Luxury Vinyl Planks Over Concrete

Underlayment isn t a necessity but you might consider it to add noise reducing qualities or additional softness to the product.

Luxury vinyl planks over concrete.

First it will give you some added cushion to help make the floor softer to walk on. Preparing a concrete subfloor for vinyl newly poured concrete off gases water vapor and typically needs from 120 to 150 days to dry out before it s ready to accept flooring according to milliken company. Vinyl flooring is very durable and fits over most surfaces including concrete. Engineered vinyl plank can go on top of concrete plywood vinyl and even tile.

Today i m sharing some tips tools and tricks to installing vinyl plank over concrete. This is the second time we ve done our concrete basement using vinyl plank flooring see the last place here and this time it went so much smoother. The hardest part of the job is often cleaning and leveling the concrete base. It can even go on top of radiant heat.

Vinyl plank flooring is water resistant and if it has a wpc core it s waterproof so it won t be damaged by the off gassing. Vinyl planks which are often categorized as luxury vinyl are wide strips of flooring that snap together to create a continuous layer that floats over the concrete. It also needs to be free of solvent wax grease oil paint and any other sealing compounds. Lvt can be installed directly over concrete but the concrete must be at least six weeks old proven to be dry and free of powder and flaking.

So technically if you are installing vinyl plank flooring onto concrete you already have a subfloor. Second you may want an extra vapor barrier above the subfloor to reduce any risk of moisture. Concrete subfloors must be at least six weeks old dry and free of powder and flaking. Although the flooring comes in a variety of forms planks are installable with a minimal amount of tools and measuring.

If you are installing your vinyl plank flooring over a concrete subfloor you may want to use an underlayment for three reasons. This additional layer can improve insulation and should make your vinyl plank flooring warmer and less resonant. Saves you money generally this is less expensive vs hardwood or tile and you can often avoid tile rip up which can add a lot to your labor costs. Rough and uneven spots will telegraph through the new flooring causing noticeable high spots that will wear faster than the rest of the floor.

However some people prefer to add another thin layer of subflooring between the concrete and vinyl. Installing vinyl plank flooring ca be done over most surfaces as long as those surfaces are smooth. Installation for planks is easier for beginners than laying down sheet vinyl because you re working with small pieces and if you make a bad cut you can simply cut a new piece. The key to installing luxury vinyl over concrete is to ensure the floor is level and clean.

Engineered luxury vinyl can go on top of concrete plywood and tile.