VINYL & LVT A Flawle
Luxury vinyl tiles and vinyl planks are now a highly desirable floorcovering choice high expectations for finished results. Here, F. Ball explains the installation s
Achieving perfect results when installing LVT involves a few simple steps, as well as taking precautions to avoid common causes of floor failure- the leading cause of which is excess subfloor moisture- resulting in delays to projects, major inconvenience and expense when remedial work is required.
Guarding Against Damp
Before any floorcoverings can be installed, the subfloor must be suitably smooth, dry and free from laitance and contaminants. If the subfloor is a newly-installed screed, laitance may still be present. Floors that are being refurbished may be contaminated with old adhesive residues. To avoid costly floor failure, both laitance and contaminants should be mechanically removed before proceeding with a flooring installation.
At this stage, F. Ball recommends that a moisture test is conducted to determine if the subfloor is dry enough to receive floorcoverings. Unchecked subfloor moisture, whether residual construction moisture or rising damp, can attack
18 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors
flooring adhesives and cause resilient floorcoverings to blister and lift, ruining the appearance of installations.
If relative humidity (RH) levels are higher than 75% where resilient floorcoverings are to be installed, a waterproof surface membrane will be required to prevent subfloor moisture rising up and attacking the adhesive and floorcovering, potentially causing complete floor failure. Advanced products are now available that will isolate residual construction moisture where relative humidity values are up to 98% with a single coat application and will fully cure in as little as three hours.
The only reliable way of accurately determining RH levels is using a calibrated digital hygrometer.
Creating a Base
Contractors can then proceed to create a perfectly smooth and stable base ready for the receipt of vinyl tiles by using an appropriate floor levelling compound.
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