How to Install Luan under a Vinyl Floor | DIY Guide

The vinyl floors have become a popular choice when looking for economical and easy-to-install siding. However, some people only relate vinyl to laminate floors without knowing that it comes in other forms, such as tiles or planks. Similarly, there is little knowledge about the steps on how to install luan under a vinyl floor. Thus, this has been perfectly highlighted in the preceding paragraphs.

What is Vinyl Flooring?

Vinyl plank flooring, also called PVC flooring, is an excellent solution for those who need to carry out a quick renovation and without headaches. This material matches all indoor and covered environments, including living rooms, bedrooms, and offices, virtually.

Made of PVC and minerals, the vinyl floor guarantees strength, comfort, and beauty. On the market, it can be found basically in three versions: plate, blanket, and ruler. The choice of the most appropriate format depends on the environment to be covered. A large space, for example, requires vinyl flooring in a board and ruler.

Vinyl tile floors can be used in children’s rooms and offices, but they are not a good option for wet sections, such as the kitchen and bathroom.

This material is good for covering the house or apartment. It has been the main choice of architects when the challenge is to make a quick renovation. Currently, PVC floors can be found on the market in different models, which differ in shape, color, pattern, thickness, and texture.

Advantages of Vinyl Flooring

Whether building or renovating, we have to make the most diverse decisions. In addition to the style of decoration, the color palette, and the room’s furniture, a choice that ends up becoming a challenge for many is to define what will be the covering of the house.

Comfortable, practical, resistant, and beautiful, all vinyl flooring forms are ideal for residential projects and have gained more space in many homes in recent years.

Vinyl provides several benefits that directly contribute to people’s health and well-being and other characteristics that are often unknown to consumers when buying a coating. Some of these include:

Quick to install

Renovations are sometimes associated with disorders, as they often result in breakage and excessive spending. However, unlike other types of floors, vinyl provides a quick and clean installation.

With this flooring type, you can have an environment completely redesigned and free for traffic within 48 hours. Due to the easy-fit system, the vinyl floors do not require complex steps in the installation.

Learn More: How To Remove Candle Wax From Hardwood Floor

Easy to clean

In addition to being hypoallergenic and not accumulating fungi or bacteria, routine cleaning of a vinyl floor takes just a few minutes. It eliminates the need for products other than water and neutral detergent.

Read More: How To Clean Cherry Wood Floors

First, you need to sweep the surface or remove excess dust and food with a dry cloth. Then, you will dilute neutral detergent in water and apply this solution to the floor with a damp cloth or mop, drying the surface in sequence.

Unlike the clicked ones, the glued models can even be washed. However, a very common mistake when cleaning vinyl floors is to leave the surface with puddled water – a habit that can lead to the boards becoming detached over time.

Acoustic comfort

Whether you have little children at home or light sleepers, vinyl floors are ideal for you. That’s because it considerably absorbs the sound caused by the impact when walking, providing a more peaceful environment.

Also, due to the expansion of the home-office, many people have noticed how difficult it can be to stay focused at home – and that the noise of footsteps can become a major nuisance to work. You eliminate the inconvenient sound of footsteps with vinyl floors, usually common on surfaces such as laminate. It is possible to walk quietly without worrying about noise, even in high heels.

Thermal comfort

Unlike cold floors, vinyl plank floors provide greater thermal comfort, whatever the season. Vinyl is considered an athermic floor; that is, it is not influenced by the outside temperature.

This type of floor is perfect for walking barefoot comfortably, even on the coldest days. You will also not feel the stuffy environment during the hottest days.

Children will easily lie down and spread out on the vinyl floor without the need for rugs or pillows to maintain a pleasant temperature. This is also a great advantage for pets, who will love to rest on the lining.

Read More: How To Clean Brazilian Cherry Floors

Different colors, shapes, and patterns

Vinyl floors offer various models and finishes, catering to the most varied and demanding tastes. The options range from modern colorful, and geometric options to classic woody patterns.

