How to Install Adhesive Vinyl Flooring in a Small Room Without Bubbles

Adhesive vinyl goes down in a day in a room of about 10 m², without adhesive or specialised tools. This guide is aimed at beginners who want to renovate a wet room, an entrance or a guest room. You will learn how to prepare the floor, lay the strips without bubbles and finish cleanly.

Preparing the floor before installation

The success of the installation rests on the preparation of the substrate: it must be clean, dry and perfectly flat. Fill the holes and cracks with a smoothing compound, then sand down the roughness once dry. Finally, let the strips acclimatise for 24 hours in the room at room temperature.

1. Empty the room and clean the floor with a vacuum cleaner, then with soapy water
2. Repair the holes and cracks with a smoothing compound and sand after drying
3. Measure the room at several points and add a 5 cm margin on each side
4. Unroll the strips 24 hours in advance to acclimatise them to room temperature
5. Mark out the first laying line with a chalk line or a laser level

Laying the strips and adjusting

Lay the first strip along the marked line, unrolling it gradually to avoid creases. For the following ones, align the strips edge to edge and press firmly to weld the joints. The cutouts around doors and radiators are made with a new utility knife following a cardboard template.

The skirting board finishes

Reinstall your existing skirting boards or install new ones, leaving a 1 cm gap for the expansion of the floor. In damp rooms, finish with a silicone joint between the floor and the skirting boards. Let dry for 24 hours before walking on the covering.

Precautions and mistakes to avoid

• Laying on a damp or dusty floor: the vinyl does not stick properly
• Neglecting the holes and cracks that eventually reappear under the vinyl
• Pulling on the strips: you unroll them, you never stretch them
• Installing at a temperature below 15 °C: the adhesive loses its sticking power
• Covering the whole floor before testing the alignment of the patterns

Installing adhesive vinyl flooring is a job within everyone's reach that transforms a room in a single day. With a well-prepared substrate and a careful installation, your new floor will be hard-wearing, easy to clean and durable.