In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install.
Installing vinyl tile on plywood subfloor.
Measure and cut 1 4 inch or thicker plywood with a circular saw to fit the entire floor of the room where you are installing vinyl flooring.
This will allow you to lay lvt over all sorts of surfaces.
Our plywood is really old and cracked so i was concerned that it would be too absorbent so i chose not to mop the plywood but we always mop the concrete.
A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor.
For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.
The plywood will expand and contract at a different rate as the tile causing cracks to develop in the grout lines or tiles over time.
Plywood particleboard osb ceramic tile sheet vinyl or painted cement.
When you install your vinyl on a wood subfloor the top plywood should be a minimum of 1 4 thick.
No matter how firm the subfloor.
Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications.
For most subfloors you will need to add an extra layer of wood.
Assess the condition of the wood.
How to lay self stick vinyl floor tiles.
The basic premise for any surface is the same.
If it is uneven or wood slats you will need to apply 1 4 underlayment to the top.
Arrange the plywood on the first layer of wood.
After vacuuming or sweeping the subfloor to clean it add a plywood layer if the subfloor is in very bad shape but do not overlap the sheets.
Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling.
Plywood underlayment over it.
A plywood layer is not necessary if you are putting down wood laminate.
Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile.
While you can lay tile directly over a concrete slab using thin set adhesive don t make the mistake of applying tile directly to a plywood subfloor.
Because you can install sheet vinyl over existing vinyl it offers the option of changing design without breaking the bank.
Simply nail the sheets of underlayment to the wood sub floor and make sure everything is covered.
To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots.
Another option is to install a vinyl underlayment.
Buy the product recommended by the tile manufacturer.
Do not line up the second layer with joints in the first layer.
This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints.
To do this measure and cut the plywood to fit your room.
Installing ceramic floor tile to a plywood sub floor has unique challenges beyond that of installation on a concrete floor.
If the subfloor is perfectly smooth plywood then you could install the vinyl directly to it.
It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.
