees, blistered hands and hours scrubbing the floor and trying to get rid of those vinyl tires, and they still don’t go away.

The right way to remove vinyl tile glue depends on the kind of glue used to install the tiles, and its age. Vinyl tile adhesive that is really old and dry will require the use of harsher chemical solvents, whereas removing the tiles you installed last winter will be much easier. There are many different ways to remove vinyl tile adhesive, once you have removed the vinyl tiles using a knife and pulling them off the floor, and you may need to use some of them combined.

Scrapping

The first thing you should do when removing vinyl floor tile adhesive is using a scrapper to manually remove as much glue as possible by purely physical means. This is hard work in an uncomfortable position, so don’t try to get it all done in an evening and make sure you rest your back and even wear a supportive waistband to prevent damage. This should get rid of the bulk of the vinyl glue and the flooring itself.

Solvents

No matter how much you scrap, there will be some resistant vinyl adhesive that refuses to go. In order to soften old glue for vinyl flooring you may need to use solvents. Vinyl solvents come in a variety of types and strengths, from easy to use citrus or soy based ones to highly toxic harsh chemicals, so choose the milder one that still does the job. Chemical solvents can be dangerous, and it’s extremely important to follow all the safety measures provided by the manufacturer. At the bare minimum, make sure you wear protective clothing and work on a well-ventilated area, and take frequent breaks. The solvent will soften the adhesive, and you can then scrap it off easily.

Using a Heat Gun

You can use a heat gun to remove vinyl floor tile adhesive effectively, but this method is not without risks. To start with, you could start a fire or get burn, or even suffer from poisoning from inhaling the noxious fumes that will result. So using a heat gun should be your last resort choice, used only when all else has failed.

Dry Ice Method

A nice industry trick to remove vinyl floor adhesive is to use dry ice. Using protective gloves, place a block of dry ice on a tile for 5 minutes. The tile will become brittle and pop out, and you can remove it easily. Place another dry ice block on the remaining adhesive to make it shatter, and another block on the next tile so it starts freezing. This way you can remove vinyl flooring glue with the least possible back pain.

Health Warning: Vinyl Tiles and Asbestos

If your tiles are old, there is a chance that they contain asbestos. Vinyl tiles containing asbestos were used until the mid-80s, and if your house is older or has vintage tiles it could be a health hazard to try and remove those tiles yourself, as a shattered tile will release asbestos in the air. If you suspect your flooring contains asbestos, contact a specialised removal company that will seal the room and vacuum away any asbestos dust released when removing the tiles.

Four Ways To Keep Your New Floor Looking Great

Filed Under: Maintenance

If you have just had a new floor covering installed in one of the rooms in your home you’ll understandably want to take great care of it to avoid any mishaps. And whilst it might not last forever there are a few things you can do to avoid damage over the first few months of its life.

Remove shoes

Many people don’t remove their shoes when they enter the home. This is despite them walking over a multitude of unclean surfaces throughout the day. The primary way carpets and other floor coverings are damaged is due to the debris which is brought indoors on the soles of your shoes. And the easiest way to stop this spreading throughout the home is to remove your shoes and put on slippers or ‘indoor shoes’ when you enter the home.

Entrance matting

If you have good quality entrance mating at all entry and exit points of the home all the members of the family can wipe their feet before they come into the house. Many people choose to install a permanent entrance mat such as coir mating and fit this into the space between the door and the start of the floor covering. But washable entrance mats can also work equally as well with turtle mats working especially well at removing dirt, dust and debris from the soles of shoes.

Vacuum regularly

It doesn’t matter if you have carpet, wooden floor or vinyl flooring the floor surface should be swept or vacuumed regularly to remove debris from its surface. Any debris on the floor’s surface can cause damage to its structure. If you have a carpet, dirt can find its way deep within the carpet’s pile and cause dirty marks or stains which can be difficult to remove. If you have vinyl flooring, grit and small stones can be compressed into the vinyl surface creating a mottled effect. And if you have wooden flooring the grit or debris from shoes can cause scratches on the surface which will tarnish the floor’s look.

Mop hard floors and get carpets cleaned

If you have a hard floor surface such as tiles or vinyl it will need to be mopped on a regular basis to remove dirt, dust and stains from its surface. Leaving debris or stains on any floor surface will only cause damage to the floor and spoil its look. Likewise if you have a carpet it can be a good idea to get it cleaned on a regular basis by a professional cleaning company to keep it looking like new.

Jane Day is a mother of four and knows how difficult it can be to keep on top of the cleaning. She used www.flooring.uk.com when she needed to install entrance matting.