The vinyl floors that were purchased years ago looked cheap and the options for design and color were few. Today, you will find incredible options for vinyl flooring, which includes fabulous color, patterns, styles, and even choices for installation. Best of all, vinyl floors are affordable and with new technology, many of the designs look just like ceramic or wood flooring!
If you are thinking about laying vinyl floor, the most important thing is to put safety first. Since you will be working with types of bonding material, you need to take certain precautions. Because of this, you need to make sure you have proper ventilation with open windows and fans. Additionally, be sure pilot lights are extinguished and that you are not working near any open flames. Be sure you wear a respirator to keep from breathing in toxic fumes, wear goggles, and wear gloves.
The nice thing about installing a vinyl floor is that you typically need very few tools. Plan on having a pry bar, utility knife, hammer, handsaw, scissors, pencil, wide ruler, notched trowel and blade, seam roller, chalk line, staple gun, and a carpenter�s square on hand. In fact, if you find that some of the cuts are more difficult than other cuts, you can use a hair dryer to heat the tiles.
Just as you would with any home project, check with your local building codes to make sure you have any permits needed. If you are fixing a floor, you might even consider taking this opportunity to remodel. In this case, choose a color or pattern you like and determine how much flooring you will need. If you are unsure what color or pattern to choose, you can always go with something neutral, which will allow you to make changes down the road.
To get started, the first and most important thing you will need to do is clean the floor thoroughly. Too often, people get in a hurry, thinking they can bypass this step but if you start putting vinyl floor on top of a floor that has dirt or moisture then you will run into major problems eventually. Therefore, although laying vinyl is not a difficult process, you do want to do it right so the floor will look great and last for years.
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