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Whether you’re looking to spruce up your home or give a fresh look to your office space, LVT flooring is an optimal choice that combines style and durability. But is LVT installation easy? Can you DIY your way through the project, or do you need professional help?
In this guide, we’ll answer your questions and tell you everything you need to know about how to install LVT flooring, including measuring up, fitting, costs, and maintenance.
Even better, if you want a free design consultation, reserve it on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Before embarking on your installation project, you need to measure your room to know how much flooring you need. To do so, follow these steps.
First, measure the entire length and width of the room. Then, round up each number to the highest metre. For instance, if your room’s length is 6.5 metres, round it up to 7 metres.
If your room has any permanent irregularities that might affect the number of tiles you need, like a door or a balcony, you need to measure them. Then, subtract their sizes from the length and width of the room.
Now, multiply the two final numbers you have to calculate the accurate square metre number. To make up for any tile accidents or losses, add 10% to the final result.
Every LVT package has a number in square metres written on it, which is the area that the number of tiles inside covers. After you know the accurate square area of your room, divide it by the number on the package. Then, you’ll know how many packages you should buy.
It’s worth noting that the above steps work only for regular rectangular rooms. If your room is irregular, it’s better to divide it into small rectangles. Then, measure the square metre area of each one using the above method and add all of their numbers at the end.
LVT floors come in many types that require different installation methods. Here’s a brief roundup of them and how they’re installed.
Glued LVT flooring requires strong adhesive to stick to the subfloor, but it doesn’t come with it, unlike self-adhesive LVTs. Instead, you’ll need to purchase the glue on your own. To install this type of LVT, apply the glue to the floor, then start installing the tiles one by one. Press each one down till it’s intact.
While installing these tiles seems easy, it’s less DIY-friendly than self-adhesive tiles, mainly because floor glue dries quickly and doesn’t melt easily at all. Accordingly, you need to be fast and accurate, which is challenging if it’s your first DIY project.
Click-down LVT flooring doesn’t need adhesive for installation. Instead, the tiles come in interlocking designs that click together seamlessly. They’re easier to install than glued tiles, so you’re less likely to need professional help if you purchase them.
Luxury vinyl floors are available in both tiles and planks. Tiles come in equally sized squares and give you more freedom regarding the design of the floor. They can be installed by interlocking or using adhesive, depending on their type.
Luxury vinyl planks come in long rectangular shapes that are more resistant to water and wear than tiles. The reason for this is they have fewer seams, which are entry points for moisture. Like their counterparts, LVPs can be installed with or without adhesive.
No, LVT flooring generally doesn’t need underlay, but the final decision depends on many factors. For instance, if your subfloor is uneven, you’ll need an underlay for a smooth finish. Also, some people choose to add an underlay for more warmth and sound insulation.
If you still haven’t decided where to install your new vinyl tiles, here’s a list of all the suitable places.
Bathrooms are naturally humid environments, so they need water-resistant floors that won’t grow mould and get damaged easily. Luckily, LVTs fit this description perfectly. On top of that, they come in endless designs that satisfy every taste.
Like bathrooms, kitchens are often humid, and they’re subject to spills more than any other room in the house. That’s why LVT flooring is a reasonable choice. It’s easy to clean using water and can withstand humidity better than many natural materials.
Bedrooms are ideal for installing LVT flooring for many reasons. For one, LVT is available in plenty of visuals, so you’ll be able to match the floor to your choice of interior style. Plus, the backing layers of LVT reduce the sound produced by feet hitting the floor, providing the level of calmness needed for a bedroom. You won’t have to worry about creaking floors!
The living room receives the highest traffic out of all rooms in the house, so it needs durable flooring that’s also quiet, warm, and easy to clean. LVT checks all the boxes, and it comes in stylish designs and colours.
All day long, hallways are covered by feet bustling around, so their flooring material should be tough enough to handle that. While LVT flooring is durable enough for hallways, it may scruff if you drag heavy objects over it, like furniture and appliances. So, if you’re choosing it for a hallway, make sure you cover it with a rug and keep it well-maintained.
