Installing Vinyl Flooring In Cold Weather

Stop the floor between a quarter inch and a half inch shy of the wall to allow for this natural expansion.

Installing vinyl flooring in cold weather.

It has superior resistance to. It s durable eco friendly aspects affordable and looks luxurious. The main issue with installing hardwood flooring in a cold climate home is that when temperatures drop the wood contracts which can leave large gaps around the edges of walls. Vinyl being water resistant makes it convenient to maintain.

Putting the wood too close to the wall when installing to account for the contraction will cause the wood to buckle in the warm weather as it expands. The big temperature swings will shorten the life of the vinyl of any non stone tile floor. Vinyl is an easy installation. Nevertheless vinyl plank flooring might not be the best flooring for cold temperatures.

This will help keep the floor warm and that may prevent it from expanding or contracting too much. Carpet a great barrier to prevent cold as we all know carpet flooring is obviously one of the warmest flooring types as it provides a natural cushioning lot of warmth and cosiness to your rooms. Vinyl flooring naturally expands and contracts in the heat and cold. Don t install an inexpensive vinyl floor.

The cold winters will probably be too much for an adhesive to deal with. The glue can separate from a poorly prepared subfloor and can react poorly to extreme cold. The hard and durable surface of vinyl gives you the look of hardwood flooring. Using a thermal underlay is a good choice.

If the floor is installed flush with the wall there is no room for growth in the hot months and the loose lay floor can easily buckle. This will also keep your feet warm during those cold winter months. We are now finishing an 18x18 foot addition that has a crawl space underneath. I would expect 7 10 years out of a floating vinyl floor.

Adhesives become brittle and then crumble below 40f some can get to 28f but then you are done. Though brands vary in general it s durable easy to maintain simple to install and won t be affected by frosty temperatures in the same way as for example vinyl or linoleum which may crack when cold especially if the floor is not allowed to warm up before being subjected to heavy foot traffic. Don t install your vinyl floor with glue. Carpets are excellent insulators and act as a shield to prevent heat or cold from radiating through the floor also it offers a bit of.

You will mostly likely have to go through the trouble of removing and replacing it in a few years time.