Want your bathroom to look like this? Read on! Photo: http://www.lowes.com/cd_Install%20Sheet%20Vinyl%20Flooring_799540029_
Does your bathroom’s vinyl floor look like the 1970s or 1980s threw up on it? If so, you probably want to revamp your flooring, regardless of whether you’re looking to sell your home or planning on keeping it and raising your home’s value.
You could paint over said vinyl floor if you want a cheap and temporary fix, but we’d encourage you not to go that route — the paint will most assuredly fail at some point, which will then leave you no choice but to install an entirely new floor. Instead, we’d recommend you install new vinyl yourself.
Now, the thought of trying to install vinyl bathroom flooring all by your lonesome may seem really daunting at first glance (particularly if you’re not exactly the handyman type), but fortunately, it’s actually quite easy. In fact, this article tells you exactly how to do it in only 6 steps!
Before you begin, you’ll need some tools. Head to your local home improvement store and buy yourself 1) a notched trowel, 2) a utility knife with several blades, 3) a gallon of vinyl flooring adhesive, 4) a caulk gun, 5) a J-roller (which you can rent if you want to keep costs down), and 6) a metal straight edge (such as an 8-inch drywall knife). Next, choose your vinyl flooring. We recommend you go with the 6- and 12-foot-wide sheets and not the 1-foot squares, as the squares like to curl and attract dirt around the edges. (Be aware, though, that heavy traffic areas aren’t very kind to easy-to-lay vinyl sheets, making them good semi-temporary solutions but not fully permanent ones.)
Once you’ve acquired your vinyl and tools, move on to step 1.
1. Clean the Floor. Take a vacuum and/or broom to the floor and get up any and all loose debris. Next, prepare an ammonia solution and scrub the floor with it. This will eliminate any grease.
2. Create a Template. For this step, use something sturdy yet pliable for your template. (We’d recommend 15-pound roofing felt, which is available in 3-foot-wide rolls.) Measure the room’s width, ensuring the felt is cut slightly longer than necessary. Take the sheet you cut, put it down on the floor, and secure it with masking tape. Use your utility knife to cautiously cut around the edges of the walls, toilet, sink, et cetera. Cut another sheet and place it next to the first, taping both together. Keep doing this until your template is finished, then carefully remove it from the bathroom.
3. Trim the Vinyl. This step is best done on the floor of a large area, like your garage. Secure the template you made to the vinyl with tape and, if your template has any squares, push your vinyl up against a wall while cutting. As you cut (with an always-sharp knife), make sure that you’re cutting slightly wider than the template (so you can trim down as needed) and that you made a cut behind the toilet (so you can place it).
4. Place and Glue. Take your cut vinyl and set it in place. Once done, lift one half of it back and, using your trowel, start applying the adhesive to the actual floor. Be sure the adhesive is spread evenly and coats the floor thoroughly. Now, roll the vinyl back onto the floor and press it into the adhesive. Smooth it out with your hands, then the J-roller. Repeat step 4 with the other half of the vinyl.
5. Trim the Vinyl. Using a sharp knife and your metal straightedge, trim as needed until the vinyl fits the space perfectly. (You’ll have to free-hand any trimming around the toilet.) Smooth down all the edges as you go.
6. Apply the Caulk. Use your caulk gun to apply caulk around all the edges, including those around the toilet.
And now you’re done! Bask in the shiny wonder of your new floor and be proud of your work!
