With the large selection available of vinyl tile and sheet vinyl, and the very specific sub-floor preparations needed, you will find it best to consult an experienced sales associate for knowledge and advice. Come to our warehouse or set up a free estimate so you can decide the best choice for your home or office, and the best choice for your budget.
You will first need to decide if you will be putting in VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile), LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), or Sheet Vinyl. Once you decide what type of vinyl, you will have to choose the best style, layout, and color of vinyl flooring for your home or office and the quality that best fits your budget.
Once you choose what type of vinyl flooring to put in, it is time to prepare for the big day – installation of your new vinyl floor!
Pre-Installation Preparation
Our installers will come to your home or office on the day scheduled in the allotted time frame. For all the rooms that are to have your new vinyl tile or sheet vinyl installed, we ask that you go through bookcases, tables, dressers, desks, and other furniture and make sure that books, magazines, and small breakable items are put away.
Prep Furniture for Vinyl Flooring Installers
Items should be moved off of the floor, and all furniture should be ready to be moved. This is also a good time to detach any furniture that may be attached to the wall and disconnect all electronics. This is to make it easier and quicker for our installers to move the furniture around and to prevent disconnecting or connecting the wrong wires and potentially damaging your electronics.
Vinyl Tile and Sheet Vinyl Installation Preparation
Our vinyl flooring installers will then move the furniture out of the way and one of many different things will happen depending on the type of sub-floor, condition of your sub-floor, and what type of vinyl flooring we are putting in (ask your sales associate for more info for your particular vinyl flooring installation).
Subfloor Patching or Replacement
If the condition of your subfloor is poor we will do one of the following:
- Lay a new sub-floor over the existing sub-floor
- Skim coat over the existing sub-floor to even it all out
- Remove the existing sub-floor and lay a new sub-floor down
Sometimes the condition of the current sub-floor is noticeable before the job begins, but it is often undetectable until the existing floor is up.
If the condition of your existing subfloor is good and depending on what type of floor and subfloor it is (Plywood, Sheet Vinyl, Vinyl Tile, VCT, Luxury Vinyl Tile, or Luxury Vinyl Plank), we might skim over it or lay the vinyl directly on top.
For all of these steps and for specific job-site conditions or questions consult with your professional crew or salesperson.
There is usually some sub-floor patching or other small preparation work that needs to be done prior to laying a vinyl floor, including cleaning all debris, dirt and dust from the floor.
Vinyl Tile and Sheet Vinyl Installation
If you are having sheet vinyl installed, it will be cut into pieces to fit the layout of your home. If you are having vinyl tile or plank installed, the installer will decide where it is best to start the project and begin. Depending on the type of sheet vinyl flooring and job site conditions it will either be glued, stapled, or loose laid.
Adhesive for the sheet vinyl or vinyl tile will be applied (if required) to the floor using special tools.
For Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) or Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT):
- We wait for the adhesive to set up.
- We lay out the tile.
- We set the tile and all design options into the set up adhesive.
IMPORTANT: Many Luxury Vinyl Tiles use very expensive epoxy adhesive to give you extra moisture protection and are required for the warranty. HRS Flooring/The Carpet Warehouse only uses the manufacturer recommended adhesives to make sure that all warranties are in effect and to give you the best quality installation that will last the longest amount of time. Be aware of cheap impersonators who use inexpensive glue that will void your warranty and will not hold up over the long term.
For Sheet Vinyl:
- We set sheet vinyl into the wet adhesive.
- We roll the sheet vinyl as required by the manufacturer to remove any air bubbles.
- We seal all seams with the Manufacturer recommended seam sealer.
Finishing Touches
The installers will then put molding around the baseboard of the walls, as a final preparation for the furniture to come back into the room. Some installations will not require molding and will be caulked or have another finish installed around the walls. Once the molding is in, the vinyl flooring installers will carry the furniture back into the room, and everything is finished!
Installation Complete!
A new vinyl floor, whether it is Luxury Vinyl Tile, Luxury Vinyl Plank, Sheet Vinyl or Vinyl Composition Tile, will help your home or business look brand-new!
Call today (410.318.8888), set up a free estimate, or email us or visit our showroom!
Choices of Vinyl Flooring
There are many choices of vinyl flooring to put into your home or office.
- Luxury Vinyl Tile has many other design options to choose from (borders, grout lines, alternating colors, etc.). There are so many choices of designs, design options, and colors that luxury vinyl tile is a very good choice for just about any area in our home or office! You can get luxury vinyl tile that looks like hardwood, ceramic, marble, stone, slate, and many others! Many Luxury Vinyl Tiles have a heavy commercial warranty and are suitable for moist heavy traffic areas.
- Vinyl Composition Tile is a great choice if you are looking for a durable floor that will be inexpensive to install and maintain. There are many color choices, but there are few pattern choices, so selection is somewhat limited.
- Sheet vinyl also affords many choices and is a very good budget friendly choice for your floor. There are products with various warranties, many designs and patterns, different installation possibilities, and a variety of feels. It is best to speak with our sales associates to be sure you get the best bang for your buck!