Tips for How to Install Peel & Stick Vinyl Flooring

Peel and stick vinyl flooring has many great benefits. It is easy to install which makes it perfect for do-it-yourselfers, it is durable, low maintenance and comes in a variety of fashionable designs. Not only that, but it is relatively inexpensive which makes it a great flooring choice if you are on a budget. Here are some tips for how to install peel and stick vinyl flooring in your own home.

First, you need to measure your room and determine the square footage so you know how much tile to order or purchase. It is a good idea to order a little bit of extra tile in case problems during installation. If you don’t use it when you are installing the floor then you can always keep it on hand to repair any burns or scratches down the road.

Once your have purchased your vinyl tile, you are ready to begin with the installation. First, you need to prepare the floor. Remove any baseboard trim and thresholds in doorways. If you are installing the tile in a kitchen you may want to remove the cabinets to tile underneath them if they are movable. If not, just work around them.

Make sure that the floor is smooth and level for installing the tiles and that there are no areas that need repairing. If you do find areas that require repair, fix them before laying the tile. If the floor is in really rough shape you may want to consider installing a new underlayment using 1/4″ plywood sheets. Sweep the floor and make sure it is completely free from debris.

Next, you need to find the center of the room. To do this, measure the width of the room at two different points and more the exact center at each location. Then, snap a chalkline lined up on these marks. Next, measure the chalkline you just snapped and mark the exact center point. At the center point of the chalkline, use a framing square to mark a perpendicular line toward either wall. Snap another chalkline along these lines. You should now have divided the room into quarters, and the point at which the chalklines meet should be the center of the room.

You will want to tile a quarter of the room at a time, starting in the center of the room. Peel off the backing of one of the vinyl tiles and line it up with the corner created by the chalklines you just snapped. Continue laying tile next to this tile until you have reached the last row before the wall. Unless you are extremely lucky your tiles won’t fit exactly and they will need to be cut down to fit against the wall.

You can either measure the distance to the wall and then mark your tile and cut it to fit, or you can try an easier way. Rather than measuring, try setting down a second tile directly on top of the last tile in the row before the wall, lining up the edges perfectly. Then, set a 3rd tile up against the wall over the top of the tile you just set down. You should have sort of a “sandwich” made of the tile that is stuck to the ground, the tile that is set directly on top of it, and the tile that is up against the wall. Use a pencil to draw a line along the inner edge of the top tile to mark the middle tile. Then, cut the middle tile on the line and it should fit perfectly up against the wall.

Cut tile carefully to fit around door frames, cabinets and any other obstacles. You can make a paper template first and use it to mark your tile for cutting in order to avoid waste.

After all the tile has been set, go over it with a roller to make sure that the tiles are fully adhered to the floor underneath. Then, reinstall your base molding and thresholds.