How to install vinyl flooring: the complete guide from subfloor to skirting

Vinyl flooring forgives almost everything except one thing — a badly prepared subfloor. Nine out of ten problems that surface six months after installation are built in during the first two days of work, before the first plank has even been taken out of the box.

Let's go through the whole process: what to check, which primer to use, which trowel to spread the adhesive with, and why roller pressing is not up for discussion.

What you will need

Tools:

• notched trowel (notch size as specified in the adhesive instructions, usually A2 or B1);
• pressure roller, 50–68 kg;
• utility knife with trapezoid blades and a supply of spare blades;
• two-metre straightedge;
• tape measure, square, chalk line;
• moisture meter (CM method) or a measuring service;
• spatula and mixing container for the repair compound;
• industrial vacuum cleaner.

Materials:

• flooring with 5% extra for a straight layout, 10–12% for diagonal or herringbone;
• adhesive for PVC floorcoverings, coverage 0.3–0.4 kg/m²;
• primer suited to the subfloor type;
• self-levelling compound or repair compound — if required;
• skirting and transition profiles.

Stage 1. Checking the subfloor — 80% of the result

Flatness

Place a two-metre straightedge in different directions across the whole area. The tolerance is no more than 2 mm of gap.

A 2 mm plank does not level the subfloor, it copies it. Any step, ridge of old adhesive or hollow will show through on the surface within the first few months, once the flooring has settled under load.

Moisture

A cement screed must read no more than 2% by the CM method. Anhydrite screed — no more than 0.5%.

Vinyl flooring is vapour-tight. Moisture trapped underneath it will lead to adhesive failure, blisters and mould. Even an old screed should be tested if the room has had leaks or if there is no damp-proof membrane under the ground-bearing slab.

A sheet of plastic film taped down for 24 hours is a rule-of-thumb test: condensation underneath means it is too early to install. But that is an indicator, not a measurement.

Soundness

The subfloor must not be dusty or crumbling. A friable top layer is removed by grinding. Old paint, mastic and adhesive residue are removed mechanically.

Temperature

Not below +15 °C in the room and not below +15 °C at the subfloor itself, throughout the whole process and for at least three days afterwards. With underfloor heating there is a separate protocol, covered below.

Stage 2. Preparing the subfloor

Cracks are opened up and filled with repair compound.

Tile joints, if you are installing over ceramics, are either filled flush and sanded, or covered with 2–3 mm of self-levelling compound. Otherwise the grid of joints will telegraph through within a few months. This case is covered in detail in the article on installing over existing tiles.

Deviations beyond tolerance are corrected with self-levelling compound. There is no point economising here: redoing the job costs more.

Dust removal — with an industrial vacuum, not a broom. Dust kills adhesion.

Primer — always mandatory; the type depends on the subfloor:

The primer must dry completely before installation starts — from 2 to 24 hours depending on the product.

Stage 3. Acclimatising the material

The packs are laid out in the room where the flooring will go, for 24–48 hours at working temperature. Not in the hallway, not in the garage, not stacked in a corner — flat and loose.

PVC changes dimensions with temperature. A plank brought in from a cold warehouse and installed straight away will later shrink, and gaps will open at the joints.

Stage 4. Setting out and dry layout

Plank direction. Along the long wall of the room, or in the direction of the main light source — that way the joints are less noticeable.

First row. Snap a base line with a chalk line from the centre or from the longest straight wall. You cannot take a wall as a reference without checking it: walls are rarely parallel.

Joint offset. Staggered, by at least a third of the plank length. A regular offset of exactly half produces a visual "staircase" pattern that looks untidy.

Mixing batches. Take planks alternately from 3–4 packs at once. The shade varies between packs by a fraction of a tone, but laid consecutively from a single pack they add up to a visible patch.

The final row should not be narrower than 5 cm — otherwise it looks like an offcut and holds less well. If the calculation gives something narrower, trim the first row so the remainder is split between both sides.

A dry layout without adhesive across the whole room takes 20 minutes and saves hours.

Stage 5. How to install glue-down vinyl flooring correctly

Applying the adhesive

The adhesive is applied with a notched trowel of the correct size — the notch size is given in the adhesive instructions and determines coverage. Work in sections of 2–4 m², not the whole room at once.

Open time — the key parameter

Every adhesive has an open time: the interval between application and installation during which it delivers the required adhesion.

• Install too early, into wet adhesive, and the flooring will "float" and adhesive will squeeze up into the joints;
• Install too late, into skinned-over adhesive, and there will be no bond — the plank will lift after a few months.

Readiness is checked with a finger: the adhesive should string into threads but not mark the skin. The instructions usually give 10–20 minutes at 20 °C, but in hot weather that time halves — in Valencia in summer this is critical.

Laying the planks

The plank is set exactly on the line and rubbed down by hand from the centre outwards to drive out air. The next one is butted up with no gap and no overlap and rubbed into the previous one.

