Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Oct 21, 2017 11:18 am Hi everyone, I am a vinyl plank installer with 35 years experience in all facets of resilient floor coverings. We are floor renovation and vinyl plank specialists, so feel free to fire any questions or problems you may have and if I don't know the answer, I'll find out for you, Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 3Oct 21, 2017 6:06 pm Hi Pato, I recommend direct stick, unless your sub-floor has serious problems, and it is prohibitive to bring it to a good enough standard to accept planks. Concrete needs to be smooth, but most of the 5mm planks have textured surfaces, which negate the need for a dead flat floor. Just be mindful that although many 5mm planks are labelled "Loose-lay", all manufacturers now recommend full stick on a gel-set pressure-sensitive adhesive. The adhesive should be applied with a .8mm U-notch trowel or similar, and left to set (it goes clear) before fitting the planks. The click system vinyl is, in my opinion, unable to handle the climatic extremes of Australia, without causing issues in regard to expansion and contraction (it is a PVC plastic, after all). Direct stick also has a much better feel to it, as it is locked solidly to the floor. Hope this helps, Gary. You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 6Nov 30, 2017 6:31 pm Hi Ynnie, Some vinyl planks can be rejuvenated using a sealer, which can be applied with a mop, but be aware that, once you do this, the floor will require stripping and sealing every so often. If you know what brand your plank is, please consult the manufacturer's website as to whether their product can be sealed successfully or not. Wear layer formulation can vary, so some planks respond better than others to this procedure. Quite often there will be a couple of options for sealer, usually a satin or gloss finish. If you want a real shiny surface, then gloss is the one for you. Just be aware that once the planks are made shiny, they will show a lot more undulations in your floor, especially if the area is exposed to light shining across it. It would be best to establish that the floor is pretty flat before shining it up. Hope that helps, GaryE You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 8Feb 19, 2018 12:27 am Hi Gary, I am in the process of deciding a flooring for my new house and have to decide between porcelain, vinyl and bamboo. Can you please list the pros and cons of these? Thanks Anant Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 9Feb 19, 2018 10:14 am thinkpanther Hi Gary, I am in the process of deciding a flooring for my new house and have to decide between porcelain, vinyl and bamboo. Can you please list the pros and cons of these? Thanks Anant Hey thinkpanther Porcelain tiles are a beautiful floor, but there is a significant cost attached. They are a hard floor, cool in summer but cold in winter. They have a very long floor life, and are very costly to remove. Bamboo is also quite costly, but gives a natural timber look and feel. The thing to remember with bamboo is that it is a floating floor, not attached to the sub-floor, and therefore sounds a little hollow when walked on. It is prone to distortion, especially if it is exposed to moisture. Over time it will tend to "cup" a bit, depending on climatic influences. It will not last as long as porcelain, in my experience. Vinyl planks are stuck direct to the floor with a pressure sensitive adhesive. Apart from it's lower cost over the other two, it is also a modular flooring system; you can easily peel up a damaged plank and place another one with no mess or fuss. They are warranted for around 25 years, and tend to live up to that warranty. They are cushioned, so they offer a softer surface. Porcelain and bamboo are good floors, and are separated from vinyl planks in that they are at a completely different cost plane. I would suggest reading up on all three flooring systems, and also getting some quotes to understand the differing costs attached. You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 10Mar 10, 2018 8:04 pm We will be getting the Karndean Looselay longboards, how much would you say is a fair price to have these laid? Its aprox 120sqm Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 11Mar 11, 2018 11:04 am marz1983 We will be getting the Karndean Looselay longboards, how much would you say is a fair price to have these laid? Its aprox 120sqm Hey Marz, Installer rates are regionally diverse, so it depends on where you are. Prices range from $17 to $25 per square metre. I would recommend you contact Karndean's local rep, and he will point you to their recommended installer. You're guaranteed to get a good install, done correctly and for the correct rate. More importantly, you will have full backup from Karndean. Their reps are well trained and knowledgeable. Karndean are one of the market leaders in vinyl planks, so you've chosen well with your product. You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 12Mar 28, 2018 4:06 pm Hi Gary, You mentioned the gel set adhesive for the planks. I've been shopping around and some are advising that it's better to go with the hard setting (epoxy?) glue. What are your thoughts on that? I like the idea of being able to pull up planks with the tacky glue but am concerned about possible movement. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 13Mar 29, 2018 9:52 pm Hi Heliosphere, Sadly, there is a change in thinking going through the industry right now. Manufacturers and retailers are getting too many installs which result in gapping during colder months. What is this down to? Well, opinions vary, and it depends who you ask. For example, I am currently installing vinyl planks in a large nursing home project, and the manufacturer has specified pressure sensitive adhesive. The retailer is supplying the recommended adhesive and we are having no issues whatsoever, and neither do I anticipate any. However, the retailer we regularly contract to on the Sunny Coast is leaning towards hard-set adhesive, under pressure from other manufacturers who are tired of complaints about shrinkage. In my opinion (and please remember that is all I can give you), most of the shrinkage issues are related to the following:
