Vinyl floors are suitable for everyday use. They are resistant to liquids and you can clean them well. Laying a vinyl floor is not too difficult, but with large pieces it is more convenient to have this done. For laying a wooden floor, it is best to choose pre-finished wood that consists of stain combined with a durable polyurethane lacquer. There are different types of wood such as oak, birch, ash and pine.
Laying a vinyl floor
Remove old carpeting
If there is already one floor covering, you will have to remove it first. If you leave the old floor covering, you will first have to lay a layer of hardboard plates on it. You can nail this to a wooden subfloor; it is best to glue a cement subfloor. Ask the supplier what is best for you.
When you remove the old vinyl floor covering, it is best to apply softboard underlays. This provides heat and sound insulation. The disadvantage is that the new vinyl floor can suffer dents and cracks.
Working with templates
You can make a floor plan of the room with heavy paper and masking tape. This is useful if you do not have too much experience with tricky nooks and crannies. Cover the floor with the paper. When you are done, remove the template from the substrate. Roll out the vinyl and put the paper template on top and tape it down. Now make the shape of the room on the vinyl using a ruler and washable felt-tip pen. Then cut over the drawn lines with a creasing knife. Replace the blade regularly to keep it sharp.
Cold welding vinyl
With a large space or difficult dimensions, you cannot lay the vinyl in one piece. The seams that arise can be cold-welded with special products.
Beware!
Be careful not to make strokes with the utility knife. Another risk moment is the replacement of heavy furniture. Use a stick cart for this. That is also better for your back. To protect your knees while laying the vinyl floor, it is best to use knee pads.
Laying a wooden floor
Type of floor
Laying a wooden floor depends on the type of floor:
- Some types are glued to a cement floor or a chipboard intermediate floor.
- Certain types of parquet are nailed to a wooden sub-floor.
- Many wooden floors are placed floating on a relatively soft surface. The floor parts are connected to each other with a tongue and groove connection. In other cases, floorboards have a chamfer (chamfer of the corners in the longitudinal direction).
Tips
- When gluing the floor, use the adhesive prescribed by the manufacturer.
- Provide a dry surface because moisture and wood do not mix well.
- Let the wood acclimate beforehand.
- Make sure the wood has room to expand in width and length.
- For uneven wooden subfloors, use an intermediate floor of chipboard that you screw transversely or diagonally to the existing floorboards.
- Ask the floor seller what preparations you need to make (also important with regard to the warranty)
How do you work with parquet floor, veneer floor, laminate floor?
- Remove the skirting boards.
- Make the preparations.
- Place spacers of 1 cm along the walls.
- Place the first strip with the grooved side against the spacers.
- Place the second row against the first row. Hit them together with a tapping block and hammer. You can also do it with a crowbar.
- Lay the following strips.
- When you are done, remove the spacers.
- If necessary, finish the wood further if it is not a pre-finished wooden floor.