Vinyl Plank Installation Alexandra Hills, Brisbane QLD
Interior designer’s DIY vinyl plank floor in Alexandra Hills
Interior designer and property stylist Diana Lovasi replaced cracked early 1990s tiles and tired carpet with about 145 m² of Tahoma Stirling vinyl plank in her own Alexandra Hills home, laying every plank herself inside a two week window.
- Flooring material Waterproof vinyl plank, glue down
- Product / range Australian Select Timbers Tahoma 4.5 Vinyl Plank, colour Stirling
- Specification 4.5 mm plank, 1524 x 229 mm, 8 planks per carton (2.79 m²), waterproof
The project
Why the 1990s tiles had to go
Diana Lovasi bought her Alexandra Hills house two and a half years ago, and the floor was the part she could never make peace with. Almost half the home was tiled, from the entry all the way through the kitchen, dining and living room, in the original early 1990s tiles. The slab had settled and the tiles had cracked with it, and a quick regrout done before she moved in had not held. "There were literally empty grout lines and cracks, chips, and scuffs where the bar stools were," she says.
The house also has a pool, which turned a dated floor into a safety problem. Wet feet on tile meant she had to police the back door every time someone came in. The bedrooms and formal living had about three year old carpet of poor quality, and between a day job and a young son she did not have time to be constantly vacuuming it.
As a stylist she could dress around all of it, and did. "I think the furniture that I have there sort of made it look okay for the general public, but I was always really annoyed with those tiles."
What a designer checks that most buyers don't
Most people choose a floor on looks. Diana chose on looks and on the data sheet. "I did go into the data sheets for the flooring and I did compare the layers and UV protection layers," she says. She ruled out the thin 2.5 mm boards, could not stretch to 5 mm or 5.5 mm, and landed on 4.5 mm. She compared wear layers between ranges and found the difference between her shortlist was marginal.
Two ranges made the final cut with the Tahoma: a Dunlop range and Homely Flooring, which her neighbour had used. The Tahoma won on the detail she could see up close. "Most of the specifications were the same, but the Tahoma one just appeared better, cleaner milled."
The labour was the part she could afford to do herself
The DIY was a budget decision. "I did it because I am a single mum and I just couldn't afford to have someone do it." She lifted the tiles, carted them to the tip and pulled up the carpet herself.
The preparation was the one part she would not touch. She handed the slab to an independent floor preparation contractor, whose team ground it and ran a flat coat through the whole house. "He was my saviour, honestly. I think the universe sent this man to be doing my floor preparation, because he spent forty five minutes of his life detailing how to lay this thing, and I recorded what he was saying on a video and I listened to it at night."
Glue down vinyl lives or dies on the first line. Hers ran 20 to 25 metres from the front door to the end of the living room, pulled tight with a string line and rechecked before a plank went down. Then the loop: dry lay, cut, lift, high heat adhesive under the full plank, and a 45 kg roller. With no time to lift the skirtings, every board was cut tight to them and siliconed, and the door jambs undercut with a multi tool.
One bedroom short, and very sore knees
Diana measures houses for a living. She laid out every room with a laser, checked the numbers three times, added the recommended wastage and ordered about 147 m², expecting seven to eight square metres to spare. Somewhere in the measure up a calculation error had eaten all of it. "I got to the last room and I am like wow, those boxes are not looking like they are going to cover this room." In that final bedroom she had to work the offcuts in rather than swapping pieces to keep the plank pattern random, which the bed, rug and drawers now cover.
The bigger surprise was physical. She carries furniture for a living and is genuinely fit, and the job still flattened her. "My knees were throbbing at night, so I was very surprised that people choose this to make a living." Would she do it again? "I one hundred percent have only done this once."
How the house works now
The same light oak plank now runs from the front door through the living areas and into the bedrooms. It is the warm, subtle grained oak she set out to find, with nothing grey, whitewashed or dark about it, and it sits comfortably against the furniture and rugs she already owned.
The day to day is what changed most. The planks are waterproof, so spills and wet feet coming in from the pool are no longer something she has to watch, and hard floor throughout has taken the daily vacuuming the carpet used to demand off her list. The floor is warmer underfoot than the tiles were, and softer if a high energy boy comes down on it. "I don't have to worry as much about my son falling over and injuring himself on the tiles, because it's sort of a bit softer than the tiles."
Three weeks after the last plank went in she reported no damage at all. She read the care sheet before the furniture went back in: felt pads under every single piece of furniture in the house, and nothing rubber left sitting on the vinyl.
Before and after
Before
After
What this job teaches you before you pick a floor
Diana's first piece of advice costs nothing. "Take the samples home, check the samples in daylight at night time and so forth, and make a decision like that." Showroom lighting flatters every board on the wall. Your own hallway at 7pm does not, and neither does the window that throws afternoon sun across the floor.
Second, do not try to save money on the preparation. "I wasn't going to attempt that myself because if the flat coat isn't done, then your whole project is set up for failure." Grinding and flat coating a slab is a trade job, and every plank you lay sits on that work.
Two things we would add from our side. First, over order. Five to seven percent wastage is the usual allowance, and Diana still ran out in the last room after triple checking her measurements. An extra box is cheaper than matching a dye lot weeks later.
Second, read the care sheet before the furniture goes back. Felt pads on everything, and check your rug underlays, because vinyl can discolour where rubber or latex sits on it for a long time.
What the customer said
When I open the front door and I walk into that place, I just love it. I am so happy to get home. Honestly, it made such a difference for me. And it's looking beautiful, fresh, modern and it's clean.
Questions about this job
Is glue down vinyl plank better than loose lay?
They are different systems. This floor is adhesive bonded, with high heat glue under the full plank. As Diana puts it, if you skip the glue "they expand and shrink with the heat". Loose lay relies on friction backing and a perimeter bond, so always follow the method the manufacturer specifies for the product you buy.
Do you need underlay under vinyl plank flooring?
Not with a glue down 4.5 mm vinyl plank like the Tahoma. "There is no underlay with the vinyl," Diana says. The planks are bonded straight to a prepared slab, so the flatness of that slab is doing the job an underlay would otherwise hide.
Can you install vinyl plank flooring yourself?
Yes, and Diana laid about 145 m² on her own. It took her five to six working days, a dead straight starting line down a 20 to 25 metre hallway, and a 45 minute briefing from a professional installer beforehand. The slab grinding and flat coat were left to the trade.
Why does floor preparation matter so much with vinyl?
Vinyl plank is thin and follows whatever is underneath it, so bumps and hollows show. Diana had the slab ground and flat coated through the whole house before she started. In her words, "if the flat coat isn't done, then your whole project is set up for failure".
How much extra flooring should you order?
Five to seven percent over your measured area is the usual allowance, and about five percent on jobs over 100 m². The catch is that the allowance only protects you if the measure up is right. Diana ordered about 147 m² believing she had seven to eight square metres spare, and a calculation error in her own measurements meant she still ran short in the last bedroom. Measure twice, then add the wastage on top of the checked figure.
Job details and photos supplied by the customer.
