Intro - Materials - Prep - Floor Prep - Template - Cut - Install
Margin of Error: Exact
Most Common Mistakes
- Laying out the template on the wrong side, thereby cutting the floor backwards.
- Not lining up the template seam line with a pattern (grout) line on the flooring material.
Most Common Mistakes
- When estimating the amount of sheet vinyl, forgetting to account for pattern matching at a seam.
- Unrolling sheet vinyl too early, or waiting too long to lay it, thereby causing it to shrink before it is permanently laid in place.
- Neglecting to use flooring materials with the compatible adhesive and appropriate trowel at seams.
- If you are applying a seamed floor, not laying the smaller section first.
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Unroll the new flooring face up on a clean, smooth surface. (Otherwise, small stones or dirt can become imbedded in the back, eventually wearing through or tearing the new floor.) The basement, garage, attic, or driveway is probably the best place for this. However, if working outside, don’t expose the vinyl to direct sunlight.
Overlap the vinyl pieces where the seams will fall. Check the two sections for pattern match all along the overlap and at each corner of the pattern. If you are working with a strongly pronounced design that calls for a perfect match, keep both pieces running in the direction they came off the roll.
Tape the two vinyl sections firmly together after they are matched so they won’t move when you cut them. You will double cut straight through overlapped edges of the two pieces so they fit together perfectly. Getting a good-looking seam is not difficult if you make your cut in a simulated grout line or other pattern feature that can serve as camouflage. Be sure to keep a sharp blade in the utility knife. (You may want to practice before trying the cut on the flooring.)
After you have made your cut, double check the pattern match before continuing. Then tape the seam together.
Compensate on both sides for any out-of-line walls by shifting the template in a direction that will split the difference of the error. Lay out your paper pattern or template over the flooring material so that the seam now falls in a low-traffic or low-visibility part of the room. Be sure that you are not positioning the template upside down and that you are cutting the flooring as you want it. If possible, avoid positioning a line in the vinyl pattern too close to the out-of-line wall.
Once you have the template situated where you want it, tape it to the vinyl through the triangular slits just like you taped it to the old floor.
Note: Remember to transfer the 1” back onto the floor where a roller or 1” marking guide was used. Use great care where an exact transfer connects to the inch-wide marking guide points.
The ball point pen lines are easily removed with a soft cloth and mild detergent.
Use a notched blade knife or a utility knife to trim the vinyl. Many kits include a notched blade knife, In any case, always make sure the blade is as sharp as possible. Cut very carefully and true along your line for a precise fit.
Once the floor has been cut out, roll the floor up with the pattern showing on the outside and the narrow protruding areas on the outside end of the roll.
Tip: Use the 3-4-5 triangle technique to check that your lines are perfectly square.
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