Vinyl plank floor

[aoneseller]

I would like to ask someone who's got experience with this one. I ripped off the tiles in the room upstairs (20% cracked during a decade) , they were on some sort of cement-wood boards. The boards screwed to the steal. The floor looks pretty level as I prepared it with an angle grinder and filled some small dents with cement. So is it possible to lay a foam on this and install those vynil click planks (no glue) on this surface? 

[eyecatcher]

Sounds ok to me, you mean using the 5mm silver backed ethafoam as a base.

Typical floor planks clik lok are hdf with a vinyl or real wood veneer so just be aware you need to leave a 10mm gap around all edges to allow for any expansion.

The moulded skirting trim can be siliconed and pinned to the wall, not the floor you will be laying

[aoneseller]

Thanks for the advice, I will do that. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by aoneseller
Found solution

[farcanell]

From what I have read.... the subfloor needs to be really well prepared... i note from your op that you’ve worked the floor already, but this does need to be very flat to avoid small distortions that might make your floating floor joints lift... there are several diy videos on this subject on utube that might help.... good luck.

[Elad]

To be on the safe side and providing the sub-floor is wood, you could ply board it using 6mm thick ply. It doesn't cost too much and you can cut 6mm ply with a sharp flooring knife and use ring shank nails with spacing about 6 inches apart.

[aoneseller]

If I put a ply board on it would be too high compared to the floor outside the room. I prepared the floor flat enough as I checked with a spirit level. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by aoneseller
Correction

[Elad]

If you're separating rooms with threshold strips then a self-adhesive ramp edge strip will do nicely with i slightly raised floor. The usually come in 3' and 9' lengths.

 

 

   

[aoneseller]

Any idea where to buy threshold strip? Global house didn't have it. 

[eyecatcher]

3 hours ago, aoneseller said:

Any idea where to buy threshold strip? Global house didn't have it. 

Look again, Global has an extensive range of threshold trims, but there should be matching ones for the clik floor.

Also look in the tiling area, many floor trim of all shapes and sizes.

Even tesco carries door threshold strips, but limited to brown or white.

If you fail with vinyl trim, a timber hockey stick profile may do the job

[aoneseller]

Room is looking good now, thanks for the advices. I used the 6mm plywood, then foam and vinyl plank. Space for expansion, baseboard not siliconed and T-mold transition. Now I have one more room to go. I have some left over exterior paint which I like the color of it, is it possible to use it in the room?  

[sometimewoodworker]

13 hours ago, aoneseller said:

 I have some left over exterior paint which I like the color of it, is it possible to use it in the room?  

No problem, it is a problem if you use interior paint outside.

[aoneseller]

One year passed after I successfully installed the new vinyl floating floor in two rooms. It looks like the same as I just installed it. Now I am installing the same thing in the big room with same procedure that I used in last year. However, an unexpected problem occurred after I ripped the tiles off. The problem with the base, which is the 6 pieces 20 mm thick scg viva boards laying and screwed to the steel frame. 5 of them cracked in the middle all the way side to side. It's not a deep crack but it's bothering me. So my dilemma is should I change those 5 viva boards or just repair the cracks with some Weber mortar and add additional screws? 

[sometimewoodworker]

8 hours ago, aoneseller said:

The problem with the base, which is the 6 pieces 20 mm thick scg viva boards laying and screwed to the steel frame. 5 of them cracked in the middle all the way side to side. It's not a deep crack but it's bothering me. So my dilemma is should I change those 5 viva boards or just repair the cracks with some Weber mortar and add additional screws? 

Impossible to say without a bit more information. Exactly where the supporting steel under the boards are is important and the distance between supports. Pictures or a drawing will help.
 

At the moment it sounds as if the viva boards may have been put down in the wrong orientation.

[aoneseller]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Pictures or a drawing will help

The first picture shows the supporting steel running under the boards, the distance between them is 33 cm. There are also intersected steels running under the boards but they are not visible (yet). The 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th pictures shows the cracks. In the 6th picture you can see the cracks goes through the board. But I think I should change them so I wouldn't need to work on the smoothless on the old boards. 

[sometimewoodworker]

41 minutes ago, aoneseller said:

The first picture shows the supporting steel running under the boards, the distance between them is 33 cm. There are also intersected steels running under the boards but they are not visible (yet). The 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th pictures shows the cracks. In the 6th picture you can see the cracks goes through the board. But I think I should change them so I wouldn't need to work on the smoothless on the old boards. 

