Installation guides — Page 3
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:
| Subfloor | Primer |
|---|---|
| Cement screed | deep-penetrating, for absorbent subfloors |
| Ceramic, porcelain stoneware, terrazzo | epoxy or polyurethane for non-absorbent subfloors, often with quartz sand |
| Anhydrite | special primer, as specified by the screed manufacturer |
| Old PVC floorcovering | matched to the surface type, after degreasing |
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:
| Action | After |
|---|---|
| Light foot traffic | 24 hours |
| Moving furniture in | 48–72 hours |
| Seam welding | not before 24 hours |
| First wet cleaning | 72 hours |
| Starting underfloor heating | 7 days, gradually |
Vinyl flooring over underfloor heating
The sequence is mandatory:
- 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.
- Install at a subfloor temperature of 15–18 °C.
- Start the system 7 days after installation, in steps of no more than 5 °C per day.
- 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
- Primer skipped. The flooring lifts in sheets.
- No roller pressing. Delamination in traffic areas.
- Installed over a damp subfloor. Blisters, odour, mould.
- Adhesive open time not respected. Either adhesive in the joints, or no adhesion at all.
- Planks used consecutively from one pack. Colour patches across the floor.
- Tile joints not filled. The grid of joints telegraphs through the surface.
- 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.
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.
In Spain, the word sintasol is used for any sheet vinyl floor covering supplied in rolls. It started life as a brand name, but the name stuck and became generic — much like "hoover" for a vacuum cleaner. Outside Spain the same product is known as sheet vinyl or vinyl roll flooring, and that is how we will refer to it below; we keep the word sintasol where the Spanish market is specifically meant.
Let's look at what lies behind the term, how the types differ from one another and what to check before buying.
What sheet vinyl is
It is a flexible polyvinyl chloride floor covering supplied in rolls and glued down as a continuous sheet. Roll width is usually 2 metres, length 25–30 linear metres.
The key difference from vinyl planks is the near absence of seams. In a room up to two metres wide the floor ends up with no joints at all. In a wider room the joints are welded with a rod into a single monolithic surface, and the floor becomes watertight.
Hence its main field of use: anywhere water, grease or disinfectants reach the floor and hygiene is required. Commercial kitchens, washrooms, clinics, laboratories, retail areas, warehouses, sports halls.
Sheet vinyl or vinyl planks: which to choose
Both materials are PVC; the difference lies in the supply format and in the jobs they are meant to do.
| Parameter | Sheet vinyl (roll) | LVT planks |
|---|---|---|
| Seams | minimal, welded into a monolith | a joint around every plank |
| Watertightness | complete after welding | water does not pass, but the joint is open |
| Speed of installation over large areas | high | lower |
| Waste when cutting | higher in complex geometry | lower |
| Replacing a damaged area | cut out and weld in a patch | replace a single plank |
| Realism of wood-effect designs | lower | higher |
| Price per m² | lower | higher |
| Typical use | commercial spaces, wet areas, large floor areas | homes, offices, showrooms, retail |
A practical rule: if the floor is mopped with chemicals, take the roll. If people simply walk on it and appearance matters, take planks.
Types: homogeneous and heterogeneous
This is the main technical division within the category, and it is what determines price and service life.
Heterogeneous
A multi-layer "sandwich": a backing layer, a PVC carrier layer, a printed decorative film and, on top, a transparent wear layer that takes the abrasion. A polyurethane lacquer is often added.
- Any design: wood, stone, plain, ribbed;
- Service life is set by the thickness of the wear layer — 0.3 mm for normal commercial traffic, 0.5–0.7 mm for heavy traffic;
- Cheaper;
- Once the wear layer is gone, the floor has to be replaced.
This accounts for 90% of what is sold under the name sintasol.
Homogeneous
Uniform throughout its thickness. The pattern is not printed on top but runs all the way through — there is simply nothing to wear off.
- Limited designs: speckled, marbled, plain;
- Local damage can be sanded out and the floor renewed;
- One and a half to two times more expensive;
- Maximum service life.
It is used where loads are extreme and the floor has to last 20+ years: operating theatres, laboratories, hospital corridors, industrial premises.
For a shop, an office, a bar or a warehouse, a heterogeneous floor with a 0.3–0.4 mm wear layer is entirely sufficient. Paying extra for homogeneous is justified only in healthcare and heavy industry.
Ribbed floor coverings
A separate sub-category: a surface with longitudinal ribs or round studs.
The relief solves three problems at once:
- It displaces liquid from the contact patch — slip resistance is maintained on a wet floor;
- It spreads the load from equipment wheels;
- It disguises signs of use — on a plain smooth floor every scratch shows, on a ribbed one it does not.
Applications: warehouses, production areas, loading bays, garages, service corridors, transport.
What to check before buying
Overall thickness and wear layer thickness are two different figures. Service life is set by the second one. A 2 mm floor with a 0.3 mm wear layer will last longer than a 3 mm one with a 0.15 mm wear layer. A seller who quotes only the overall thickness either does not know the product or is hiding something.
Use class to EN ISO 10874: 32 for normal commercial traffic, 33 for heavy, 34 for very heavy.
Reaction to fire. Public buildings require class Bfl-s1 — a requirement of the Spanish building code, section CTE DB-SI. Without it the floor covering cannot be used in a public space.
E1 emissions — the lowest level of volatile emissions. Mandatory for housing, schools and healthcare facilities.
