Guide written by:
Kate, Flooring Expert, Swansea
Vinyl flooring can be a great alternative to tiles in a bathroom. If laid correctly, a vinyl floor will be completely waterproof and able to withstand the type of splashing a bathroom has to deal with.
The vinyl floor market has come on leaps and bounds in recent years with a range of new products featuring more sophisticated designs. Gone are the vinyl roll floors from the past thanks to vinyl planks and tiles which are steadily making their way into more and more homes. Available in many different finishes with some really convincing effects, from slate to wood, it can even be tricky to tell the difference between vinyl floors and the real thing!
When it comes to installation, vinyl floor fitting has also come a long way. These days, entire businesses are dedicated to selling vinyl planks and tiles designed to be installed as floating floors. This means that they are not actually attached to the sub floor (unlike traditional glue down flooring). Instead, the planks or tiles simply slot together without the use of adhesive. This type of system is known as click flooring and is used by most types of laminate flooring.
Modern click vinyl flooring can work perfectly in a bathroom. But it's also possible to find glue down flooring or even peel and stick vinyl.
Prepare the surface
Lay an underlay
Lay the vinyl floor
Make your cuts
Just like laying any other type of flooring, the first step will be to prepare your surface properly. This process cannot be skipped under any circumstances.
Click vinyl floors are especially easy to install and are often used in bathrooms to cover up another type of flooring such as tiles.
However, a well prepared surface is essential and you may even have to level out the surface using a self-levelling compound. In order to lay a vinyl floor, your surface must be perfectly flat.
If you are laying directly over tiles, the gaps between the tiles might cause unevenness which will ruin the overall result.
Once you've sorted out any issues with levelling, make sure that your surface is completely dry and clean before you move on to the next step.
It's best to store your vinyl floor tiles or planks in the bathroom about 72 hours before you plan to lay the floor. If you don't have space in the bathroom, store them in an adjoining room.
If you have chosen click vinyl tiles or planks, a floating installation is generally the best option. This type of floor is designed to slot together and is not connected to the surface below.
With this in mind, most manufacturers recommend fitting an underlay. It is important to read all installation instructions carefully.
Underlays all perform different roles depending on the layout of your bathroom but most underlays will provide acoustic insulation.
Some manufacturers have developed special underlays designed to be fitted over old tiles. These underlays allow you to skip directly to laying a vinyl floor without having to level the sub floor as described above. They usually come supplied as a roll.
Simply roll out the underlay over your entire surface and tape the strips to hold them together.
It is a good idea to draw an axis in the centre of your room to work out where to start laying your vinyl floor tiles. This way, all the tiles in the centre of the room will be full and your cuts will be made around the periphery of the room.
If you are laying vinyl planks, figure out which direction you want your boards to lie and start in one corner. Start using full planks and cover the whole surface.
Vinyl flooring can be cut easily using a utility knife. Use a metal straight edge to mark the vinyl tile or plank by pressing down firmly on a utility knife. You then simply have to gently fold the board or tile over and that should be it. Vinyl is designed to be cut very easily.
Remember not to throw anything away – the offcuts can always be used to line up your next row.
If you are installing a click floor, you'll need to use about 5 to 10% more tiles or planks.
Be sure to read the manufacturer's recommendations regarding an expansion gap. You can use special floor spacers to mark out an expansion gap that will be covered up later on by skirting boards or scotia beading.
When laying a vinyl floor in the bathroom, you'll have to make a few round cuts to leave a seamless edge around a basin or toilet. This is the most complicated part of fitting the floor.
To make the task easier, create a cardboard template that matches the outline of your toilet or wash basin as accurately as possible.
The advantage of vinyl floors is that they are not very thick. This means you can even use a pair of scissors to get a more accurate cut!
Floating floors are the easiest of all to lay and just about any DIYer should get along okay. However, it is essential to be aware of a few rules and to carry out each step with care. Vinyl is a material that will expand and contract. It's therefore important to think about the coefficient of expansion to prevent any damage to the floor in future. Space is usually quite limited in a bathroom so you will have to make a number of cuts around things like bathtubs, basins or toilets and it's important to use the right techniques when doing so.
2 hours approx. for a classic bathroom layout measuring under 10 m².
1 person
A utility knife
Vinyl flooring spacers for expansion gap (optional)
Guide written by:
Kate, Flooring Expert, Swansea
Flooring is my life. I love what I do, and I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. So, I'm not bragging when I tell you I know all there is to know about every flooring product. From laminate, parquet and linoleum to PVC, carpeting and tiling, my workdays are spent learning about manufacturing processes, composition, performance, laying techniques and maintenance methods. I've certainly seen my share of mistakes made on construction sites because of what was essentially a lack of information or understanding of the product. Flooring elements are constantly evolving and being improved upon - even us pros can find it hard to keep up! Some of us in the industry use language that is overly technical or loaded with jargon you'd have to be an expert to understand. What's more, flooring salespeople are often so focused on closing the sale that they don't take the time to explain the products in any detail. That's why I want to pass on my knowledge in a way that's clear and accessible, and maybe a bit fun too. Because flooring shouldn't be a chore!