I’ve done a lot of laminate flooring over the years and did a small floor in the utility room with LVT . Was quite easy to lay on a solid floor , question though ? Herringbone style , easy enough to do or get the trades in ? New kitchen currently going in just now but need to sort flooring ( hadn’t even chosen that yet ! )
LVT flooring
- Thread starter MrGrumpy
- Start date
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Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
We had LVT put in the ground floor last year. Flooring supplier says it is DIY friendly but the manufacturer will say deffo not. In our case it was most definitely a specialist job. We had some concrete sub floor and some wooden boards. They had to put down ply over the chipboard part and use self levelling compound in the concrete hallway to bring it up to the same height for continuous run through to the living room. Also need to carefully consider temperature fluctuations when selecting the correct product as a lot of them are not good in heavily glazed rooms etc. It is not as simple as it may seem but looks good when it's done.
I have laid quite a lot of Karndean LVT over the years in my various houses and gradually built up to more complex patterns. I think it is pretty easy to do as you are willing to prepare thoroughly with a perfectly level surface. For a presumably small room like a utility room I would be tempted with a parquet tile rather than true herringbone or chevrons.
newts
Veteran
- Location
- Isca Dumnoniorum
Click together or stick down?
Click together, put LVT boards down in the utility room. Was easy enough . Didn’t put ply down so straight onto the chipboard flooring. Kitchen already has a layer of ply from previous wooden floor. So reusing , it’s level needs cleaned up , some tricky bits but that’s around kitchen units. Do think I need to lay a gap at the ends of those . It would look sh…t
newts
Veteran
- Location
- Isca Dumnoniorum
It needs an expansion gap on all edges, not as big as mdf/laminate boards (it will lift in the middle if you don't). Ideally you be wanting the flooring going under skirting boards, end panels of units, plinths & appliances. It looks sh*t if you use scotia bead everywhere.
neil_merseyside
Guru
- Location
- Wirral
Needs to be very flat/smooth, mixing and pouring a kitchen sized area of self levelling compound is erm interesting.
Herringbone will not go well if the planks are 'sizey' as at some point a long (or short) one will throw the pattern out - under the appliance/units in my case. I've read that a lot of brands can vary a good bit, herringbone doesn't really allow for sorting by size, I wouldn't want to be trimming lots of planks without a good guillotine and a decent way of bevelling edges. Would I do it again? Yup - but not herringbone.
Herringbone will not go well if the planks are 'sizey' as at some point a long (or short) one will throw the pattern out - under the appliance/units in my case. I've read that a lot of brands can vary a good bit, herringbone doesn't really allow for sorting by size, I wouldn't want to be trimming lots of planks without a good guillotine and a decent way of bevelling edges. Would I do it again? Yup - but not herringbone.
Had a good chat with a flooring guy today . He is also coming to quote next week . He gave me rough price which Is spendy but not out of the park . May not go with herringbone . Tile effect might suffice . What I did find out was LVT over large area also needs expansion joints when over 25m2 ! Need to rethink the rest of downstairs.
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
With a showpiece room, e.g. a kitchen… go pro or go home, imho
neil_merseyside
Guru
- Location
- Wirral
25 metres is huge, as has been suggested get a pro in.
Mixing that much self-leveller is a serious amount of people, 2 mixing, maybe just 1 ferrying but 2 in spikes, 1 spreading the other using the spiked roller. Needs to be done quick, or using slower setting and left for longer - not often practical.
Last time I had LVT done (13 years ago) the fancy patterns (herring/parque) cost double that of a simple straight/angled design. Fitting was like a carpet job so LVT supplied and fitter was labour only, so it was either £100 or £200, but that included plywood/self levelling/adhesive and laying diagaonal with inset edging with plain planks scribed to skirting on 10m2 and 3 door in the hallway.
Oh I’m getting a pro in for this !! Laminate I can do and very small areas I’ve done with LVT boards but the kitchen I’m leaving. We have found some tiles effect which looks very nice .
Well be spending the weekend ripping up the old ply that’s down in the kitchen , which in places has now new units on top
. I’ve had a couple of quotes for Amtico , it’s gonna cost me about £2k to get done but they want a clean slate to do the prep on. Hence back to the chipboard flooring .
