Home improvement

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.

Installing Vinyl Over Vinyl Sheets

Filed Under: DIY Installation

Vinyl tiles are an easy and affordable way of giving a room a totally new look. They are easier to install than vinyl sheets, and if you are not very experienced at DIY they are definitely the best option. But if you already have a vinyl floor, a common concern is whether installing vinyl over vinyl sheets is possible. In most cases, installing over sheet vinyl is possible, but you will need to prepare the floor correctly.

Is The Old Floor Lifting Up?

First of all you will need to check out the conservation status of your existing vinyl flooring. The most important thing to look at is whether it’s perfectly bonded to the subfloor. Old vinyl flooring in need of maintenance often shows signs of lifting from the subfloor, and will need some vinyl flooring repair in order to install vinyl tiles on top. Use vinyl flooring glue and wait a few days to see if the old vinyl flooring lifts again. If it does, removing vinyl floor with a knife may be easier than installing over vinyl flooring that is in such bad shape.

Are There Marks Or Deep Scratches?

If the existing vinyl flooring has cuts, holes or deep scratches, those imperfections will make installing vinyl over vinyl difficult and will need to be fixed before continuing. If there is a lot of damage you may be better off removing the old floor and preparing the subfloor for laying vinyl floor directly on top of it. If the imperfections are minor, you can fix them using a self-levelling embossing solution to fill the holes, and make sure the entire floor is perfectly flat.

Installing Vinyl Tile Over Existing Vinyl Floor

In order to install your new vinyl luxury tile you will need the floor to be perfectly clean and flat. Start with using a good floor cleaning liquid, but avoid those that have wax or give a glossy finish. Use a clean mop, and change the water as soon as it gets dirty. You need a really spotless surface for the self adhesive vinyl tiles to stick properly. Dry the floor using towels, and make sure there is no soap residue at all. Leave the floor to dry (and make sure you don’t step on it with dirty feet) and apply a coat of vinyl primer on the vinyl sheeting to improve the adhesive effects. Once the primer is dry it’s time to lay your new vinyl flooring on top of the old one.

If you are using vinyl tile squares it’s better to start in the middle of the room and move outwards towards the walls, so if you need to cut any tile it’s only one that is close to the wall. Be careful when cutting vinyl flooring over existing vinyl, as you could make a hole that would need to be fixed before you can install the tiles. Depending on the size of the room, this work can take less than a day. Just make sure you are very careful and align each tile perfectly with the ones next to it so the effect is of a professional vinyl tile installation over your old vinyl sheet flooring.

Why Choose Vinyl Kitchen Tile Flooring

Filed Under: Information

The kitchen floor is usually one of the areas of the house that needs more cleaning and has higher requirements in terms of hygiene. After all, nobody wants to make dinner in dirty environment fill of bacteria! Choosing vinyl flooring for kitchen has become a very popular option because is easy to clean and resistant to bacteria growth. Vinyl kitchen tile floors come in a large variety of colours and patterns, and can be installed by the homeowner, making them a very attractive choice of flooring for any kitchen.

Vinyl Kitchen Tile Is Versatile

Unlike wood or natural stone, vinyl tiles come in all the colours of the rainbow, and as such they can be matched to any decorative style. From checked black-white vinyl flooring to vinyl flooring that looks like wood, you can spend hours just deciding which pattern you like the most. And what’s more, you can create your own unique designs on your kitchen combining different vinyl square tiles to form a totally different geometric pattern, or to visually divide a room in different areas.

Vinyl Flooring For Kitchens Is Cheap

Prices for vinyl flooring are a fraction of those of marble, granite or even hardwood, and you can learn how to install vinyl floors in order to lower them even more. This makes vinyl an affordable choice for cash-strapped homeowners who want to redecorate and add value to their homes, or for those who enjoy changing how their kitchen looks every few years and don’t want to invest in more costly flooring materials that would need to be removed later on.

Vinyl Is Pet and Kid Friendly

If you have children or pets you’ll love to know that installing vinyl kitchen tile flooring is great for them too. Vinyl is soft to the touch and very comfortable to walk on, besides being bacteria resistant. Cleaning vinyl flooring is easy and quick, and any pet related accidents are not likely to leave a permanent stain, unlike carpets or wood. Worst case scenario, if a section of your kitchen vinyl floor tiles is damaged you can simply pull it out and replace the scratched or broken tiles with new ones.

Vinyl Tiles Resist Water and Chemicals

When choosing to install any other flooring instead of vinyl tiles, kitchen environment should be taken into account. Water spills are frequent on a kitchen or bathroom, which can damage wood or laminate unless they are mopped up quickly. Chemicals such as vinegar or some cleaners can leave marble or granite floors lifeless and dull after just a few years, and resealing them is costly. However, vinyl kitchen tile floors are resistant to both water and chemical damage, and while it can be dented if a heavy object falls on it, damaged tiles can be replaced easily.

Consider all of the above reasons when choosing vinyl kitchen tile floors for your new kitchen. Vinyl floor tiles are cost effective, low maintenance and will let you enjoy the kitchen design you like the most, without breaking your bank.

