Loose lay vinyl flooring

10 years ago

Does anyone have experience with loose-lay vinyl flooring? We are building a house on a farm. We've been told vinyl flooring is the best for our situation (animals, gravel road, kids, etc). We have seen some loose-lay vinyl planks we like but wonder if there are pros/cons to using it over sheet vinyl or locking planks.

Featured Answer

PRO

Cancork Floor Inc.

10 years ago

The appropriateness of the floor and your use of it has to be considered before esthetics or ease of install. A sheet product out performs planks (re: water proof). A GLUE DOWN PLANK out performs loose lay (re: stability and water poof). Click together out performs loose lay (re: water proofing and stability). You get the idea...sheet is "tops" and "loose lay" is bottom of the list.

If you want easy, then loose lay it is. If you want water proof than sheet it is. If you want handsome and durable that is 99.9% water proof, the GLUE DOWN planks are good enough. If you will accept something in between, the floating vinyl is a go.

You will need to choose the CHARACTERISTIC (not the look or form of install) that is MOST important to you. Once you have pin-pointed that characteristic, work with the appropriate product. Once you know the product, you can go shopping.

Loose lay is not water proof. Cheap to install. Easy to lay. Easy to remove. Not water proof. Sheet product is water proof. Not cheap to install. Not easy to lay. Not easy to remove. But water proof.

Glue down vinyl planks are OH SO CLOSE to being water proof. Not cheap to install (can be more expensive than sheet). They are NOT easy to lay. They are NOT easy to remove (some are if you use pressure sensitive adhesive...that's another story).

Too many variables to work with. Please pick the characteristic that is MOST important to you (ie. water proof, easy to lay, cheap to install, stable, etc) and then work with the product that gets you there.

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Comments (14)

PRO
R.D. London Studios
10 years ago
I would definitely say to go with the sheet vinyl. No separations, chips, etc. Best wishes!
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
10 years ago
Loose lay vinyl over sheet vinyl can be a tough install with plenty of problems. If you want to LEAVE the old sheet vinyl in place, then the best replacement = sheet vinyl.

Sheet products are the BEST option for water, mud, high traffic, etc. A high end sheet vinyl can out perform ceramic tile in some cases. That is PRETTY DARN GOOD!

If you want to use "loose lay" then you really should look at removing the sheet vinyl. Loose lay has some things it needs to do to bet it to sit properly. And the sheet vinyl might cause issues with this mechanism. And sheet products HIDE some weird things going on with a subfloor. Vinyl planks can't have "weird" they need PERFECT.

Sheet vinyl can handle anything you throw at it. Loose lay planks are very particular and require very particular things to "work". The easiest solution is one you already have: sheet vinyl.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
10 years ago
Tarkett makes some loose lay vinyl flooring I have used it works very well ans stands up well too.
Sara Olson
Original Author
10 years ago
It is a new construction so we have subfloor. No existing floor to consider. Will loose lay work on subfloor?
Sara Olson
Original Author
10 years ago
I reread my post and it looks like I meant there was already sheet vinyl in place. Sorry for the confusion. I meant, are there pros/cons to using it instead of sheet or plank vinyl?
PRO
Rosenhaus Design Group, Inc.
10 years ago
Why do you want it loose?

The quality of the wear layer will not withstand gravel trekked over it.

Animals will have a field day getting under the edges and corners.

You can use a waterproof click vinyl plank floor.

Or, buy top quality vinyl tiles or heavy duty real linoleum and glue it.
monimo22
10 years ago
Cancork Floor -- what are examples of "high end sheet vinyl" products? And what is the "lux" in luxury vinyl compared to regular vinyl? For the kitchen and mud room, I need maximum durability and waterproof-ness. We have pets and I keep a garden. Sometimes pet toenails get long enough to click and scrape the floor. Going in and out of the yard, pets and people will track in dirt, mud, and wet shoes and garden gear. If we are at work when the washer or hot water heater starts to leak or a pet pees on the floor, it could be hours before we get home to notice and start cleaning up. So I need to know what "high-end" means and how to be sure that's what I am getting. I don't trust price to tell me the real answer, and everybody's product is the best stuff ever.
drav2012
10 years ago
We had sheet vinyl in our last home... Kids play area and it scuffed quite easy. It was a congoleum product. New home we are doing loose lay COREtec vinyl planks in the basement area as it withstands moisture if that would happen.
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
10 years ago
High end = names you are well aware of that are sold at flooring STORES (the more expensive privately owned flooring stores with their own installers) not big box stores. Armstrong and Tarkett are two.

http://www.wfca.org/Pages/Vinyl-Flooring-review.aspx

If you need VERY high durability you may have to look at porcelain in some of these very tough areas (mud room/laundry room) and then get something else for the rest of the house.

For glue down or loose lay, the big name = Karndean.
monimo22
10 years ago
Thank you. And to follow up -- how does "luxury vinyl" compare to "luxury plank" or regular sheet or tile vinyl? Specifically, which kind tends to be more resistant to being scratched, or torn, or gouged, or dented, or soaked by liquids, or...?
HU-156225432158
8 years ago
I’m curious about the comments regarding loose lay LVT. I’ve seen it in and it looks great. Very heavy and difficult to get up without strong shop vac on a corner. They have a special rubber grip that keeps them from skidding, have 20mil wear layer and are 100% waterproof, at $3/sq ft. Great for any application and don’t need barrier. Comfortable to walk on. No sure why someone said they’re not waterproof. Even the professional stores say they are 100% waterproof
Fran Guerin
4 years ago
@HU-156225432158 do you still like your loose lay vinyl?
Fran Guerin
4 years ago
@Sara Olson which floor did you choose and are you happy with it?