Bathroom flooring should
be water resistant and non-slippery to avoid falls
that are quite common as people to skid on soaps. The
preferable choices are the ones that are stain
resistant and easy to clean. However, today, all types
of flooring are available in water-resistant types and
you may choose one with a little rougher surface for
the anti-slip characteristics. Your options range from
moisture-resistant hardwood floors to carpets that can
be laid down in baths and are resistant to water,
mildew and stains. They even have a backing that does
not allow water to seep in the beautiful pad. However,
perhaps the best of all options is the vinyl flooring
as it is easy to clean, stain and moisture resistant.
Vinyl flooring is available as tiles or as a
continuous sheet and can be installed easily in bathroom of all
sizes and shapes. It comes in some of the most beautiful designs
and can simulate hardwood or carpet too. Here are some easy
steps to lay vinyl floor in your bath yourself:
Lay the plywood sub-floor first.
Use latex-based floor patch to fill up any
cracks or dents in the floor to level it out.
Use scribing felt available at all flooring
stores to take the right estimate of bath floor size and cut
out the template after taping its edges to the walls and
making holes at appropriate distance where you will have to
nail the vinyl floor.
Bring it outside in a large open space after
rolling it up again and use it as a template for cutting the
vinyl floor with a utility knife that has a sharp cutting
edge.
Make holes where you have marked them out in
the template.
There are two types of vinyl available:
Perimeter vinyl that requires glue only on the outer edge and
Sheet vinyl that needs glue to be spread on whole floor.
However, you are advised to follow manufacturer's directions
for gluing down the vinyl flooring.
The best way is to spread the adhesive on
one-fourth or half of the bath floor, depending on its size
and set the vinyl on it and then spread the glue on other
parts and roll the sheet on it.
In case of vinyl tiles, overlap about ¼ inch
on seams and press them down firmly and match the pattern.
Use a heavy roller that you can rent out to
even out the vinyl flooring and set it with a professional
finish.
