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How to lay a vinyl floor (page 2)
Laying out the vinyl
Unroll the sheet of vinyl and lay it against the longest straight wall in the room. There should be around 100mm of flooring overlapping this wall.
Adjust so that any pattern is parallel with the wall. In old properties where the walls are obviously out of square, you may need to adjust it until it looks best.
Using a soft broom, sweep the vinyl flat, working out any air bubbles. Make cuts in from the edge of the vinyl so that the sheet lies as flat as possible in the alcoves and around corners. At internal corners, press the vinyl firmly into the corners and cut vertically downwards. Trim the waste from each side of this line to form a V-shape until the flooring fits into the corner. At external corners, cut from the point of the corner out towards the edge at a 45 degree angle to give yourself enough to trim in both directions.
Cutting and fitting the vinyl
For the initial trimming, make regular pen marks on the vinyl that overlaps the wall, about 25mm up from the floor, and trim off the waste above this line with a craft knife.
Now, with the vinyl only a little oversized, work around the edge of the room, pressing a steel straight edge against the vinyl into joint between the wall and the skirting. Cut the remaining waste strip of vinyl to give an exact fit. Keep the knife upright and make regular checks that you are cutting to the right line.
Cutting vinyl around door frames
Work around door frames or other awkward shapes by pressing the vinyl flat with a paint scraper and cutting around the shape. It is easier if you make small cuts in from the edge at each change of angle. This will allow the vinyl to lay flat and make trimming more accurate. Use a soft broom to push out any air bubbles.
Fix the vinyl to the floor at doorways with double-sided tape. It is also worth fitting a threshold strip across the doorway to protect the edge of the sheet.
Finishing
Wait for at least a week before washing tiles or sheet vinyl that's been stuck down.
For a neat finish, take off kitchen unit plinths and slide the sheet underneath. You may need to plane a few millimetres from the underneath of the boards to re-fit.
