Vinyl Flooring

Refurbishing a home would normally require a considerable investment in time and money, especially for people who want to have that hand-on approach. While its usually prudent to simply have the experts do the job for you, you can actually a significant amount of money if you decide to tackle of the projects yourself – like installing a new flooring system. It may initially seem like a daunting task, however, with a few how-to studies on the subject would provide you with adequate working knowledge on the installation of a flooring system.

Vinyl flooring is one of the most popular choices these days since it is a relatively inexpensive material, easy to install and can last for years – truly a perfect and cheap way to give your home an instant face-lift! More often than not, vinyl flooring is usually used on home areas with heavy home traffic, don’t let it stop you from installing it on other areas of your home and set off a beautiful finish. For installing vinyl flooring, you will need to prepare the following materials: tape measure, vinyl tiles, carpenter’s square, utility knife, floor leveler compound, trowel, tin snips, flooring roller, belt sander and a hammer – which can all be purchased from you local home improvement outlets.

Choosing Tiles

When choosing your vinyl floor tiles, choose the best grades that come with a 15-20 years warranty. Normally, a vinyl floor tile measures 12” x 12”, designed to exactly cover one square foot of the floor. The current market price ranges from 75 cents to $ 3 dollars apiece, depending of course on the quality and design of the vinyl flooring. For neophytes like you, choose tiles with the new peel and stick feature for maximum ease in the installation and worry about applying glue and the discomfort of irritating fumes in the air. Using your measurements, ask a knowledgeable representative to estimate how many vinyl tiles do actually require to cover the given floor area.

Installation

Before you start laying out your vinyl tiles, make sure to repair all the chips and bumps on the concrete surface to ensure a smooth finish. It you have trims on the edges of your floor, be sure to remove it before getting started. It’s also best to bring the tiles to your home at least a day before installation and remove it from the packaging to get it acclimatized to the room temperature. Since the center of the room would be the focal point, you naturally would want to use whole pieces of squares. So its not a good idea if you start at one cornet and work your way towards the center since you’ll probably end up cutting the square to fit small uneven gaps – such an unsightly sight to see on the very center of the floor. To prevent this dilemma, measure the room to determine the exact center of the room and divide it into quadrants using a carpenter’s square and a pice of chalk. Use it as a guide as you start laying out the tiles and installing it by peeling of the back adhesive and set it permanently in place using a tile rollers. Install the whole tiles before you start to work on the edges.

Once you have encounter a tight corner that will require you to cut a tile to adequately cover an irregular gap, use a utility knife and a ruler for an even cut. You need to make measurements and place indication marks to guide you on your cutting process. Allow the glue to set for a few days before using the entire space for a better and permanent finish.

As you might have gathered by now, it’s not entirely too difficult to meddle with. Installing flooring is actually a fund and exciting way to add your personal touch in revamping the look of your home.