Vinyl flooring is usually not installed directly over the subfloor in residential applications.
Installing vinyl tile on plywood subfloor.
Plywood underlayment over it.
No matter how firm the subfloor.
Assess the condition of the wood.
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.
Step 3 prepare the subfloor.
If it is uneven or wood slats you will need to apply 1 4 underlayment to the top.
Plywood or osb flakeboard can expand and contract at too high a rate to be a stable foundation for tile.
Simply nail the sheets of underlayment to the wood sub floor and make sure everything is covered.
Another option is to install a vinyl underlayment.
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.
In most cases 4 by 8 foot sheets of particle board or plywood must be installed in preparation for the vinyl floor install.
How to lay self stick vinyl floor tiles.
The goal is to have a wooden subfloor consisting of two.
Plywood particleboard osb ceramic tile sheet vinyl or painted cement.
This will cause either the tile itself to crack and even come loose or cause the grout to crack inside the joints.
To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots.
When you install your vinyl on a wood subfloor the top plywood should be a minimum of 1 4 thick.
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.
It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile.
A plywood layer is not necessary if you are putting down wood laminate.
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.
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.
For most subfloors you will need to add an extra layer of wood.
Arrange the plywood on the first layer of wood.
If your wooden subfloor is in really rough shape install 1 4 in.
For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.
The basic premise for any surface is the same.
Do not line up the second layer with joints in the first layer.
If the subfloor is perfectly smooth plywood then you could install the vinyl directly to it.
Because you can install sheet vinyl over existing vinyl it offers the option of changing design without breaking the bank.
This will allow you to lay lvt over all sorts of surfaces.
Buy the product recommended by the tile manufacturer.
