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Vinyl Tile glue down questions

6 years ago

Thinking of putting Vinyl Tile in my basement to replace the old carpet which is in terrible shape. I am choosing a glue down install instead of a floating floor because I have heavy objects (gym equipment like a treadmill and elliptical, each over 250lbs) that will need to be rolled across it from time to time, and I want the stability.

Two questions:

1. I know that LVT floating floors need an expansion gap because it can change size primarily due to temperature changes. But if that is true, then what about glue down installations? Won't those vinyl tiles also expand and contract, or does the adhesive somehow prevent this? I would think that some kind of buckling could occur over time since the expansion/contraction would put pressure on the adhesive, possibly causing it to fail.

2. For a glue down install on a concrete basement floor: assuming that it is clean and flat, is any underlayment needed at all? Does the concrete need to be sealed or primed in some way? What if there are minor imperfections that are difficult to remove, such as old adhesive or slight unevenness in the floor like near a drain?

Thank-you.

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Comments (3)

PRO
Cinar Interiors, Inc.
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Use a urethane glue to adhere with otherwise a water based glue will give out the first chance moisture is introduced within the concrete. Your tiles will simply pop loose. No you do not have to worry about expansion gaps. When we install glue down vinyl we trim to fit within the baseboard. Allow your glue a little time to set up properly prior to laying the the vinyl plank atop. All glues are different, make sure you read their installation guidelines.
No need to seal your concrete. You may want to check its levelness and address any major dips or humps. If a self leveling product is needed, use it. Any imperfections in the concrete can transfer through the vinyl and show as an imprint. This is where a self leveling product comes in handy.
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PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
6 years ago
Cinar beat me to it. You want flat, level and right after that...you want flat. And level. And make sure it's flat.

The adhesive to get this to work isn't cheap. These high end urethane adhesives that are a 2-in-1 product (vapour barrier + adhesive) are not the cheapest things out there. If anything goes wrong with a glue down floor (any glue down...not just vinyl) it is because the slab allows too much moisture through into the glue....and then it is a white hot mess.

Commercial installers can get this done with their eyes closed. They deal with glue, nasty concrete and stupid-high moisture ratings all the time. The DIYer or the "flooring dude" might have a higher rate of failure.

Do your research about moisture, you slab, vinyl and the adhesives needed. It can be done, but your knowledge level is about to go "commercial installer" level very very soon.
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HandyMac, I probably have that wrong in regards to the subfloor, it is with a reputable dealer so I am sure the subfloor and the installation would be done correctly. I like to think ahead and don't like the idea of major demo to remove so am thinking the floating would be best. Another question for you on pricing, this is a small room 10.5 x 11.5 which has carpet on it presently which would need removal. I received a quote on some Armstrong luxury plank vinyl in the best range of quality(floating floor). To remove carpet, put down any subfloor necessary (160.00 deduct if subfloor is not needed) and replace quarter-round or toeboard is $1,549.00. I am in Michigan so labor may be fairly high priced. Does this sound reasonable?
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PRO
Linda
6 years ago
Level isn't all that important for the flooring - level is important for everything but the flooring - installing doors, cabinets, appliances etc. Flat is the major issue with flooring and that means really flat, not just kinda-sorta-mostly flat.

We recently glued down rubber floor tiles in my basement remodel which had a typical 80 year old "flat" concrete floor. We started by filling the obvious small holes and found that helped but was not nearly sufficient. In the end, my partner used a feather finish compound and skimmed the entire floor surface. After that, we knocked down any trowel marks and laid out tiles over the surface. Anything we could feel through the tiles received another round of either knock down or build up. We walked all over the floor in every direction trying to find all the places with a notable dip. It is surprising how the body can find even very shallow depressions in the floor, a couple of mm thick. Another reason to be very picky at this stage is that the tile corners won't line up if the surface isn't flat and there aren't grout lines to hide any issues
P TW thanked Linda

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