Cutting is done with a knife against a square: score the face and snap. Complex cut-outs (pipes, door frames) are made from a cardboard template.

Roller pressing is not optional

Every section is rolled with a 50–68 kg pressure roller immediately after installation, in two perpendicular directions. Then rolled again after 20–30 minutes.

This is the most common mistake made by non-professionals. Without rolling, the adhesive does not transfer evenly onto the back of the plank, and the flooring is held down over roughly a third of its actual area. It starts to lift after about six months, usually in traffic areas.

The roller is hired — there is no sense in buying one for a single installation.

Stage 6. Installing sheet flooring

For sheet vinyl the technique differs at three points.

Cutting. The sheets are cut with 5–10 cm extra in length on each side and left flat in the room for 24 hours to release internal stresses.

Seam trimming. Adjacent sheets are laid with a 3–5 cm overlap and cut through both layers in a single pass — that way the edges match perfectly.

Seam welding. 24 hours after installation: the groove is routed out, the welding rod is laid in with a hot-air gun, and the excess is trimmed with a crescent knife in two passes — the first on a trimming sled, the second flush. For kitchens, bathrooms, clinics and warehouses, welding is mandatory.

Planning to lay roll vinyl in a vehicle, a campervan conversion? The technique differs: a different template, wheel-arch cutouts and sill details. See our dedicated guide: fitting roll vinyl flooring in a van.

Stage 7. Skirting, profiles and curing times

Skirting is fitted after the flooring is installed and is fixed to the wall, not to the floor.

Transition profiles — in doorways and where the floor meets other coverings. At 2 mm thickness a flat profile is enough.

Junctions in wet areas are sealed with sanitary silicone.

Curing times:

Vinyl flooring over underfloor heating

The sequence is mandatory:

1. Heat up the system before installation: bring it gradually to working temperature, hold for several days, then switch it off 48 hours before the work.
2. Install at a subfloor temperature of 15–18 °C.
3. Start the system 7 days after installation, in steps of no more than 5 °C per day.
4. The working limit is no higher than 27 °C at the floor surface. That is a material limit, not a recommendation.

Glue-down installation is preferable over underfloor heating: there is no air gap and no underlay, so heat transfers more efficiently.

Seven mistakes that show up within six months

1. Primer skipped. The flooring lifts in sheets.
2. No roller pressing. Delamination in traffic areas.
3. Installed over a damp subfloor. Blisters, odour, mould.
4. Adhesive open time not respected. Either adhesive in the joints, or no adhesion at all.
5. Planks used consecutively from one pack. Colour patches across the floor.
6. Tile joints not filled. The grid of joints telegraphs through the surface.
7. Skirting screwed to the floor. The flooring is pinned and buckles.

Is it worth installing yourself

With floating floorcoverings such as click SPC — realistically, yes: a mistake can be taken apart and redone.

With the glue-down vinyl we supply — we do not recommend it. A mistake in a glue-down installation cannot be redone: the plank has to be removed with heat and the subfloor cleaned of adhesive. On top of that you need a moisture meter and a pressure roller, which a DIY installer usually does not have.

We supply the material and do not carry out installation, but we work with trusted installers in Valencia — we can pass your request on to them for a quote.

What you need for the project

Glue-down LVT vinyl planks, 2 and 2.5 mm — for residential and commercial projects with a plank layout. Sheet flooring — for large areas and rooms that need welded seams. Plus a matching welding rod.

Buy the adhesive, primer and roller from a chemicals supplier — what matters is that the adhesive is designed for your type of subfloor and for the temperature conditions of the room.

FAQ

How long does the adhesive under vinyl flooring take to dry? You can walk on it after 24 hours and move furniture in after 48–72. Full curing takes up to 7 days, and the floor must not be washed during that time.

Which adhesive should be used for vinyl flooring? A dispersion adhesive for PVC floorcoverings, chosen to suit the subfloor type. Coverage 0.3–0.4 kg/m². General-purpose construction adhesives are not suitable.

Can vinyl flooring be installed without adhesive? Floating floorcoverings — yes, they are held by the locking system. Glue-down LVT — no; bonding is the very principle it works on.

Is underlay needed under glue-down vinyl? No. Underlay is only needed for floating floorcoverings. Under adhesive, only a special acoustic underlay is acceptable, and only if impact sound is being addressed.

Which side should the installation start from? From a base line snapped with a chalk line, not from a wall. Walls are usually not parallel, and installing "off the wall" pulls the pattern out of line.

How much extra material should be ordered? 5% for a straight layout, 10–12% for diagonal or herringbone. Plus 2–3 m² set aside for future repairs — a batch shade is never repeated exactly.

Before you buy, it is worth calculating the right quantity of material — we explain how in this article on calculating vinyl flooring quantity.