Vinyl plank flooring is an excellent alternative to hardwood flooring. It looks similar to hardwood but is way more cost-effective and easy to install than hardwood. Glue-down vinyl planks are one of the popular temporary floorings you can easily install in your home. Among various advantages, glue-down vinyl flooring also has some disadvantages or problems. This guide has covered the common issues with glue-down vinyl flooring and their fixes also.
Common Problems with Glue Down Vinyl Plank Flooring and Their Solutions
Vinyl plank flooring has some installation-related issues or disadvantages and some common problems. First, in this article, you will learn about the common problems of vinyl plank flooring and their fixes.
1. Discoloration and Stains on Vinyl Flooring
Glue-down vinyl flooring is prone to discoloration and stains. Food and cosmetic items fall accidentally on your vinyl floor; they will cause a stain and discoloration of the floor. The oil or food color absorbs into the floor and makes it harder to remove them over time. Besides this, direct sun exposure to the glue-down vinyl floor also causes discoloration the floor. The heating vent can also damage the glue-down vinyl floor.
Solution
If anything spills down your vinyl floor, you should immediately clean it to avoid staining. If the stain is fresh, remove it with a damp cloth. If the stain is dry, you need some mild floor cleaners and homemade cleaning solutions to clean your vinyl floor. To avoid sun exposure, it’s better to draw curtains and keep your vinyl floor in the shade, especially when the intensity of the sun is stronger. Keep your heating vent away from the vinyl floor as much as possible.
2. Accidental Scratches on Vinyl Flooring
Scratches on vinyl floor planks are another common issue you might face. These scratches are caused by the build-up of dirt particles with your child’s toy, the paws of your pet, or the legs of chairs or any other appliance in the room. These scratches look bad on the vinyl floor and can damage the entire plank if you don’t remove them timely.
Solution
You should use a soft broom without abrasive bristles to clean glue down the vinyl plank floor. Besides this, deep cleaning with mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming is also recommended every week to make your floor scratch-free. If your floor gets scratched, you can remove it using the following method.
- Take a bucket of warm water and add half a cup of dish soap to it. Mix it well and dip the sponge in the solution.
- Clean the plank with this sponge before treating the scratch over it. Let it dry completely before moving toward the next step.
- Take medium-grit sandpaper and rub the scratch with it gently. Rub it in a straight line and softly. It will remove the scratch without damaging the other parts of the plank.
- Take finer sandpaper and rub it around the edges of the scratch.
- After using sandpapers, the next step is to wax the plank with a car rubbing compound. Please take a little amount of car rubbing compound on a cloth and gently rub it over the area you have previously sanded. This step will add a shine to your vinyl plank.
- If the rubbing compound goes beyond the scratch area, wipe it off with a clean cloth.
- Take another clean cloth or rag and wipe the area to see if the scratch is still visible. Repeat the procedure if needed.
3. Peeling and Cracking of Vinyl Floor
Over time, the glue-down vinyl floor experiences peeling and cracking. It happens when the adhesive material around the corners of the planks starts losing its adhesive ability. The planks will start to wear out and curl. This will lead to the dirt accumulations under the planks, and if you don’t fix it on time, it will cause cracking on the vinyl planks. If the corners of the floor planks start to peel, you can fix it without investing much energy and time.
Solution
- Take the aluminum foil and put it over the glue-down vinyl plank, and heat it with an iron. By doing so, the vinyl plank will become softer, and the adhesive compound will also get softened, so it provides better sticking to the floor.
- You can also use new adhesive to put under the peeled corners of the vinyl planks. Make sure you are not using too much adhesive as it can give a ripple effect.
- After applying the adhesive, use a rolling pin to press down the edges of the vinyl planks. The extra adhesive compound will come out from the corners, and you can wipe it off with a clean cloth.
- In the end, put a sheet of wax paper over the vinyl plank and some books. Let them leave overnight so the adhesive will be completely dry and not peel off again.
4. Emission of the Toxic Compounds/Chemicals
One of the major problems with vinyl flooring is that it can emit toxic chemicals (volatile organic compounds). Phthalates are the toxins that are reportedly emitted from the old vinyl planks. These toxins migrate into the air from the planks and can cause serious health issues, including asthma, cancer, kidney and lung issues.
Solution
The problem of toxic compound emission is related to some old vinyl flooring types. When you buy vinyl planks, make sure to check the certification first. Try to purchase Floor Score-certified vinyl plank flooring. This vinyl flooring complies with California’s indoor air quality standards. If you still don’t want to take any risks, you can opt for non-vinyl flooring alternatives.
