Final floor tiles have long been one of the best floor coverings that a homeowner could lay himself with very few tools,and fairly quickly as well. Vinyl tile comes in a variety of different patterns, colors, and styles, to fit every decor, and if well taken care for, can last 10 to 15 years before needing to be replaced. Once you’ve decided on the color scheme that you’d like to use, you should pick the highest quality tiles that you can afford, and be sure and get about 10% extra to make up for cutting. Also make sure they are all the same lot number, so that they match perfectly, let’s take a look at some other tips to get you started on how to lay a floor.

Lay Down Underlayment.

One of the first things you’ll need to do is make sure that the floor that’s already there is of sufficient smoothness and quality, so that cracks and indentations don’t show through on your new vinyl floor. If this is not the case, you’ll need to lay down a layer of underlayment, which is a layer of plywood on top of your old floor, in order to have a perfectly smooth surface for your new vinyl floor. Typically, the underlayment used for a new vinyl floor will be thin sheets of tempered Masonite, nail it down with ring shank nails every 4 inches along the edge and about 6 inches in the center.  These sheets of plywood don’t need to be started in the center of the room, so in order to cut down on trimming the edges, it’s better to start in one corner of the room and do one whole side first, then in rows after that until finished.  Then, spread some thin underlayment patch on all the seams so they don’t show through on your finish floor later.

Find Your Room’s Centerpoint, Then Draw A Grid.

Normally with vinyl tiles you’ll want to have all the trim pieces around the edge about equal, maybe half tiles or so. To do this you need to measure out from the edge of the wall to the center of the room from different  sides in order find the exact center of the floor. Adjust the center slightly so that the partial tiles on each side are about equal then draw a giant cross in the middle of your floor with perfectly square lines. This will be how to lay a floor and have it look lined up for those entering the room to see.

Start Laying Your Tiles In The Middle.Pick one of the quarters from your grid and start laying your tiles, make sure your floor’s completely clean and smooth before you begin. Also, many tiles have an arrow on the back of each one, and you should make sure that all the arrows point in the same direction on your floor, so there is no difference in the way of tile looks because of this direction of manufacture. When the whole center of the floor has been laid, and it will go quite quickly, then go around the edge and trim the partial pieces using a sharp  utility knife and cutting board.

Learning how to lay a floor is especially easy when it’s vinyl tiles, as they are easy to work with, and require very few tools. The resulting floor will look elegant and expensive and should last 10 or 15 years when will cared for.