How To: Install Vinyl Flooring

As we were getting ready for our bathroom project and pricing out various materials and finishes, we quickly saw the dollar signs as we wanted a completely tiled shower stall and initially wanted a tiled floor.  In addition to the dollar signs, time, effort and labor came into account and as I found slightly more affordable vinyl adhesive flooring options – that also had great patterns – it quickly rose to the top as a realistic option for this space.

In addition to being more affordable than ceramic tile, vinyl flooring has other benefits like it’s highly resistant, it’s easy to install and low maintenance. Which is exactly the perfect mix of things we needed for this bathroom floor space! It really ended up being a no brainer – so let’s breakdown what you’ll need and how to install your own vinyl floor!

What You’ll Need:
– Vinyl Flooring of choice – we picked this FloorPops from HomeDepot
– Floor Primer (depending on your base surface)
– Vinyl Adhesive Glue
– Scissors or Utility knife
– Measuring Tape/Chalk Lines
– Floor Roller

Step-by-Step:
1.A Prep your space – this includes cleaning off the base from any debris, and be sure to wash it down as well.  Once it’s cleaned and dry you’ll want to apply the primer, this is especially important if you’re applying your floor to a porous surface like wood or cement. Be sure to follow instructions for drying and start at the farthest point and work your way out of the room!

1.B Make sure you’re tiles are temperature controlled in the space of install for 48-hours

2. Before you lay the tile, be sure to find the center of the room and mark straight lines to get a center point – this is where you’ll start when you’re ready to start laying out the flooring.  You can use a chalk line to do this, or I used a level and marker to mark my lines.

3. Now you’re ready to lay the floor tile! Before you un-peal or add any glue you’ll want to start laying out the tile and planning tile placement starting at that center point, working out.  Our pattern tiles didn’t always line up so this was a crucial step before things started drying adhesive is on the floor, I read this during the reviews so I knew to be on the look out for this. This is also when you can see if you have enough tiles!
Disclaimer – I did not use vinyl adhesive glue but upon laying my tile, I wish I’d used something to help the floor stick better, as some pieces weren’t as secure as I’d hoped – so be sure to read instructions and apply appropriately.

4. Add your adhesive glue, in the area you’re working, peal tiles and stick! Work from the center towards the walls. Wait to do your edges last and work backwards by flipping tile, marking cut area and putting the cut edge to the wall. I was able to make most of the cuts with heavy duty scissors but you can also use a utility knife.

5. Once all the tile is laid, you’ll want to use a roller across the floor evenly to insure everything has been placed securely on the floor.

6.  Be sure to wait at least 5-days before washing the floor but don’t be afraid to walk on the floor until then. Now it’s time to add the finishing touches like to trim to finalize the space!

So beyond wishing I’d used an adhesive prior to install even after doing the vinyl floor primer – I’m not sure if the tiles were completely temperate controlled – which is one of the points made in this super helpful How To Video from Home Depot this was really my baseline for prep and install!

All in all, I’m pretty happy with the way this project turned out – and even with some of the tile patterns not lining up perfect, because we have a smaller pattern you can’t notice it from far away or even if you’re looking – of course I could point out all the spots! But it was good knowing ahead of time to plan for, as there were some tiles I complete put to the side as ‘do not use.’  The floor is definitely the statement of the room as a lot of that other features and finishes were fairly classic and neutral.

Questions? Comment below!