How To Put Vinyl Planks On A Concrete Floor? (Easy Steps)

Vinyl plank flooring is one of the most popular types currently on the market. Despite being entirely synthetic, vinyl flooring planks are designed to resemble natural flooring materials like wood and occasionally stone. It is a durable flooring material with excellent water and stain resistance.

How To Put Vinyl Planks On A Concrete Floor?, vinyl planks for fitting are inexpensive and offer a “do it yourself” option with characteristics for simple installation. 

The installation of vinyl planks on concrete creates a warm, cozy floor. Even though this option may appear ideal, it would be wise to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of floating vinyl plank flooring.

Video: How to install vinyl plank flooring over concrete

The best way to set up vinyl plank flooring

The click-and-lock and glue-down methods of connecting vinyl plank are intended to be used. Most vinyl planks are made to be installed over an existing floor. However, you must evaluate the state of the surface before attempting to install the cut vinyl plank on it.

Ensure your subfloor is in excellent shape, has a smooth surface, is clean, free of dust, and is damage-free before installation. The most frequent query is whether underlay is necessary for successful vinyl plank installation. An underlay is required for your subfloor for concrete foundation flooring. 

How To Put Vinyl Planks On A Concrete Floor

The underlay gives your floating floor roller more padding, softens it, and improves the floor’s insulating ability, keeping it warm even in the cold.

Performing measurements

To lay vinyl plank flooring over concrete, the area that has to be covered must be determined first. Next, measure the same space with a tape measure, then add 5 square feet to provide for any emergencies that may arise while installing the flooring. 

After surveying the neighborhood, locate a retailer that sells budget vinyl plank flooring. Finally, you must purchase the appropriate flooring for this installation method. Although vinyl flooring is slightly thinner than laminate flooring, the planks have a click-lock system similar to that of laminate flooring. 

The present vinyl plank’s optimal thickness lies between 2mm and 8mm. Applying foam underlay will improve click-locking effectiveness for vinyl planks less than 4mm thick.

Brands of Vinyl Plank Flooring You Should Know About (Answered)

The greatest vinyl plank flooring brands and the reasons they stand out will be discussed in this article.

The low cost of vinyl flooring sets it apart from other flooring options. It has additional benefits as well! It is also strong, simple to install, simple to clean, and simple to maintain. Manufacturers are developing innovative methods to make vinyl floors appear appealing and authentic.

But the query is still open. What criteria do you use to choose the best brand for you? We compiled a thorough list of the top manufacturers of vinyl plank flooring. This will ease some of the pressure on you.

Best Brands of Vinyl Plank Flooring

Congoleum

Waterproof planks are available in Congoleum’s Timeless line. The other lines are Triversa, Structure, Impact, and Endurance. All of them offer distinctive hues and patterns.

Traversa emphasizes the appearance of natural wood. This is the one for you if you seek something grounded and genuine. Acacia, Applewood, Elmwood, and Oak are among the wood finishes.

More unusual designs are included in Structure, such as Barn in Aspen White and Bear Cub. Building flooring is reliable, durable, and quiet.

Impact offers more subdued looks like Highlands White Wisp and Highlands Kilmarnock Sage. In addition, several different glue-down floors are available that resemble exotic woods.

The most accessible line is endurance. It gives wood floors a natural and rustic appearance. It attempts to mimic classic woods like oak and maple.

Vinyl plank floors are available in a wide range at Shaw Shaw. Everything is available, from affordable vinyl of middling quality to the highest premium LVP with lengthy warranties.

However, the vast majority are high-end luxury vinyl planks. You can locate some strange and distinctive Shaw works if you’re interested. For instance, Floorigami is a vinyl carpet plank that is both long and narrow. Currently, only a few companies offer that.

Shaw is not appropriate for low-cost house renovations. Although there are certain items with mid-range costs, everything the brand sells is slightly more pricey. However, you can count on excellent quality because Shaw is a well-known brand with an excellent reputation.

