Bathroom Flooring
Bathroom flooring should be water resistant and non-slippery to avoid falls that are quite common as people to skid on soaps. The preferable choices are the ones that are stain resistant and easy to clean. However, today, all types of flooring are available in water-resistant types and you may choose one with a little rougher surface for the anti-slip characteristics. Your options range from moisture-resistant hardwood floors to carpets that can be laid down in baths and are resistant to water, mildew and stains. They even have a backing that does not allow water to seep in the beautiful pad. However, perhaps the best of all options is the vinyl flooring as it is easy to clean, stain and moisture resistant.
Vinyl flooring is available as tiles or as a continuous sheet and can be installed easily in bathroom of all sizes and shapes. It comes in some of the most beautiful designs and can simulate hardwood or carpet too. Here are some easy steps to lay vinyl floor in your bath yourself:
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Lay the plywood sub-floor first. |
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Use latex-based floor patch to fill up any cracks or dents in the floor to level it out. |
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Use scribing felt available at all flooring stores to take the right estimate of bath floor size and cut out the template after taping its edges to the walls and making holes at appropriate distance where you will have to nail the vinyl floor. |
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Bring it outside in a large open space after rolling it up again and use it as a template for cutting the vinyl floor with a utility knife that has a sharp cutting edge. |
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Make holes where you have marked them out in the template. |
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There are two types of vinyl available: Perimeter vinyl that requires glue only on the outer edge and Sheet vinyl that needs glue to be spread on whole floor. However, you are advised to follow manufacturer's directions for gluing down the vinyl flooring. |
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The best way is to spread the adhesive on one-fourth or half of the bath floor, depending on its size and set the vinyl on it and then spread the glue on other parts and roll the sheet on it. |
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In case of vinyl tiles, overlap about ¼ inch on seams and press them down firmly and match the pattern. |
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Use a heavy roller that you can rent out to even out the vinyl flooring and set it with a professional finish. |