Declaration of Performance (DoP) and CE marking to EN 14041. Without these documents the product cannot legally be sold in the EU. If a supplier answers your request with nothing but a catalogue — that is your answer.
Residual indentation to EN 433: the lower, the better the floor holds point loads from racking and equipment.
How much sheet vinyl costs
Our prices ex stock in Valencia, excluding VAT:
| Item | Thickness | Wear layer | Class | Price per m² | Roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet vinyl, smooth and ribbed | 2.0 mm | 0.3 mm | 32 | €12.99 | 2 × 30 m = 60 m² → €779.40 |
| Welding rod | — | — | — | €0.99 / linear m | 90 m coil → €89.10 |
All items: Bfl-s1, E1 emissions, residual indentation 0.33 mm, dimensional stability 0.4%, with a complete document package.
Market context: cheap domestic-grade "sintasol" in DIY superstores starts at €5–8/m², but there the wear layer is 0.1–0.15 mm and the class 21–23 — that is a floor good for 3–5 years in a flat and one year in a commercial space. Professional heterogeneous coverings from well-known brands run €18–35/m².
Sheet vinyl by the roll or cut to length
A full roll — 60 m², better value per metre, no problems matching batches, and you keep a reserve for future repairs.
Cut to length by the linear metre — for small rooms. Each linear metre at 2 m width gives 2 m² of floor. Cut lengths are agreed separately — write to us with the area and the geometry of the room.
One important point: when ordering cut lengths, allow a margin for trimming the seams and for matching the pattern if it is directional. Usually 5–10% on top of the net floor area.
How to calculate the quantity
- Measure the room at its maximum dimensions, including recesses and doorways.
- The sheets are laid out along the long side of the room — that way there are fewer seams.
- Each sheet is taken with a 5–10 cm margin at each end.
- Count the number of sheets: room width ÷ 2 m, rounded up.
- Total length = number of sheets × (room length + 0.2 m).
Example. A room measuring 5 × 8 m. Sheets run along the eight-metre side. 5 ÷ 2 = 2.5 → 3 sheets. Each sheet is 8.2 m long. That gives 24.6 linear m = 49.2 m² against a net area of 40 m². Waste is high because of an unfavourable width — laying along the five-metre side instead: 8 ÷ 2 = 4 sheets of 5.2 m = 20.8 linear m = 41.6 m². A difference of almost 8 m².
The layout is worth working out before you order, not after.
Installation
In brief; in detail — in the step-by-step installation guide:
- Subfloor: flatness within 2 mm over 2 m, moisture content up to 2%, dust removal, primer.
- The sheets are laid out loose in the room for 24 hours to release tension.
- Adjacent sheets are laid with a 3–5 cm overlap and double-cut in a single pass through both layers.
- Adhesive with a notched trowel, observing the open time, rolled with a 50–68 kg pressure roller.
- After 24 hours — seam welding with a rod: routing the groove, laying the rod with a hot-air gun, trimming in two passes.
Welding is mandatory in kitchens, washrooms, healthcare and warehouse premises. In a dry office or hall it may be omitted.
Maintenance
Daily — damp mopping with a pH-neutral cleaner for PVC floors. Quarterly — machine cleaning with a soft pad. Every 6–12 months in heavy-traffic areas — renewal of the polymer protective layer.
Never use: abrasive powders, solvents, acetone, strong acids. Dark rubber in constant contact with PVC leaves permanent stains — use light-coloured pads under furniture.
What we stock
Commercial vinyl in rolls — smooth and ribbed floor coverings 2 m wide, class 32, Bfl-s1, E1, ex stock in Valencia. Smooth in grey, light grey and black; ribbed in grey, grey-beige, blue-grey, dark grey and green-grey. The welding rod is matched to the colour.
If you need a plank format with a realistic wood-effect design, see glue-down LVT.
FAQ
Are sintasol and vinyl flooring the same thing? Sintasol is the everyday Spanish name for sheet vinyl flooring supplied in rolls. Vinyl flooring is a broader term covering rolls, LVT planks and click SPC alike.
Which sheet vinyl should I choose for a kitchen? A heterogeneous covering of class 32–33 with a wear layer of 0.3 mm or more, with the seams welded without fail. For a commercial kitchen, add slip class R11.
Can I buy sheet vinyl cut to length? Yes, by the linear metre at 2 m width. Send us the area and the dimensions of the room and we will work out a layout with minimum waste.
How much does sheet vinyl cost per square metre? Our price is €12.99/m² excluding VAT for a 2 mm class 32 covering with Bfl-s1. Cheap domestic options in DIY superstores start at €5/m², but their service life is several times shorter.
Do the seams have to be welded? In kitchens, washrooms, clinics and warehouses — yes, it is a matter of hygiene and moisture protection. In dry office spaces it is acceptable to leave them unwelded.
Is sheet vinyl suitable for a flat? Yes, especially for the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. For living rooms, LVT planks are more often chosen because of their more realistic designs.
Further reading: vinyl flooring for kitchen and bathroom, how to clean and maintain vinyl flooring, vinyl flooring price per m² and installation, flooring thickness and wear layer, and glue-down LVT vs click SPC.
In Spain, the word sintasol is used for any sheet vinyl floor covering supplied in rolls. It started life as a brand name, but the name stuck and became generic — much like "hoover" for a vacuum cleaner. Outside Spain the same product is known as sheet vinyl or vinyl roll flooring, and that is how we will refer to it below; we keep the word sintasol where the Spanish market is specifically meant.