How to install vinyl flooring

If you think that there is a chance that either you or somebody else who might buy your home will want to change the flooring in that room, then you should use a particular method for laying the vinyl flooring.

However, if you are using cheap vinyl and you do not ever plan on changing the floor in that room, you can use the first method.  This involves covering most of the surface with an adhesive and then putting the flooring on top of this.  The result will be that you'll have a floor that is very well fastened down, but it will be difficult to get back up if you need to change it.

Before you install any flooring, you should make sure that the base floor is ready.  This means that you should check to be sure that the floor is level, first.  You can do this with a level.  If it is not level, then you can use a little bit of concrete to flatten it out.

You also need to make sure that the base floor is as clean as is possible.  Any large chunks of dirt that end up under you floor are going to create bumps at best, or at worst, they may actually tear through the vinyl while it is in use, ruining your floor.  Additonally, if your base floor is not clean, then the adhesives you use might not stick properly which will mean that you'll have a floor that peels up unexpectedly - and then you'll have to fix it.

Also, you should make sure that when you cut your vinyl flooring, that you leave a little bit of extra space between the wall and the flooring.  It's recommended that you cut the vinyl so that there is 1/8th inch left between the floor and the wall.  That way, you can easily slide the vinyle under the moldings, and you won't have to worry about the vinyl being just big enough to buckle.

After you have your floor down, then you should worry about trim and other finishing touches like that.