Checking the vinyl’s thickness is one technique to see if it’s good. You already know that the better the thickness. Shaw uses only planks that are at least 5 mm thick. They are significantly thicker on average.

Korlok, Karndean

This UK company was founded just 40 years ago. It has grown into a global manufacturer over time. It was also one of the world’s earliest producers of luxury vinyl tiles. The company specializes in flooring for both homes and businesses.

At Karndean Korlok, a wide variety of LVT is available. The company even provides unusual solutions like mosaic tiles made from Galician Quartz pebbles. You can also upgrade your order by including ornamental strips, borders, or medallions.

You can make your flooring your own if none of the other alternatives appeal. On select products, the brand provides a 20-year warranty.

Large boards up to 9″ wide are available in the Korlok series. In addition, the LVP floors produced by the company are waterproof and scratch-proof. They also have a lifetime warranty and connected foam padding. As a result, you no longer have to be concerned about damaging your floors because of dirty kids or dogs!

Utilizing the Karndean vertical clock locking system, Korlok floors may be placed quickly and easily.

COREtec

COREtec is not very well-known for flooring online or in flooring stores. US Floors is the manufacturer of every component. The brand’s pricing strategy differs significantly from those of other brands. The most affordable floors the firm can provide are mid-priced. Compared to other companies, the pricey floors are much more expensive.

For the vinyl plank, I am leveling a concrete floor.

After moving into our new house, we wanted to replace the worn-out, stained, and smelly carpet.

We had yet to learn this would turn into a quest to figure out how to level a concrete floor.

Our primary pick for the flooring was vinyl planks since we knew they would withstand heavy foot activity and because they were resilient.

But installing the new planks was more complex than yanking up the carpet.

We found a ton of problems when the contractor took down the carpet.

We had a lot of high and low points, so it was obvious that the non-flat floor needed to be fixed with a self-leveling underlayment.

The likelihood that the vinyl planks would lose their bond and buckle or break increased if these peaks and valleys were removed.

Every time we walked in these low locations, we would hear crackling sounds at the very least.

After some trial and error, we sorted things out and, in the process, learned how to level concrete floors.

Evaluation of the Floor

Chalk lines should be drawn between each wall’s center mark.

The center of each wall can be located using a tape measure. A chalk line tool is the most straightforward way to link these locations. The tool is filled with chalk, and the string is pulled from nails driven into each center point. 

Pull the thread up to draw the ideal chalk line, then let it go. [9] You can purchase chalk line tools online or at most home improvement retailers and everything else you need to install vinyl flooring.

How To Install Vinyl Plank Flooring On Concrete, Step By Step

To install vinyl flooring, take the following actions:

First, pry the baseboards apart.

To accommodate the vinyl’s natural expansion and contraction, there must be a small space when putting vinyl planks between the walls and the planks. Additionally, planks will need to be slid beneath the room’s corners. You’ll need to remove any baseboards in the room for this to happen.

Trim any paint that is clinging between the wall and the baseboard. After that, raise and cut out the boards with a putty knife. Use a pry bar to remove any possible nails anchoring the boards to the wall. If you plan to install and use your baseboards again, take care when handling them.

Step 2: Fill up floor cracks

Although vinyl flooring is adaptable, the planks will separate if the concrete patching substrate is not ready. Therefore, you should first repair cracks that could jeopardize the subfloor’s stability.

Repairing hairline cracks is simple. To fill in cracks, squeeze a bottle of concrete dust patching compound or filler over them. To smooth the composite, use a trowel. To patch all of the floor cracks, repeat this procedure.

Step 3: Check the Levelness of the Floor

Installing your vinyl flooring on a leveled surface will give it the best visual appearance. Then, using a simple carpenter’s level, you can identify the areas that require an evening out.

Generally, to bring a place up to par, it must be leveled out if it is lower or higher than the rest of the floor by 3/16 inches across a distance of 10 feet.

