Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've got an upstairs condo with a 15 year old vinyl floor in the bathroom. Probably particle board underneath. Should I just put the new piece on top of the old one, or scrape it up? It doesn't have any tears or aberrations, just a little old.
To do it right , you need to remove the toilet, so you might as well remove the tile and do it right. I've learned trying to cut corners make a job sloppy and costs more later. Take the time to tear up the old.
There are two general ways to install a vinyl floor.
First it can be installed with a complete adhesive under the entire vinyl area.
Second it can be installed with just a band of adhesive around the borders of the room, typical might be like a foot wide.
Both methods work, the vinyl tends to lay down and you never know it, even if it is not totally glued down over every square inch.
So I might investigate how it was installed originally. If just border glued, might attempt to remove it. If totally glued down over the entire surface I would tend to leave it in place, especially if it is well bonded and not presenting any problems at present.
Even if it was border glued might still leave it. Leave sleeping dogs lie. If you remove it, can get into problems getting the old glue up and the underlayment smooth enough for the new vinyl. Got to be baby arsed smooth, many times you wind up putting a new luan layer in. If I suspected it is over particle board would lean toward leaving it. You never will get that particle board clean and smooth enough for the new floor.
There is an old Indian trick to installing vinyl. If you use something like the waterproofing sealer type tar like used on foundations as the glue, let it sit just right, the vinyl will go in slick as unicorn teeth and remain well bonded. But if you decide to replace it, can be just pealed back and removed. Another very lite coat of the sealer and ready for the new floor in a flash. Just another trick you never will find in the books.
The one sure thing you must ensure, no defects, holes, nail / screw pops, dirt is on the floor before laying the new vinyl, it will telegraph dings, bumps, defects. It does like that very lite waterpoofing coating, acts as a sort of cushion to hide any defects too.
The waterproofing trick you put it down very lite coat, about like paint, let it sit until pretty tacky, do the normal installation, roll it out as normal to get all the air bubbles. Should bond well, but be peel-able if you want it back out.
Depending on what was used for the glue, might also help decide to how to approach it. Not everybody uses the standard adhesives. I've seen it installed with white carpenters glue and even contact cement. You are not getting those type puppies out. I've done the white glue approach myself, it is very permanent, forget removal as an option. The entire subfloor is coming up. Saw one guy do the waterproofing tar idea as the better mousetrap. Liked how it worked, adopted the approach as my standard of doing it. Never had any problems with it, put a bunch of vinyl in that way. Also works well to put another vinyl layer over another.
There is a fairly new vinyl flooring by Trafficmaster called Trafficmaster Allure, Wood Resilient Vinyl Plank. It is vinyl but designed as a "floating vinyl floor". Just sticks to each other an sits on top of an existing vinyl floorand can be cut with a boxcutter. Comes in oaks, cherry and other woods. No glue needed, very clean and fast and can easily be done by a DYIer. I didn't pull up the old vinyl floor, just made sure nothing was peeling, cleaned it real well, and just laid the new one on top and finished the edges with shoe molding. It's available at Home Depot:
You can install new vinyl over old providing the existing floor is a total glue down. You must put a skim coat of floor underlayment to fill in any pattern that may be in the vinyl. If not over time, the pattern on the existing floor will show thru the new floor. If the existing floor is a perimeter glue down, take the time to remove it so you wot have problems later. The only other way to install a new vinyl over old is to put a 1/4" floor underlayment (luan type product) first making sure you stagger the seams and fill them so they don't show thru the new floor. I recommend the skim coat.
The one fear in putting new vinyl over old vinyl is it will be soft enough to dent. Something like women's pointy high heels might leave impressions. Or pulling the fridge out will leave tracks behind.
I've done it a couple of times. This is a bath so maybe no concern about the fridge but maybe them six inch spike heels on the daughter could get you.
Don't think it actually happened that I know of, but one house everybody had to take off the shoes at the front door. Something to be considered. What can put lots of weight in very tiny areas?
I like the idea of the waterproofing tar as the glue, I know that can be peeled back out no problem.
I've done both. Particularly exasperating was getting a perfect glue-down on a kitchen floor, then gouging the new vinyl while moving the refrigerator back into place. -arrgh.
I like floating the vinyl if practical. If you make a nice tight-fitting paper pattern beforehand and only a doorway or two is at the edge, the stuff doesn't require any glue-down at all. Like most things, each situation is slightly different.
Never heard of the tar idea. Sounds like a good one. Another one, come to think about it, would be melted paraffin wax, or a coating of a mixture of wax in mineral spirits. We used to use wax all the time doing newspaper ad layups. Apply a little heat and it comes loose. when cold, nothing moves.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How was the old vinyl installed???
