Kitchen Renovation: DIY Flooring

DIY flooring projects can be hard if you do the job the right way. Damage and wear can occur to your new flooring if you start your DIY flooring installation before the rest of your DIY kitchen renovation,is complete. If you wait at least until the cabinets and counter-tops are installed you will not have to shim the counter-top in order to maintain an ergonomic height.

Some flooring material can be installed over and existing floor if the original flooring is solid and sturdy. The rules for installing over an existing flooring are set by the manufacturer of the new flooring. The manufacturer will either say do not install over and old floor or do it if there is only one layer of flooring underneath. Your existing flooring must not have any cushioning, plus make sure that it is clean, dry, sturdy, and not loose.

If you plan to put a new resilient floor over an old resilient floor which has texturing or is embossed, a layer of 1/4″ luan plywood will be required as an  underlayment. Other surface abnormalities such as nails or seams should be covered with a latex underlayment a filler material then sanded flush in order to keep the adhesive from weakening and prevent the uneven area from showing up on your new flooring.

If your existing floor is hardwood or a wood sub-floor, you can install perimeter adhered sheet vinyl directly over the old floor, however a resilient floor that requires full adhesion will necessitate the installation of an underlayment A 1/4-inch thick underlayment of quality plywood should be used for a tongue and groove hardwood floor that is 3-inches wide or less, but anything over 3 inches wide should be covered with 1/2-inch thick plywood.

A  resilient floor may be installed over a terrazzo floor if a leveling compound is used to prepare the floor by following the compound manufacturer’s instructions. The patching compound must fully cover the metal divider strips of the terrazzo flooring to prevent showing through to the resilient floor. Stone and ceramic tile flooring will require a leveling compound as well.

Proper application of the leveling compound is essential for a quality DIY flooring installment, therefore unless you are experienced with this aspect of the job you should ask for guidance and instruction from the leveling compound representative.