I've been doing some research on flooring while I'm doing a full basement Reno in my house and have settled firmly on LVP. My hang-up now is on the type.

A few years ago we put down loose-lay LVP in my parents basement and it was piss-easy for amateurs like us to install, and has held up amazingly for about 5 years of being a second kitchen/kids play area that gets very regular use.

I have been browsing this sub for a few months now and have seen tons and tons of LVP, but very little loose-lay. Cost and performance-wise, they seem comparable, but installation seems a million times easier, and maintenance is infinitely easier since individual planks can be removed.

I guess my question is, what downsides am I missing? Why isn't loose-lay used more? Have any of you had bad experiences with it?

Hi everyone, we have loose laid sheet vinyl in our kitchen and bathrooms.

My issue is not with the vinyl but with how it has been fitted. We were not given a proper consultation on what to expect and not told it was loose laid and it has cause some issues.

My main question is: should it be caulked around the edges? Currently it is not and I worry with the gaps around the skirting boards, toilets and showers etc we are opening ourselves to some damp and mould issues underneath the flooring?

Also, in the kitchen around the end cupboard there is a lump where it looks like the floor has been possibly cut incorrectly so it can’t lie flat. How do we fix this?

Hello all,

Just wanted to put out a PSA as I work in flooring and see comments CONSTANTLY telling absolutely everyone to get vinyl plank in their home. Reality is that vinyl plank is a cheap floor with tons of issues that doesn't look good. Before you write me off, please read and consider what I'm saying.

Let's start with the basics.

There's 3 types of vinyl planks: click, gluedown, and loose lay. Loose lay is a complete lie, you always need to glue it down. You'll understand why later. Click vinyl is also called SPC or WPC and is often referred to as a floating floor. This is exactly the same thing as laminate, just made with vinyl instead of wood particles. Gluedown LVP is obvious, but generally come in 2 thicknesses: 2mm and 5mm.

Vinyl plank is made of mostly vinyl, though the quality/purity of the vinyl can vary. Some brands boast 100% virgin vinyl, and others literally sweep the floor of the plant and dump the garbage into the vinyl mixture. This detail matters a lot. A picture of wood goes over the vinyl, and a wear layer goes overtop of that.

Vinyl by nature expands and contracts more than any other kind of floor.

Now that we have the basics, let's go through the history of vinyl so that you can see the issues and how they have evolved.

Sheet vinyl had long been a staple in homes of varying values, but was a pain to install and hard to repair. Naturally vinyl plank was the next best option as you could replace separate pieces. In the beginning they made them with horrible visuals and terrible wear layers. This got better over time.

The next issue that people noticed was that vinyl expands and contracts with temperature changes, and now that the planks are all individual, if your installation isn't right, the product doesn't get to acclimate properly, or you have a lot of windows you will end up with a plethora of issues like gapping, planks pushing up against each other and peaking, delamination of the picture from the vinyl layer, etc. the more the temperature changes, the more expansion and contraction that happens. This isn't a process that can happen over and over. Once vinyl is stretched like an elastic, it doesn't go back to its original shape. This is why you can't loose lay vinyl - it will expand and contract and not be held in place by anything. Having a virgin vinyl, (that hasn't already been stretched and compromised) proper stable substrate, and a good quality glue REALLY helps this issue.

The next logical fix for these issues was click vinyl. If the planks are all connected but still look like separate pieces it looks more like hardwood and allows you to get around the subfloor requirement because it's a floating floor. Click vinyl in my opinion is the worst kind of flooring that there is. Now that the floor has become one piece again it's extremely susceptible to pinch points. If you don't install properly, put your baseboards on too tight, have a waterfall countertop, have one of those fancy big fridges, etc. you will have failures. If you have uneven subfloors or even sometimes not enough supports in the construction of your house you may find you crack the click system of the vinyl as you walk on it. Failures failures failures. We literally had one of the manufacturers tell us this year that two of our builders don't put enough supports in the accommodate their product. 🙄It's the product we spend the most money fixing for customers by a huge amount.

A good looking, good quality vinyl is not cheap and contrary to popular belief, most are not completely waterproof. They will fare better than laminate, but won't survive flooding.

A lot of these factors will differ depending on where you live and what the climate is like. Where I live everyone does vinyl because it's more of a rural area and looks/feel don't matter so much. I will be installing 5mm gluedown vinyl in my house because I'm broke. If that's what is in your budget then just make sure you do it right. But if you can avoid it please do. Just trying to help people make good choices for their homes. A lot of us may only get to do a reno once!

I removed the previous glued down sheet vinyl that was from the 90s.

I've been scraping up the residual glue and paper from the felt back the previous vinyl left behind.

Room is 10x12 at best. Kitchen.

I was going to glue down the new vinyl but multiple people keep saying I shouldn't bother and just loose lay it and shouldn't be bothering with all of this prep work I'm doing either.