LVT flooring is ideal for stairs because it’s not slippery. Plus, the fact that it’s highly durable means you won’t have to change it any time soon. However, LVT is subject to discolouration over time, so if the stairs are exposed to sunlight, you may want to explore other options.
LVT is a popular choice for commercial offices and industrial areas because it’s affordable. A business owner typically prioritises durability and affordability when renovating, and LVT provides both. It’s also water-resistant, which means it’s ideal for places with high chances of spills!
LVT floors are affordable for most budgets, as their price ranges from £15 to £60 per square metre. That said, many factors affect the final price, like the flooring brand you choose, where you live, and the patterns you get. Intricate patterns cost more than plain colours, and renowned brands come with higher price tags because they sell their names.
Meanwhile, your location can make a significant difference in the installation price. Flooring wages are higher in populous cities like London than in uncrowded ones.
Yes, it’s easy to install LVT flooring, but it ultimately depends on your skill level and the installation method you choose.
Yes, in most cases, you’ll need a professional to install LVT flooring. Floor installation seems easy in theory, but once you’re in the middle of it, you’ll realise you need to pay close attention to the measurements, cut the tiles intricately to fit around corners and openings, and more.
Not to mention, if your subfloor needs any preparation steps, you’ll need to work with equipment you might not have. In the end, it’s always better to leave it to the pros to avoid installation mistakes, which aren’t easy to fix.
Yes, you can, but as we mentioned above, it’s better to hire professionals to do it. Common DIY mistakes include unevenly laid floors, too much or too little adhesive, and wrong measurements, all of which are challenging and costly to fix. If you can set aside a budget for professional help, you guarantee seamless results.
Yes, LVT floors need to be maintained to stay as neat-looking as they are. However, the good news is that maintaining them is pretty easy. Here’s a brief guide on how to maintain them properly.
When dust accumulates on floors, it can dig into the material and cause tiny abrasions or scratches, which can make the floor look battered over time. To prevent this issue, you should vacuum your floors once or twice a week.
LVT floors are prone to discolouration, and some spills like lemon and vinegar can cause it to happen faster than usual. Luckily, this issue has an easy fix, which is to clean any spill right away with water and a clean mop. Don’t leave any stain for a few hours because it might cause irreversible damage.
If you plan on dragging heavy furniture across your luxury vinyl tiles, you should use protective pads to prevent leaving scratches behind. Also, these pads can protect your floors from denting in a few years, so they’re a win-win situation.
LVTs can get damaged if cleaned using bleach, acetone, abrasive powder, varnish, and more. To extend your floors’ lifespans and ensure they always look as good as new, ask the flooring manufacturer about the proper detergent to use and stay away from any harmful substances.
You can clean LVT flooring by following these steps:
That said, different types of LVT might require other cleaning methods. For the best results, consult your flooring manufacturer about the right way to clean it.
If you’re still unsure about installing LVT floors, here are a few good alternatives.
If you want to renovate your floors and install LVTs, you should first settle on the type you want. The ones available are glued, click-down, tiles, and planks. Then, you should decide on where to put them and whether you’ll hire professionals for the job. Our recommendation is to leave it to the pros to guarantee excellent results without any mistakes.
Finally, if you have other questions or need help choosing new floors, contact us today!
Installing carpet flooring in your home or office is no rocket science; it’s all about learning how to measure for carpet. You just have to get your measurements right, and the rest will be a piece of cake. After all, you don’t want to waste your time and money by getting more or less carpet than what you actually need.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the whole process of measuring a room for carpet from A to Z so that you can place your carpet order without worrying about miscalculations.
To calculate how much carpet you need, it’s essential that you take accurate measurements of the available floor space that need to be covered with carpet. There’s a simple carpet measure formula that you can use, which is:
Room Length x Room Width = Total Area
However, keep in mind that you need to take your measurements at the widest points of the room. Also, you need to account for doorways.
To measure your room for carpet flooring, follow these steps:
Remember that you need to account for carpet waste as well. Ideally, you should expect around 10% of carpet waste after installation. That per cent is subject to increase if your house has lots of indentations. That’s why it isn’t advised to add an excess amount of carpet in standard-sized rooms simply because there will be a waste anyway.