Benefits of Vinyl Flooring For Bathroom

Filed Under: Information

One of the areas of the home where vinyl tile flooring really shines is on bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity levels. Installing vinyl floors on your bathroom is cost effective, easy to maintain and durable. And it also looks great, and can match the craziest or most conservative home décor styles. If you can design it, there is most likely a matching vinyl design to suit your flooring needs. The benefits of vinyl flooring for bathrooms are many:

Vinyl Flooring Is Non Slip And Comfortable

The bathroom is one of those places where you will spend a lot of time barefoot, navigating your way on a oftentimes wet floor. Vinyl flooring is perfect for bathrooms because it can be treated to be non-slip, making it a much safer alternative than other floor surfaces such as natural stone or even some ceramic materials. Vinyl flooring is also very comfortable underfoot and reduces noise, which is perfect when you are walking barefoot in your way to a bath.

Vinyl Floor Tiles Are Easy To Install

The installation of vinyl flooring is quite simple, with a large variety of self-adhesive, peel and stick tiles that can be installed by people without previous experience or training and is pretty quick. This means you can realistically have a new bathroom on a weekend, instead of having to spend several days without access to the bathtub.

Low Cost Bathroom Flooring? Sure!

Vinyl flooring for bathrooms is very low cost, both in terms of materials and installation costs if you do it yourself. You can buy tiles for less than $1 for square meter, though if you go after luxury bathroom vinyl tiles the prices will logically be higher. However, even high end vinyl flooring is much cheaper than ceramic, wood or stone, and easier to install.

Cleaning Vinyl Flooring Is Easy

The floor on your bathroom is subjected to lots of abuse, from spills to water pools after the children had a bath. It also needs to be kept clean because otherwise it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mould. Vinyl flooring is easy to clean and doesn’t require specialist care or the use of difficult to find cleaning substances. Warm water and detergent works just fine, the milder the better. If you mop spills as soon as possible and vacuum regularly you shouldn’t need to use heavy duty stuff. If you install no-wax vinyl tiles don’t use products that contain wax and it will keep its shine through the year.

Vinyl Comes In All Colours And Styles

Do you want a retro bathroom? Modernistic one? Want to imitate the luxury feeling of natural marble and granite stones? Whatever effect you want to create on your bathroom, you will be able to find a vinyl tile to go with it. You can find high end vinyl tiles that look a lot like the real thing, without the maintenance. So if you always wanted a wood floor on your bathroom, but are scared of the costs and the maintenance then vinyl flooring can be your best alternative.

Vinyl Surfaces Are Water Resistant

Last but not least, one of the major benefits of vinyl flooring for bathrooms is that is highly resistant to water and humidity. Unlike natural stone or wood, vinyl is non-porous and impervious to water, provided it has been correctly installed and there are no gaps between the tiles. This means casual splashing from the bathtub won’t have you running for the mop, though you may want to clean up spills as quick as possible so they don’t dry into hard to remove stains.

How Do You Remove Vinyl Flooring

Filed Under: DIY Installation

All the good things come to an end, and vinyl flooring is not an exception. Whether you are tired of your existing vinyl design, want to install a new one or opt for a totally different flooring material, learning about removing vinyl floor is almost as important as learning how to install vinyl flooring tiles. Thankfully, it is a very simple procedure that can be done by anybody, and all you will need is a utility knife and lots of patience.

Removing Vinyl Floor With a Knife

The first thing you’ll need to do if you are removing vinyl tiles or sheets with a knife is to cut them into strips using the knife. In order for the strips to be easy to handle it is best to make them about 10 to 12cm wide. Insert the knife into the incision and slowly cut the adhesive below so the vinyl sheet separates from the floor. Peel the strip as you do so, and repeat until all the vinyl is out of the way. This is a messy and quite slow process, so a little trade secret that may help is removing vinyl flooring using dry ice.

How do I Remove Vinyl Flooring Using Dry Ice?

First of all, remember to always wear gloves if you are handling dry ice, as otherwise your hands will easily get frostbitten. Dry ice is a very cold substance, the solid form of carbon dioxide, so you will also need to be on a well-ventilated area and be careful not to inhale too much fumes, though it is generally not very toxic.

To remove vinyl flooring using dry ice, just cut the ice into cubes about 30cm big and place them on top of the vinyl. The dry ice will evaporate and cool off the vinyl, making it brittle and easy to break after a few minutes. The broken pieces of vinyl can be swept away easily. If you are working on a large surface, such as vinyl commercial flooring, this method is much more cost effective in terms of time.

Preparing The Floor After Removing Vinyl Floor

It doesn’t matter which method you used to remove vinyl flooring, there will be traces of vinyl and adhesive for vinyl tile on the floor which needs to be removed. This is a process that requires first the use of a scrapper and can be quite a bit of hard work but it is necessary if you plan on installing any other type of flooring as the surfaces need to be flat and clean. To make scrapping easier, you may want to use boiling water to soften the adhesive up but use towels to contain it and don’t try this if you are trying to remove vinyl adhesive from porous substances such as wood.

Some stubborn spots may be resistant to manual scrapping, in which case you will need to use a chemical stripper to soften the adhesive up. However, make sure to follow the instructions from the manufacturer, wear protective equipment to avoid breathing in the fumes and keep the area well ventilated.