Floorway Vinyl – Lynx

Description

Lynx Floorway: A Floating Vinyl Floor Begins With the Surface Underneath

Most disappointments with a new floor are not caused by the plank at all. They begin underneath, in the hour or two of preparation somebody decided to skip. Lynx from the Floorway range is built to be laid as a floating vinyl floor, and understanding what that phrase really means tells you almost everything about how to plan the job.

What Floating Actually Means

A floating floor is not fixed down. Nothing is glued, nailed or stapled to the surface beneath it. The planks instead join to one another and rest as a single connected layer across the room, free to move very slightly as conditions change through the year. Many rigid vinyl planks are made to work this way, though the exact method varies by product, so the correct approach for Lynx is worth confirming.

That is why a floating vinyl floor goes down quickly and tidily, often without lifting skirting or moulding. It is also why the surface below matters so much, since the planks follow whatever they are resting on. A dip or a ridge eventually announces itself as a soft spot underfoot, a hollow sound or a joint under strain.

Flat Is Not the Same as Level

A level floor is horizontal. A flat floor has no humps or hollows across its span, and the two are not the same thing. A basement slab that slopes gently but runs smooth and even is usually acceptable. A perfectly horizontal floor with a shallow crater in the middle of the room is not. Sensible subfloor preparation is therefore about filling low areas with a suitable compound and grinding or sanding the high ones, rather than chasing a spirit level bubble.

Subfloor preparation also means dry, sound and clean. Loose screws get driven home, squeaking boards get secured, and the floor gets swept so no grit is trapped underneath.

Over the Old Floor, or Take It Up

A sound existing hard floor such as ceramic tile or well bonded vinyl sheet can often stay where it is, saving a great deal of dust and labour. Grout lines and tile edges are the thing to watch, since a wide or deep joint can leave a plank unsupported. Carpet and cushioned underlay always come up. So does anything spongy, hollow or lifting, because click lock flooring needs a firm bed to lock into and hold.

Acclimatising and the Perimeter Gap

• Let the boxes sit flat in the room where they will be installed, so the material settles to the temperature and humidity it will live in
• Keep the room at a normal, steady temperature before, during and after the work
• Leave a small expansion gap around the whole perimeter, at walls, pipes and door frames
• Cover that gap afterwards with quarter round or scotia, which hides it neatly while still letting the floor move
• Do not trap the floor with heavy fixed units or by pinning it at a doorway

In Waterloo Region the indoor air changes a great deal between a humid July and a February with the furnace running, so that perimeter gap is not a formality. It is the allowance that keeps a click lock flooring installation quiet and flat for years.

Confirming the Details Before You Start

Acclimatisation times, underlay requirements, moisture testing over concrete and the exact locking system all vary, so please confirm the specification, the install method and room suitability with the Petun Flooring team before ordering. Professional installation is the surest route to a floor that sits flat and stays that way.

Styling reads differently under your own lighting, so look closely at the product photo and come and handle a sample in person before you commit. Lynx can be collected in Kitchener and Cambridge, inventory is limited, and if you bring your room measurements we will help you work out quantities and a preparation plan that suits your subfloor.