Vinyl flooring is a popular type of flooring for homes because of its durability and its application throughout homes. One of the big advantages of vinyl is the whole structure of the planks are water proof which is ideal for high moisture areas. In terms of style and design, modern vinyl flooring is available in wood and tile looking, driving your decision to select either of them will depend on your interior design. This writing mainly focuses on different types of vinyl installation.
Generally, modern vinyl flooring can be classified into three types in terms of installation methods which are glue down, loose lay, and floating. There are benefits and drawbacks for each method. It is important to look into features of each type before making your decision to buy vinyl. Here are the most common installation methods of vinyl flooring:
Glue down installation:
That is the most stable and durable type of installation. In this method, Adhesive is used to bond the vinyl planks to the subfloor. The glue will spread completely on the prepared substrate after that you will lay down the vinyl flooring. This is ideal for high traffic areas and commercial spaces. This method costs more and it requires an adhesive for the installation, and it is more permanent and secure compare to loose lay method.
Loose lay installation:
In this method you don’t need fully adhesive or locking mechanism, adhesive is only applied to the perimeter of the space you are installing. The backing of each plank grips the subfloor and that friction keeps the plank from moving. The advantage of this method is the easiness of replacing plank anywhere in the room. This method is not good for high traffic areas. Installation is similar to floating method.
Floating installation:
This method is more affordable and easy compare to the other ones, the planks are simply clicking together in order to create a floating floor. This method is a little more forgiving in terms of subfloor preparation, it can accept a little imperfection because the underlay is attached to each plank. It can be installed over the existing floor if the current floor is rigid and not floating. No adhesive is used for this installation method.
To conclude, vinyl flooring is an ideal option to go for in terms of durability and performance. The style options are wood or stone looking. All three installation methods are suitable for any place, selecting each method depends on personal preference. Glue down is more expensive but it has the advantage of using for high traffic areas. The easiest method is floating system. It is recommended to choose your installation method based on your flooring needs and future use.
