Life Flooring Essentials Shale Oak LF26 Plank Vinyl Flooring

Installation

Fitting Laminate Flooring 

Fitting laminate flooring is one of the easiest options, as it comes with a click joining system. However, some of the systems are slightly different, so It’s important to read the full manufactures fitting instructions first. We have provided you with a few generic tips on what you’ll need to do.

• Make sure you leave a 10mm expansion gap around the edge of your room.
• Allow 48 hours for a laminate floor to acclimatise – see full guide on acclimatisation 
• Try and make sure you subfloor is as level as possible 
• Use spaces and  a fitting kit 

As all laminates use the ‘floating’ method of installation, you will need to use a suitable underlay to protect your floor. Underlay’s not only protect your flooring, they provide sound and heat insulation.

Handy Links for Laminate

• Manufactures Guides
• Detailed Guide 
• Installation tools   

Fitting Solid and Engineered

• ‘Floating’ is the most popular method of installing for engineered floors. This is where the joins locks together and the boards sit neatly on top on an underlay. Joining methods can vary in Engineered Floors.
• Tongue and Grove requires  PVA wood glue between the seams to create a strong bond.                      This allows the floor to breath naturally as it is not fixed down to the subfloor.
• Click System are available in some engineered floors, they work the same as laminates.            
• ‘Fixing’ the flooring down to the subfloor is also a very popular method and is the preferred method for Solid Wood Floors. You have two methods with this option. 
• Gluing the flooring directly to the subfloor using suitable adhesive.                                                                –
• Secret Nailing the floor into a suitable wooden subfloor. 

Top Tips..

• Allow at least 48 hours for Engineered to acclimatise 
• Allow at least 7 Days for Solid Wood to acclimatise 
• Try and make sure the subfloor is level
• Make sure you leave the required expansion gap.

Handy links for Solid Wood and Engineered.

• Manufactures Guides 
• Detailed Guides 
• Fitting tools 

Fitting Luxury Vinyl Glue Down

Preparation

Firstly, like all flooring you have to allow time for the flooring to acclimatise. All you need to do is leave the boxes in the middle of the room for 48 hours. Keep the temperature of the room at a consistent level. Clean the subfloor, making sure its dirt/rubble free. Best way to do this is sweep, vacuum and mop before leaving to dry. The subfloor also needs to be level, which means less than 3mm deviation over a 1m area. 

The next stage is ensuring the positioning is right, the last thing you want is an unsymmetrical floor. This is probably easier than you think. Start by finding the centre of the room, to do this you need to measure the width and length and strike a chalk line halfway across both. Where the two lines meet, that is the centre. Without using any adhesive, lay two lines of flooring from the centre of the room at right angles to each others to make an L shape. This ensure you are laying the floor at the correct angle, make sure the edges line up with the wall, if that don’t, manoeuvre the boards around until they do.

Fitting

Now the preparation is down and the boards are in position, you can start to stick them down. To do this you will either need to apply a thin layer of adhesive to the suitable subfloor, or peel off the non-stick backing if its a self adhesive LVT floor. In the event of glue oozing up between the boards, clean it off immediately with wet cloth or sponge. Its always worth having a good read through the manufacturers guides when using adhesive, as the requirements may be different depending on the brand. After you have installed a section of the floor, apply pressure using a roller to bond the boards to the subfloor. After you’ve installed the majority of the boards, you will need to start making the cuts to fit the gaps against the wall. The best and most accurate way to do this is to lay the board directly on top of a laid board. Then,  take a 3rd board and lay it on top against the wall. Using the edge of the 3rd tile to draw a cutting line across the board you want to fit.

Top Tips..

• Allow 48hrs to Acclimatise 
• Make sure the subfloor is level and clean
• If you have to work on an area that you have just adhered down, use a piece of ply board to cover the area. That will ensure you weight is spread evenly and should prevent movement on the fitted boards
• The best way to cut a vinyl tile, is to use a knife, slice through the surface layer , then simply bend the board until it snaps apart