Step 4: Fill in any low spots and sand down any high spots.

You will need to lower this portion of the floor if the carpenter’s level indicates that it is somewhat higher than the rest.

A belt sander is the finest instrument to utilize for this task. Use a level to ensure the floor is level before running the sander over the targeted area. To prevent overly sanding the floor, use restraint when using the sander.

When using the sander, leave the windows open to let fresh air in and dust out. Additionally, vacuum the floor to get rid of the dust before putting in the planks.

Fill up any low spots in Step 5

Additionally, it would help if you fixed any recessed floor areas. The simplest method for raising those low regions is to use a self-leveling compound. Before applying the leveling compound, apply leveling primer to the concrete leveling and let it dry for 4–5 hours.

To prepare the leveling compound, adhere to the manufacturer’s directions. The mixture will spread to fill the lowest areas of the floor as soon as you pour it there. Before laying vinyl planks, let the leveling compound dry in the desired location.

Calculate how many full planks you’ll need to finish the room in step 6

Your next duty is to measure the space to estimate how many planks you will need to put in once the concrete subfloor has been prepped.

The first and last row of boards must match. Hence the room’s layout must be precise. Your floor area isn’t perfectly level. If you don’t precisely sketch out the room, you can end up with a narrow last row of planks, which is not the aesthetic you’re going for. You want planks of the same size on either side of the room.

The room’s width should be measured first, followed by the width of the vinyl planks. Next, calculate how many boards you’ll need to fill the space by dividing the planks’ width by the room’s width. Additionally, you’ll be able to estimate how broad the final row of planks needs to be.

The last row of planks should be one-third the size of the rows before it. You will need to cut the first row of boards to make it the same size as the last row if you discover that the planks may be smaller.

Make sure the board sizes are even and equal before putting the floor to prevent having to tear up the entire thing.

Step 7: Draw lines with chalk.

You must ensure that the planks are set out in a straight line while laying vinyl flooring. Mark the floor with straight chalk lines to act as a guide to facilitate this.

Find the center of each wall in the space using a tape measure. Each central point should be marked with a vertical line, then connected to the center. You would have eventually partitioned the space into four parts.

Then, take into account the expansion gaps. When you install the first row of planks, you’ll leave a 14-inch gap between them and the wall. This tiny gap allows the boards to securely expand and contract due to temperature variations. If there is no expansion space between the walls, there is a chance that the floor will buckle.

Prepare the first row of planks in step 8

How the initial row is laid out will affect how the remaining rows and the entire floor turn out.

As a general rule, the last plank in the first row should be at least 6 inches long. If not, you will have to cut the first plank to accommodate the 6-inch plank at the far end.

Vinyl planks have a groove on one side and a tongue on the other. The planks can interlock in place thanks to the tongue and groove construction.

The tongue of the first-row planks must be cut before you can begin the installation. If the tongue does not fall out after scoring it with the knife, bend the tongue to break it off. Then, lay the board with the face-up side up.

You won’t need to cut the plank’s edges again after this. The only other occasion will be if you have to match the sizes of the boards in the end row with the ones in the first row.

Lay the first row of planks in step nine.

It’s time to place the first row of planks after cutting the edges. Install the first full-size planks along the chalk line you established earlier, leaving a 14-inch space between them and the wall. The grooved side should face the room, while the edge with the tongue removed should face the wall.

Hold the second plank of the first row at a slight inclination along the first plank’s width to install it. Then, holding the plank in position, lower it until the tongue and groove meet. Tightly tap the joint with a mallet to ensure the boards are securely fastened.

Install the second row of planks in an offset pattern in step 10.

Avoid the H-joint issue when planks are set down equally together rather than staggered. Because vinyl planks are uniform in size, it is simple to align them so that each junction is in a straight line.

The boards’ joints are strengthened and kept from shifting by staggering them. Additionally, more aesthetically pleasing, a staggered pattern.

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