# Can you glue lay loose vinyl floor planks?



## papakevin

Long story short, I was given quite a bit of lay loose vinyl floor planks and was planning on installing in an old lake cabin which currently has carpeting.  My issue is the floor of the cabin isn't level and does have a little flex.  With this in mind, do I need to reinforce the flooring before I install the vinyl planks or can I leave it as-is and just glue them down?  If it's ok to glue them, is there a specific type of glue I should be using?  

Appreciate it.


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## nealtw

Sheet vinyl has paper on the back that sticks to the glue, if you can find the brand, they may have a suggestion. A solid floor is always a good idea.


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## havasu

Why glue them? If they are a click lock version, they will lay nice without any adhesive.


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## papakevin

They are not the click lock version. They are just planks that lay flat, side by side with no way to lock them into one another. Seems odd to me, but I guess it's just the friction which keeps them together once installed.


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## slownsteady

Sounds pretty odd. A picture or a Mfr's name (or both) would be helpful here.


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## nealtw

I have seen something like that called drop and done, the ones I saw were really thick and expensive.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbXI7YqlANU[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiO84zh9gUI[/ame]


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## bud16415

I haven&#8217;t installed this product myself but my nephew used it in his house and there was one major problem he could never get around and he ended up taking it all up and putting down a snap together laminate product. 

The problem he had was sunlight. His flooring was a dark color and when sunlight coming in his window or double doors would hit the flooring and warm it up it would expand and buckle he took it up once and trimmed it for expansion and then he got gaps. This flooring is constantly moving. It looked great when he would put it down and after a couple days it was a mess after the sun warmed it up.

In the video, they mentioned they tape the edge and a few strips down the middle. I don&#8217;t see where that would have helped. 

Like I said I don&#8217;t know if all brands do this, but it was bad enough I wouldn&#8217;t put one down unless I saw the problem was fixed. I don&#8217;t see it as being that much more work doing the snap together laminate. Except this would be really easy making a repair.


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## slownsteady

All loose lay flooring advises a gap around the edge of the room for expansion - especially vinyl. OP would be well advised to find the Mfr's installation instructions.


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## bud16415

slownsteady said:


> All loose lay flooring advises a gap around the edge of the room for expansion - especially vinyl. OP would be well advised to find the Mfr's installation instructions.



Neals video says no gap. With no gap you get buckling with gap you get huge cracks as nothing holds the pieces together. With sunlight you get huge tapered gaps and buckling depending how much the stuff sitting on the floor holds it in place. Is what we found.


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## slownsteady

bud16415 said:


> Neals video says no gap. With no gap you get buckling with gap you get huge cracks as nothing holds the pieces together. With sunlight you get huge tapered gaps and buckling depending how much the stuff sitting on the floor holds it in place. Is what we found.


The problem with most how-to videos ( and that first one was pretty bad at the how-to part) is that they show you the finished project right after it is completed. And that usually looks good as long as the installation was not screwed up. But they seldom or never show you the same project three or six months later. Who knows what it looked like by then.


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## nealtw

So free might be the answer, was it in a box or was it something someone took out because of problems. :hide:


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## bud16415

In an old lake cabin and with used flooring I would lay them down and see what happens. Cut them to fit you can trim them if they grow. I would start out just laying them down if it doesn&#8217;t work try some tape and eventually try glue if it gets to that. Nothing to lose take an afternoon and find out.


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## CallMeVilla

A rough subfloor is not recommended for glue down tiles.  You can screw down 1/4" Hardie backer, with glue between the existing floor and the Hardie, for a stiffer, smooth finish.  The tile will adhere nicely to that.  Thermal expansion from sunlight is a serious issue.  I would not let the sun land on it.


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## papakevin

The flooring was used on a commercial shoot and laid out on a set for about a week. In that application, it was a fast way to create a floor on a concrete surface.  It's really nice and thick, with a green backing.  Rather than have the flooring trashed, I asked if I could take it for the cabin and I did.  

The idea of installing new subfloor over the existing is probably a good idea.  The original cabin part (the front) where this flooring is going to go has been there for over 50 years.  I was wondering if I should remove the old flooring and install new sub flooring or install new over top.  Guess there's no harm in installing it over the existing to have a new surface for the planks.


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## bud16415

Depends on how flat the old is and your willingness in the cost for a subfloor and the work installing it. I wouldn&#8217;t take up the old unless it was rotting or such. Doors and transitions will have to be worked in for the thickness of the sub floor and the flooring. 

Good find on the flooring I would have grabbed it too if it was me.


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## mabloodhound

The idea of a 1/4" gap around the perimeter is to allow the entire floor to expand and contact as one unit.  Gluing it down would prevent this and you might get buckling.  More appropriately would be to use carpet tape to stick to the underside of the planks at each edge joint.  This would allow the floor to float as one unit.  Do not stick the carpet tape to the old floor though, just to the planks.


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## bud16415

mabloodhound said:


> The idea of a 1/4" gap around the perimeter is to allow the entire floor to expand and contact as one unit.  Gluing it down would prevent this and you might get buckling.  More appropriately would be to use carpet tape to stick to the underside of the planks at each edge joint.  This would allow the floor to float as one unit.  Do not stick the carpet tape to the old floor though, just to the planks.



That works fine as will just laying them tight if the floor expands equally as in a room with heat and AC. The problem is with tape or glue if one area is warmed by a window and direct sunlight that spot soaks in the heat in the case of a dark wood finish and expands at a different rate than the plank next to it. if you just toss them down and let the sun hit them they stay flat but when the sun passes you have gaps. Gaps are better than buckles. As CMV said best to use it in shaded areas with climate control.


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## nealtw

With the ease of install I would put it down as per instructions. See how that works before you decide to scrap it or glue it.


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## nealtw

The web site for XL and Drop and Done say this is the glue and they say it can ber found at HD
Mapei Eco 810 or 350, Henry&#8217;s 422 or any other good quality adhesive formulated for vinyl tiles.


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## Rusty

CallMeVilla said:


> A rough subfloor is not recommended for glue down tiles.  You can screw down 1/4" Hardie backer, with glue between the existing floor and the Hardie, for a stiffer, smooth finish.  The tile will adhere nicely to that.  Thermal expansion from sunlight is a serious issue.  I would not let the sun land on it.



Hardie under vinyl is a bad, bad idea. It is too soft.


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## papakevin

Ok, I filled in the floor gaps and I've installed the floor as loose lay right now to see what happens.  Here's a photo of the room almost complete. Note, toe kicks aren't installed, only placed there. 

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1490962728.433179.jpg


I didn't take the time to square off the room, just started in one corner because the room itself wasn't square (it was off by 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch) but it worked out alright for this application.  Even though this was new subfloor, it still was not 100% level and required a little work. 

Overall the floor appears to be doing ok, but have not had a good hot full of sunshine day as of yet.  Considering installing a stand alone ductless HVAC mini system (like Pioneer) on the wall with the TV to assist with temperature control.  I will update this tread as needed.


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## mabloodhound

Looks good


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## papakevin

Update.  After more than a year with this product I’m extremely impressed. No real shrinkage and seems to be doing well.  

I had some left over for an install in the small kitchen in a seasonal cabin.  There I actually used my nail gun to put very small nails in each corner to hold it in place. Worked well and they can’t be seen.  Again, very impressed with this particular product.


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