You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 14Mar 30, 2018 9:16 am Very helpful thanks Gazza! I'm glad you mentioned the lack of fibreglass as a factor in shrinkage. I nearly bought some slightly cheaper planks this week until I noticed in the specs that it didn't have a fibreglass layer, which put me off. Shall definitely spring for the slightly more expensive stuff now. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 15Apr 08, 2018 2:54 pm Hi Gary, I'm having around 100m2 of Godfrey Hirst Direct Stick Vinyl Planks on a new concrete slab. I was told when they measured that slab is "pretty good" but they have marked out a few areas that have slight dips may need to be patched or leveled so it looks good as I have a very open plan floor. What is your recommended product to use to level & fix the slab, and is it worth just doing the bits that need attention or is it better to do the whole slab. Thanks, Patrick Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 16Apr 08, 2018 8:45 pm Pato Hi Gary, I'm having around 100m2 of Godfrey Hirst Direct Stick Vinyl Planks on a new concrete slab. I was told when they measured that slab is "pretty good" but they have marked out a few areas that have slight dips may need to be patched or leveled so it looks good as I have a very open plan floor. What is your recommended product to use to level & fix the slab, and is it worth just doing the bits that need attention or is it better to do the whole slab. Thanks, Patrick Hey Patrick, There are a variety of levelers out there, by quite a few manufacturers. Generally, the installer will do his own floor prep and use a particular brand. These brands include: Mapei, Roberts, Uzin, Sikaflex and Kiesel, to name a few of the main players. Generally, they will use a "skim-coat" compound, which is very smooth and is troweled on. It requires no priming, dries very quickly and performs very well. These days, most skim-coats will fill up to 10mm in a single application, so the process is very fast. I would suggest you talk to the installer and satisfy yourself that he knows his stuff. It's a good sign that they've been up front with you and even marked out the areas for attention. There is no need to fill any more than the required areas, with attention, in particular, to areas where light will play across the floor and furniture is absent. These include hallways with light sources at one end, areas near sliding doors and picture windows and front entry areas. Best of luck with the job! You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 17May 02, 2018 12:11 pm Hey mate, With the new trends towards LVT and LVP, I really appreciate that these seem to have a lot of positives.In your experience, what are the negatives? We were dead set on Recitified TIles until we researched and found that LVT is a superior product (in our eyes) and still looks decent as well. What are your thoughts on going bedrooms with LV over Carpets? What are some pitfalls or things we should definitely consider when getting these laid? We wont be able to do it through our builder so itll be done post construction. Any tips is much appreciated. Thanks mate. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 18May 02, 2018 6:54 pm Hi Gary, We commence building soon and the living, kitchen & master bedroom will be upstairs (reverse/upside down living). I received an email from Karndean on Monday that they have a new acoustic type vinyl plank just come out. We were going with their longboard type vinyl plank but now will go this new product. Do you know much about it or are you able to check it out and let me know your thoughts? Much appreciated. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 19May 03, 2018 6:57 pm steel Hey mate, With the new trends towards LVT and LVP, I really appreciate that these seem to have a lot of positives.In your experience, what are the negatives? We were dead set on Recitified TIles until we researched and found that LVT is a superior product (in our eyes) and still looks decent as well. What are your thoughts on going bedrooms with LV over Carpets? What are some pitfalls or things we should definitely consider when getting these laid? We wont be able to do it through our builder so itll be done post construction. Any tips is much appreciated. Thanks mate. Hey Steel, The negatives, from my perspective, are mainly in the following areas;
You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Re: Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions Answered 20May 03, 2018 6:58 pm gillybean Hi Gary, We commence building soon and the living, kitchen & master bedroom will be upstairs (reverse/upside down living). I received an email from Karndean on Monday that they have a new acoustic type vinyl plank just come out. We were going with their longboard type vinyl plank but now will go this new product. Do you know much about it or are you able to check it out and let me know your thoughts? Much appreciated. Hi Gilly, I will have alook tomorrow for you, and post up my thoughts then. You may not remember a good job, but you will never forget a bad one. Hi l plan to install a self adhesive vinyl plank floor. l first need to attach masonite boards underlay to by plywood subfloor of my house. What size nails and how many… 0 8356 Levelling compound Ardit is the best but buy a bag of sand and make sand dam to protect your wood floor 2 15244 |