A range of textures

In addition to being greatly pleasing to the eye, vinyl can be even more pleasing to the touch. If you like the textures of wood, fabrics, and rustic surfaces, vinyl floors will provide a great feeling of warmth and comfort.

Stain resistance

Shoe stains are not a problem for those who have vinyl flooring at home. Just as daily cleaning is very easy and quick, removing this stain from vinyl floors is also very practical.

It is unnecessary to use solvents, washing powder, and petroleum products to clean or remove stains from your vinyl floor. They can damage the floor’s surface, causing scratches, dents, and even possible surface corrosion.

No need for wax

Vinyl floors have high durability and do not require wax to remain beautiful, thanks to the technologies applied in the product’s composition, especially in the so-called cover for the use of these floors. However, if you want a brighter finish, we recommend using acrylic wax applied with a mop.

Easy maintenance

The vinyl floor is resistant and requires little maintenance. In the event of an accident that has damaged the floor, boards or glued rulers do not require a complete overhaul of the environment due to a small damaged part.

Just change the plates or rulers that have been hit. Then install a new one, and your environment is new again.

Perfect for allergy sufferers

Do allergic people live in your home? So, know that vinyl flooring is the perfect choice to decorate your home. After all, the floor is considered hypoallergenic, as it does not allow the accumulation of dust and fungi.

How to Install Luan under a Vinyl Floor

Having learned about the advantages of vinyl floors, it’s also best to learn how to install them to enjoy all the merits. One way to do this is by installing Luan Under your vinyl floor.

Luan plywood is a popular underlayment typically used when vinyl flooring will be installed as finished resilient flooring. The subfloor is generally too rough to lay vinyl flooring directly. It takes the abuse of construction necessary to erect a building before the finish can be started. The pits and crevices in this will show through the vinyl floors if there is no underlayment installed. Luan plywood provides a smooth surface for maintaining a finished, professional-looking floor. However, improperly installed luan plywood can leave the imperfections of the vinyl flooring exposed. Thus, its best to do this perfectly through the following steps:

Instructions

• Measure the area’s width and length with a tape measure to get the area needed to cover the subfloor. Divide the area by 32 to calculate the number of luan plywood sheets needed. Allow the luan plywood to adapt to the area, as it will be installed in several days.
• Clean the subfloor of all debris, dirt, or dust. Remove any nails or screws sticking out of the subfloor. Fill in the gaps with a compound floor patch according to the specific manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the compound soil to dry and sand any bumps for a flat patching surface.
• Measure and cut the luan plywood with a circular saw to cut edges against the walls. Dry fit the luan plywood to ensure accurate measurements.
• Lay the luan underlayment perpendicular to the subfloor. Leave a 1/4-inch space between the cut edges and the walls. Leave at least 1/8 inch gaps between the sheets of luan under layers too.
• Remove the luan plywood. Next, spread enough flooring adhesive with a 1/8-inch notched trowel to cover the area for the first patch of luan patch.
• Install the plywood with a stapler and staples slightly shorter than the backing and patch’s total depth.
• Hammer the staples flush with the surface of the underlayment.
• Remove any pieces of wood that may have shattered around the staples.
• Install the remaining pieces of luan underlayment until all of the plywood has been installed.
• Fill in any gaps against the walls, holes left by the chipped wood, and between the plywood seams with a flooring compound patch and allow the compound to dry.
• Sand the seams smooth with an orbital sander until there is a smooth, flat surface.
• Install the vinyl siding.

How to Install Luan under a Vinyl Floor: FAQs

Can you put underlayment under vinyl flooring?

You can put underlayment such as the luan under vinyl flooring.

What can I use for the subfloor under the vinyl?

You can use particle board or plywood as a subfloor under the vinyl.

Should Luan be glued down?

No. Luan does not usually require gluing down.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the vinyl floor is a beautiful and practical choice that allows for a clean makeover. Thus, it is easy to understand why vinyl floors are the new darlings of architects, interior designers, and people passionate about decoration. Furthermore, it’s best to make use of the luan to get a perfect finish. This can be done by using the steps on how to install luan under a vinyl floor highlighted above.