The nail holes aren't bad but I was going to fill them but have been advised that that doesn't really matter either.

The instructions for the sheet vinyl said for me to prime the floor and I have been unable to find the primer needed.

The vinyl is from Lowe's. Just the cheap carriage point design.

How much prep would you do if you were me?

Anyone have experience with lose lay vinyl? We renovated our new home and installed it. We notice as the temperature fluctuates it creates gaps between the end cuts. Living room had 12 gaps in the morning and then almost none in the afternoon.

Would you recommend gluing down the flooring on all planks ?. Right now just the perimeter is glued. Flooring is called Next Flooring mocha and it's flexible and bends.

Ancient rental kitchen with awful lino floor, likely asbestos. Landlord won't help. I need nondestructive reversible solution, which means no glue or leveler.

Best thing I've researched is Congoleum airstep evolution, but it isn't locally in stock. What are my other practical options for DIY loose-lay?

A few years ago I put down dricore subflooring 2' x 2' panels) over top of the concrete floor in the basement, which I'm very happy with. I installed loose lay vinyl planks on top of it and glued down only the perimeter planks, as that's what we were instructed to do. Of course with seasonal temperature/humidity changes (in southern Ontario), the subfloor has spread out a bit over time and there are lots of little gaps now between the vinyl planks which are unsightly and accumulate dust and dirt.

The laundry room portion of the basement is still concrete floor and I'm planning on changing that. While doing the laundry room I want to fix the gaps between the vinyl planks. If I take the vinyl planks up and glue every single plank down will that be enough to prevent gaps coming back? Or is it simply the wrong flooring to put over top of dricore subfloor and I should put something different down that locks together? I'm thinking it's just the wrong flooring, but hopeful that I'm wrong 😝

Had some water in basement (fixed the issue since). Ripped up the carpet and there are 2 layers of existing stick and peel vinyl tiles underneath. The tiles are mostly intact but in some places it’s ripped and I can see the concrete underneath and have the old carpet padding stuck in some places on top of the tile.

1. Would I be ok DIY’ing vinyl plank install (500sq ft) on top of the existing floor w/o any underlayment? Assuming I can clean up all the padding?

2. Anyone recommendations on loose lay vs click and lock (any recommended brands? Was looking at the life proof ones at HD)?

3. Will vinyl stay that way long term of will the lock start degrading and breaking over time? Should I just lay someone to put in ceramic?

TIA!

Hey guys. What would you do or select in my position?

We are looking at going down the luxury vinyl route and we dont know which is better: floating boards or looselay vinyl.

We are between these options Karndean looselay vinyl: https://www.karndean.com/en-au/commercial-flooring/easy-fit-ranges/benefits-of-commercial-karndean-looselay

Abode noble floating board vinyl: https://www.choicesflooring.com.au/brochures/abode-collection/ On page 12 of the brochure you can see the layers

We are building a new house so the floor will be fresh concrete slab.

ignore the senior carpet inspector. floating is the large piece at the top and the looselay is the bottom left.

Vinyl they usually thick and heavier. Doesn’t have groove clip to join together. Just wondering how install or use glue?

I'm referencing a video I saw. I have no experience in doing anything myself really. I'm looking to sell my place and wanted an inexpensive way to make my closet respectable. As of now it's paint on wood.

I'm looking to replace the flooring in my 700 sf condo, which is currently click laminate + underlay pad installed over concrete. I'm considering this loose lay vinyl plank flooring but I'm not sure if it suits being installed onto the bare concrete floor. The product seems good, but with it being 5mm thick and having no underlay, my concern is the floor will not have enough cushion.

Can anyone provide experience with the feel of loose lay installed directly over concrete?

Thanks!

I’m renoing a rental property and am debating using click-in vs loose lay flooring . I’ve used 20 mil click-in in the past but it’s very sensitive to any imperfections in the subfloor and despite doing a lot of prep and hiring professionals to install its lifting in some high wear areas after only 3+years. Of the two, what’s best for longevity and wear? I’ve read that loose lay can indent easily from heavy furniture and is more prone to developing separation seams but have no personal experience with this. Aside from the click-in lifting (Minor - 2 planks out of 1000 ft 2) I find it great in terms of durability. Thoughts?

I'm renovating my kitchen and when it's all done I want to lay a vinyl floor. (We've already laid Masonite underlay.) I've come across this "loose lay" vinyl and like the idea of being able easily replace a damaged piece of flooring or being able to change it out some time in the future, but wonder if there are any downsides to not having the flooring glued down. Does anyone have any experience with this stuff?

Really need to hear from someone who either has experience with this product or even better has it in their home or business. I am renovating and 1979 townhouse and the concrete floors are a mess. The company claims they can grind and level everything and it will look beautiful, but I'm skeptical and have other people tell me just to tile it instead, which I really didn't want to do.