If you want to install LV flooring in both, you’ll have to remove the underlayment in … Sweep and vacuum the concrete where the vinyl will be installed. For rounded areas or tricky cuts, we did the same, but with lots and lots of pressure and scoring over and over. The size of the level will depend on the room size. Laying laminate flooring on uneven concrete can cause buckling and loose boars as the floor settles into its new installation. The higher quality the material, the less likely it is to buckle due to moisture. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. During installation, run a vapor barrier under the vinyl plank flooring to help prevent buckling from moisture. We are starting our farmhouse makeover with teaching the beginners guide to laying porcelain tiles on an uneven concrete floor. Floating floors are an easy, mess-free way to install new flooring without necessarily having to remove the existing flooring. As you don’t have to install underlay for Vinyl Flooring or LVT, this can go directly onto the concrete subfloor. Sweep twice and then vacuum to remove all particles of grit on the concrete. Although vinyl flooring is flexible, it will separate if you install it over an uneven surface, so if the concrete has high spots, you need to grind them down, and if it has low spots or cracks, you need to fill them with concrete patching compound. Existing sheet vinyl and carpet If your kitchen floor is sheet vinyl and the dining room is carpet, don’t forget that the sheet vinyl will have a 1/4-inch underlayment beneath it, but the carpet won’t. Below are the basic steps to fixing uneven concrete floors. A guide to getting your concrete floor level to lay carpets, laminate flooring, floor tiles and other flooring. Best Flooring for Concrete Slab Foundation. Fit the vinyl and trim the edges. Dealing with uneven floors is a part of the trade when installing flooring. A Guide to Levelling Concrete Flooring and Floor Screed Using a Floor Levelling Compound. Genius! Because a floating floor installation isn’t fastened firmly to the subfloor, it doesn’t show the imperfections of the underlayment. First, we removed everything in the room, including the carpet! Laying Vinyl On Uneven Concrete Floor; Vinyl Tile On Uneven Concrete Floor; Vinyl Plank Flooring On Uneven Concrete; Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring On Uneven Concrete; Laying Vinyl Plank Flooring On Uneven Concrete ← Vinyl Tiles On Uneven Floor → How Do I Remove Scuff Marks From Hardwood Floors. Place a carpenter’s level on the floor. Before you can do a good job of installing wood, laminate, or any other flooring, you need a good subfloor to start out with. Overview: Install Tile on Uneven Concrete Floors Prep. Concrete: Sheet vinyl can be installed over concrete if the surface of the concrete is clean, smooth and dry. If it comes up easily, there’s too much moisture in the concrete to install a sheet vinyl floor. Type of flooring dictates how "perfect" it needs to be, carpet being the least work. Your flooring's manufacturer will tell you everything you need to know about laying their product over concrete, but here are some general tips for success: Clean and smooth the concrete. If there are bumps of glue, popped-up nails, or uneven bits of concrete on the subfloor, the vinyl will flow over the spot and create a slighty elevated area. Start by sweeping up any debris. 1. If you notice uneven areas, it may be wise to consider a more forgiving flooring like carpet or vinyl. What a mess!! Fill large cracks and dips with a floor-leveling compound designed for concrete. Like other forms of vinyl, the material is resilient—it springs back when you push on it and conforms to the surface on which you install it. The slab is even at a macro level (no visible dips or hills). I don't think my situation is as bad as that described in How can I prepare uneven concrete basement floor for vinyl planks? As part of our basement development, our contractor installed luxury vinyl plank over our concrete floors. You can also use a wet/dry vacuum for a deep cleaning. Use a straight edge and mark high and low spots. To help guide your flooring selection process, check to see if your concrete slab is level. How to level floors using floor levelling compound to fix your uneven concrete floor. Because it is completely man-made, vinyl tile comes in virtually any color and pattern you can imagine. It is not possible in the short term to take up the floors and relay them so I need an underlay that could absorb some on the unevenness, and stop the vinyl splitting across uneven areas. Prepare your floor properly for a long-lasting tile installation. Your email address will not be published. Step 2: Thoroughly clean your subfloor. A typical floating floor application is done using either wood, laminate or luxury vinyl tile flooring products. If you have uneven flooring and are wondering how to level a floor, simply follow our step by step guide below. How Do I Determine Floor Level? Once you’ve purchased your vinyl flooring you’re ready to get started. We are close to pulling the trigger on buying the flooring for our basement (1400 sq ft. finished, the entire floor will be luxury vinyl plank). If water seeps up under the flooring from an extremely moist concrete subfloor, the adhesive can be weakened, causing buckling in the floors. Start laying your planks left to right using 6mm spacers to create an expansion gap and make sure your planks are 6mm from the wall on either side. The floor can have an unlevel subfloor and still have a base for a nice laminate floor. The tar-like adhesive is not coming off. Shane found this okay to do but I sure struggled- I just don’t have the strength in my wrists. The great thing about this flooring is that it already has underlay beneath it so there’s no need to install this as well. Vinyl tiles can be installed directly on the concrete, or with a felt underpayment. When you run a straightedge over the floor, you should note no more than a 3/16-inch change over a 10-foot run. Required … However, overall the cement has a texture like a lightly-textured ceiling, a bit rougher than most sidewalks. I'm installing CoreTec One vinyl plank flooring as a floating floor over slab in a three-season porch. Self-leveling Compound. You can lower high spots with a grinder. Prior to installing the floors, I pointed out a large area (approx 2'x2') where there were dips, humps and grooves in the subfloor, making it quite uneven and requested confirmation that this would be addressed prior to floor installation. Although not as flexible as carpet, vinyl still conforms easily to the shape of the floor underneath it. After 72 hours, try to pull up the vinyl. Consider adding a rug to your ceramic tile basement floor to help warm up the floor. Welcome to the first in our Farmhouse makeover series!! Similar to how you can grind down a wooden floor, you will need to do the same thing for concrete warping. Lay the vinyl out in your bathroom as far as the front of the toilet, wash basin etc then fold it back on itself. Hi, I want to lay vinyl flooring in two downstairs rooms, one with an uneven wood floor and one a slate slab floor. Laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor can cause problems and needs to be addressed. Any minor bumps can be removed with a masonry chisel and small sledgehammer.Wear safety glasses. Pics of : Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring On Uneven Floor Vinyl gets glued to the floor and then smoothed over the surfaces where it will easily cover and mold to small peaks and valleys. Again with scissors snip a series of cuts all the way round the base of the pedestal being careful to not go too far in. The floating floor application allows the flooring material to attach to itself, rather than be nailed to the subfloor. Look at the levelling bubble to determine where the floor is uneven. Beginners guide to laying tiles on an uneven concrete floor. (Really exaggerated case in this image) Measure, Layout & Cut Tile . The cleaner the concrete floor, the easier it is to install the vinyl. You can also watch the video I made with our tips – the process is the same with the addition of ensuring that your flooring is completely level (and patching as needed) when going directly over an old tile floor! When it’s ready, unroll your vinyl flooring … Then cut a straight line from the edge of the vinyl to the centre of the toilet or pedestal using scissors. If you plan to install it over concrete, check for excess moisture by gluing down a 3 x 3-ft. piece of vinyl flooring and taping the edges. Out with the old!! 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