Here’s a list of tools that you need to prepare to measure a room for carpet
Measuring a standard room for carpet is as easy as it gets. Simply use your tape to measure the length and width of the room at the widest points. Then, multiply them together, and you’re good to go.
Just make sure that you run the tape halfway through the doorway. For example, if your room’s length is 10 metres and width is 5 metres, you can calculate the total area by multiplying 10 by 5, which will give you a result of 50 square metres.
Measuring an irregular-shaped room requires a few extra steps over measuring a standard one. A fast way to do it is to divide the room into squares, triangles, or a combination of both.
This way, you can sum up the total area at the end to approximate the entire carpet flooring space. If you opt for this method, it’s recommended that you add 5-10 per cent to the final number you get just to be on the safe side. It’d also help if you draw a top view of the room just to make sure that you don’t miss anything.
Suppose you have an irregular-shaped space that can be divided into a 5x3 rectangle, a 7x5 rectangle, and a 4x4 square. You can calculate the area of each part separately, which should give you areas of 15, 35, and 15 square metres, respectively. Then, you can calculate the total area by adding those 3 numbers, which should give you a result of 65 square metres.
Some rooms with special shapes can be measured as follows:
Covering your stairs with carpet is a great way to complement your rooms and make your house’s furnishing homogenous. But before we go through the steps, let’s familiarise you with the stair terminology first. The “riser” is the height of the step, while the “tread” is the depth. You can find out how much carpet you need for your staircase as follows:
And remember, there are no specific standards when it comes to stair dimensions. They vary from one building to another, but based on most building codes, the width of a stair can’t be less than 80 centimetres, with the most common measurement being 105 centimetres.
Measuring your landing for carpet flooring can be tricky, but you can make things easier by following these steps:
Measuring your hallway for carpet is no different from measuring a room. The tricky part here is that hallways usually have many doors at the start, sides, and end.
So, in order to get accurate measurements for carpet flooring, you need to measure the length and width of the hallways, in addition to the area near the entrance of every room. Some hallways also have backdrops and staircases.
How to Measure a Room That Needs a Join
Since carpets usually come in 4 or 5-metre width variants, some rooms that have a width between 4 and 5 metres may need a join. There are several ways that you can tackle this problem, which include:
One easy way to figure out how much carpet and padding you need is to use an online carpet calculator. You can input the measurements you took, and the calculator will automatically come up with the total amount of carpet you need.
If you have an irregular-shaped room, you can divide it into rectangles and treat every single rectangle as if it’s a smaller room. Also, make sure that you input the number and width of your stairs if you live in a two or three-story house.
Carpet manufacturers make carpet rolls in standard 4 or 5-metre widths. So, if your room’s width is slightly above or below 4 or 5 meters, the width will be rounded up to the standard size.
Measuring a room for a rug isn’t any different from measuring it for carpet flooring. If it’s a standard room, measure the rooms’ length and width and multiply them together. For irregular rooms, sketch the room on a piece of paper, divide it into small rectangles or triangles, get each part’s area separately, and then add them all in the end.
That’s the general method. For each room type, here’s how you can identify the measurements:
In general, there are 3 different types of rugs: area rugs, runners, and mats. Area rugs are made for rooms and are typically large, while runners are designed for hallways and usually have a long, narrow profile. Mats, on the other hand, are made for small areas.
On a side note, some rug manufacturers include tassels in the total dimensions of their rugs, while others leave them out. So, it’s important that you ask whether the rug’s dimensions include tassels or not to avoid getting an oversized or undersized rug for the room.
Things to Remember:
By now, you should be familiar with the best methods to measure your rooms for carpet flooring. It can be a lot of work, especially if you live in a large house, but making some effort is always better than wasting money on carpet that you don’t really need.
On a final note, always double-check your measurements because you might get confused with all these numbers in your head. And, of course, drawing your rooms on a piece of paper before you start with the actual work can make everything much more straightforward.