Installation Related Problems with Glue Down Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl plank flooring is famous because it is effortless to install. Although vinyl flooring can be installed easily, it can have some installation-related failures. The reasons behind these failures could be multiple, e.g., poor quality vinyl flooring and adhesive, wring installation technique. Here are the few problems related to the vinyl floor installation and their solutions also.
1. Dimensional Instabilities, Curling and Coupling
Glue-down vinyl flooring faces dimensional instabilities, curling, cupping, and other issues due to excessive moisture in the room and subfloor. The humidity isn’t suitable for gluing down vinyl planks as it will decrease the efficiency of adhesive compounds and lead to the curling and cupping of the planks. Due to dimensional instabilities, the durability of the vinyl flooring decreases.
Solution
To deal with dimensional instabilities and other issues, you should maintain the moisture content of your room. You have to install vinyl flooring according to its kind. For the kitchen, choose vinyl planks that can withstand temperature fluctuations. Similarly, for bathrooms, you have to choose vinyl planks that show maximum resistance to the water and moisture. Besides this, also choose your subfloor carefully before vinyl installation. If your subfloor absorbs moisture quickly, it can damage your entire vinyl flooring within a short period.
2. Peaking of Vinyl Planks
Peaking is a terminology used for a process in which two planks squash against each other and then lift at the joints. It happens when there is a lack of space between the planks. If you don’t leave a little space during installation for contraction and expansion of planks, peaking will happen after some time. Peaking has some other causes also, including moisture seepage into the joints and sunlight exposure.
Solution
First, you must leave a little space near the wall for planks’ contraction and expansion during installation. If your vinyl planks are peaking for some reason, then you can fix this issue by trimming the vinyl planks along the wall. Create more space by removing some of the moldings. The peaking issue will not resolve immediately. Put some heavy materials on the lifted areas and let them leave for 2-3 days so that the lifted area will settle down properly.
It will help if you opt for some protective measures to keep your vinyl floor safe from direct sunlight exposure. Drawn in the curtains and provide shade to the floor. Also, maintain the moisture content of your room to avoid peaking.
3. Warping of the Glue Down Vinyl Planks
Warping happens when the vinyl tiles and planks expand due to a temperature change. During the installation process, warping of the glue-down vinyl planks may occur due to direct sun exposure and water spillage. If you don’t immediately clean up the water spillage, it will seep down into the floor and cause warping.
Solution
Basic maintenance of the vinyl flooring will help against the warping issue. Introduce gaps during the installation of the vinyl flooring for expansion. If water is spilled accidentally during installation, clean it out immediately.
4. Mold and Mildew Growth
Another common issue you can face with vinyl planks flooring is the growth of molds and mildews. It happens due to high moisture content during installation or water spillage. Molds and mildews love moisture for their growth.
Solution
To solve the mold and mildew issue, you must first find the source of moisture. If the substrate of your vinyl flooring is the culprit for moisture introduction, then you need to seal it with a good moisture barrier. It’s better to take help from a flooring installation contractor to seal your subfloor properly.
Vinyl Planks Can Be Hard to Repair
Vinyl planks are, although easy to install and maintain but become hard to repair if they get damaged. If you do not repair a scratch or crack in one plank, it will ultimately damage the entire vinyl floor. Besides this, repairing a cracked vinyl plank isn’t possible, so you have to replace it with the new one. Sometimes you need to replace more than one vinyl plank also.
Final Thoughts
Glue-down vinyl planks or floating vinyl floors look aesthetically and are cost-effective. Glue-down vinyl flooring has some disadvantages that can cause serious problems if you don’t fix them on time. I hope you find this guide helpful in identifying the causes of problems associated with vinyl flooring and their solutions also.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why do you need an expansion gap for glue-down vinyl flooring?
Vinyl flooring is climate-sensitive, and due to temperature fluctuations, it expands or contracts. So, to glue down vinyl flooring, you have to leave ¼ inches expansion gap. This gap will allow the planks to expand when needed; otherwise, your vinyl flooring will warp or buckle in the middle.
2. What happens if you glue down a floating floor?
Glue down a floating floor makes it more durable as it attaches the floating floor directly to a subfloor. But, floating floors move or expand with temperature. It will get damaged if you glue down the floating floor during expansion. You can glue down the floating floor by leaving a proper expansion gap.
3. What is the recommended thickness for vinyl plank flooring?
In common households, 12 mil vinyl plank flooring is suitable. But if your floor has to face heavy foot traffic or you have pets or children in your home, then 20 mil thickness vinyl planks will be better. For commercial buildings, 28 mil thickness planks will be suitable.
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