With the board cracking above/on the support beam I would think that that beam has moved, probably down as the crack seems wider at the bottom.
 

I would be checking to see exactly what has been happening as a replacement board will be virtually guaranteed to have the same problem if the beams/walls are moving. 
 

If the movement is not great and has probably stoped you can maybe work round the problem by using smaller boards/cutting big ones and butting them together over the support beams then they should not crack, though the joints should not be too tight but calked to allow slight movement.

[aoneseller]

4 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

With the board cracking above/on the support beam I would think that that beam has moved, probably down as the crack seems wider at the bottom.
 

I would be checking to see exactly what has been happening as a replacement board will be virtually guaranteed to have the same problem if the beams/walls are moving. 
 

If the movement is not great and has probably stoped you can maybe work round the problem by using smaller boards/cutting big ones and butting them together over the support beams then they should not crack, though the joints should not be too tight but calked to allow slight movement.

Thanks for your advises. I ended up changing them, because I was able to rip them off and they broke along the cracks very easy. I hope I can find smaller sizes, it's an arduous work to bring them upstairs... 

And I think after 10 years the house will not move drastically, I saw ( noticed) movement in the first couple of years. Also I am able to inspect the supporting beams by the welding joints. There is no damage or negligence of work. 

[sometimewoodworker]

59 minutes ago, aoneseller said:

I hope I can find smaller sizes, it's an arduous work to bring them upstairs... 

And I think after 10 years the house will not move drastically, I saw ( noticed) movement in the first couple of years. Also I am able to inspect the supporting beams by the welding joints. There is no damage or negligence of work

It could easily be the house foundation that moved, and it could have happened years ago and broken the boards then.

 

as to smaller sizes, you probably won’t find them but an angle grinder and PPE are your frends.

[aoneseller]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

It could easily be the house foundation that moved, and it could have happened years ago and broken the boards then.

 

as to smaller sizes, you probably won’t find them but an angle grinder and PPE are your frends.

So it won't be a problem if I install half size cut viva boards.. 

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, aoneseller said:

So it won't be a problem if I install half size cut viva boards.. 

as long as they are correctly supported, and from the look of the steel showing in the picture it should be no problem.

[aoneseller]

I installed the first cut piece of viva board. No am not sure about the screwing distances. The old screws  were about about 24 inches apart, I want to put 12 inches. Also I have to pilot the self screwing screws otherwise its a bit difficult to drive the screw without piloting with a drill bit. 

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, aoneseller said:

I installed the first cut piece of viva board. No am not sure about the screwing distances. The old screws  were about about 24 inches apart, I want to put 12 inches. Also I have to pilot the self screwing screws otherwise its a bit difficult to drive the screw without piloting with a drill bit. 

I drill clearance holes in the cement board but with the correct impact driver there is no need to pilot the steel. My impact driver has a setting for exactly that job.
 

You can reduce the distance between screws with no problem.

[aoneseller]

9 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

My impact driver has a setting for exactly that job.

Can you recommend me a cordless impact driver for the job? At the moment I use Hitachi rotary hammer with cord, it does the job, but very time-consuming with changing the heads for piloting. 

[sometimewoodworker]

7 hours ago, aoneseller said:

Can you recommend me a cordless impact driver for the job? At the moment I use Hitachi rotary hammer with cord, it does the job, but very time-consuming with changing the heads for piloting. 

I use the Makita 18V impact driver DTD 154RFE it has the Tech mode that you need for self drilling screws. It is brushless, no point in getting a brushed motor today, it’s an older model but it’s impossible to get the latest ones in Thailand. A Hitachi/Hikoki would also do the job. 

if you use the wing self drilling screws on the left you may be able to do away with pilot holes.

 

do not bother with 12v they can’t do the job

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by sometimewoodworker

[aoneseller]

Thanks for the advices sometimewoodworker. Now I am at the wall painting stage and after that go back to the floor. Now, do I have to use adhesive/silicone between the vivo boards? I didn't put them touching together, I left 2 mm gap between them. 

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, aoneseller said:

Thanks for the advices sometimewoodworker. Now I am at the wall painting stage and after that go back to the floor. Now, do I have to use adhesive/silicone between the vivo boards? I didn't put them touching together, I left 2 mm gap between them. 

Neither, use a acrylic filler.

[Yellowtail]

On 3/25/2020 at 2:43 AM, aoneseller said:

...it's an arduous work to bring them upstairs... 

 

 

Next time have them delivered, they'll generally carry them upstairs for you....