Concrete Floor Prep For Vinyl Plank Flooring

Before installing your vinyl flooring whether the subfloor of your work area is hardwood or concrete one crucial step is to make sure the subfloor is level and clean.

Concrete floor prep for vinyl plank flooring.

Preparing a concrete subfloor for luxury vinyl flooring concrete is a common subfloor material and in general it s easy to prepare for a luxury vinyl flooring installation project. Test the floor for moisture. Use a self leveler on low spots and or sand high spots of wood or concrete. If your concrete subfloor was just poured you ll need to allow it to properly cure for a minimum of 60 days before your luxury vinyl flooring installation begins.

It can be constructed from wood plywood plastic or concrete. Tape a 3 foot square piece of scrap vinyl to the concrete with duct tape sealing the edges tight. If a floor plank and underlayment or adhesive will not fit under the door casing cut the casing with a backsaw about 1 16 inch above the level of the new flooring. Newly poured concrete off gases water vapor and typically needs from 120 to 150 days to dry out before it s ready to accept flooring according to milliken company.

Preparing the floor for installation of any flooring is the key to a great job especially when installing vinyl planks. Vinyl plank flooring is water resistant and if it has a wpc core it s waterproof so it won t be damaged by the off gassing. Prep your subfloor so that it s clean dry and level within 3 16 inch change per 10 feet. Self leveler is available in powder and pre mixed form and is used to create a flat smooth surface in flooring projects.

However laying vinyl flooring over concrete requires a bit more preparation. This is the second time we ve done our concrete basement using vinyl plank flooring see the last place here. So technically if you are installing vinyl plank flooring onto concrete you already have a subfloor. A subfloor is the bottom layer of any floor.

To install vinyl plank flooring on concrete you ll first need to clean the concrete with soap and water and fill in any cracks with concrete filler. Vinyl planks are a great option if you want durable flooring but don t have a ton of installation experience. If a floor plank and underlayment or adhesive will not fit under the door remove the door and trim it with a circular saw about 1 8 inch above the level of the new flooring. Leave the vinyl in place for 72 hours.