TradePoint: Installing a vinyl floor

Installing vinyl tiles into a bathroom or kitchen space can transform the look and feel of the room. In this blog, NRLA partner TradePoint (B&Q) explains more.

When it comes to laying a vinyl floor you’ll want to begin by measuring the floor space, making sure to include areas under and around the bath, sink and toilet.

Once you have calculated how many packs of tiles you will need (depending on how many are in each pack), be sure to add 10% on to make sure you have enough.

Then take your tape measure and find the centre point of the room. This is important as you will install the tiles working from the centre and moving outwards. 

Now it is time to start installing your tiles.

Before you do, it sounds obvious, but take a dustpan and brush and sweep the floor to ensure there’s no debris lying around to create an even surface.

Installing the tiles

Using a large roller brush, apply a floor primer to the entire area on which you plan to add the tiles.

For vinyl tiles, you’ll need to remove the backing film which can be peeled from the corner of each tile.

Start laying the tiles from the centre of the room, and stick down as many whole tiles as you can.

At the edges of the room you will need to cut the tiles to  the correct size if they’re too large to go down whole.

To do this, measure the floor space you have to work with, and mark this up on the tile.

Then, wearing cut-resistant gloves, use a penknife to cut the tile to the size you need.

Pro tip: Always put carboard underneath something you want to cut, to ensure the floor underneath does not get damaged.

How to instal tiles into awkward areas

After you have installed the tiles and the edges, you will likely find that there are just a few awkward areas you still need to cover, such as round the bases of sinks, toilets and pipework, areas that are often small or curved.

You will again need to cut the tile to the correct size. To do this, this time it is recommended that you use a profile gauge. This will help you see the shape of the space you’ve left to fill and correctly mark it up on the tile.

Alternatively you can create a stencil using a piece of paper, to work out the shape you need, very carefully cutting along the line you’ve traced.

For sinks you could also remove the pedestal and replace when you’ve laid the flooring.

The last thing you need to do is adding sealant, and replace any skirting boards.

And there you have it, the complete guide on how to add vinyl tiles yourself.

To watch a step-by-step video guide on how to do this, click here or watch the video below: