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How to Install Sheet Vinyl Floor
Recently in our small master bathroom makeover we installed a roll out sheet vinyl floor. Many of you asked about the floor from my Instagram picture of it and I’m here to show you how easy it is to install a sheet vinyl floor, and what a great solution it can be for your home. Here is a step by step guide, it’s easier than you think to have a new floor in an afternoon.
And be sure to scroll down if you want to do this project in your own home. You can get a printable sheet with these instructions to easily use for your project.
How to Install a Sheet Vinyl Floor
1. First, prep your room. We did this in a small bathroom, so we removed the vanity and toilet, which was part of our makeover plan. Remove the baseboards too if you have them. Then sweep and wash the floor. That square shape on the right in the picture below is the left over paper backing from the previous vinyl floor that was there. I removed most of it when I uncovered this floor previously.
It was white hex tile that was original to our 1900 home. I was so excited to find it but it turned out to be very dirty and there were several cracks in the floor. Ultimately we decided to cover it up with this eco-friendly vinyl floor instead. I choose a hex tile pattern because I liked it, but this type of flooring comes in many patterns and colors including tile and wood looks.
2. Next, make a diagram of your room so you’ll know how to cut the vinyl. Just a simple one will work. Measure out each edge of the wall very exactly and write it down on the diagram. It helps if you have two people doing this. Once can measure and one can write. Make sure to measure this twice and check that you have the correct measurement along the correct wall/part of the diagram.
3. After you have all the measurements, you’ll prepare the floor to be cut. Sheet vinyl flooring comes in large rolls. Select a space where you can roll out the entire piece. This happened to be in my home office. Cut off the plastic wrapping and roll it out, right side up.
It doesn’t matter at this point if you have a rug or wood floor under it, since you’ll get a piece of hardboard on which to actually make the cuts.
4. Then you transfer your measurements from the diagram to the floor itself. We did this with the correct side of the floor up so we were sure to have the measurements correct and the shape of the room correct too. Some people choose to do this on the opposite side of the floor, but then you are transferring the opposite of the diagram and measurements onto the floor, which can get very tricky.
If you have a long straight wall, try to use the factory cut edge of the floor on that wall. It will help insure that the cut is straight and will save you from measuring. Make sure if you have any parts of the walls that stick out that you account for that in your markings.
We used a pencil and the same tape measure to make the measurements. Since once the floor is cut, the pencil will be under the baseboard at the very edge of the floor, and it can be erased, as opposed to say a permanent marker.
Use a long straight edge to mark your lines. It can be a piece of wood or something sturdy. We had a long metal piece we used.
5. After all the measurements are made and you’ve checked with with someone else (if possible) against the diagram, check them again. You paid $$ for this floor and don’t want to make the wrong cut and mess it up, so check three times!
Then you cut. It sounds scary, but it’s not. We over-measured our floor by about an inch on each side, just to make sure it would fit. Once it is in your room, you can easily trim off the excess with a box cutter.
To cut the floor, place a piece of larger flat wood under the floor. If you can do this on a surface where cutting through won’t matter then great, but obviously you don’t want to cut the floor below the vinyl. We used a piece of leftover hardboard and a box cutter.
Go around to each of the pencil lines you made and cut along them. Soon enough you’ll have a cut out floor in the same size and shape as your room. Parts of the floor may roll up but you can hold them and get them out of the way of cutting with binder clips. See here the cut is about a inch larger than the exact pencil line measurement.
6. Then you move the piece to the room to put it in! The great thing about roll out/sheet vinyl flooring is that it does NOT require any adhesive or nails to secure it to the floor below/subfloor.
You do NOT put any glue on the bottom of this flooring, or on the floor you are laying it on. Be sure to check the instructions on the specific flooring you get of course.
We installed this right over hard ceramic tile but it can be used over many surfaces as long as they are flat. The company you buy it from will specifically tell you not to use any adhesive or glue to secure it to the floor below. The vinyl has no memory, so it will lie flat, and the baseboards in the room are what hold it in place.
This may be the part where only one person is working as in our case – notice I watch and take all the pictures? 🙂
Dan used the long straight metal piece to smooth the floor in. Since you cut the floor with an inch or two to spare, you’ll be able to get it in place correctly. You want to make sure all the edges of the floor fit into the spaces where they are to go.
You probably will have to do some trimming, especially if you cut the piece larger than your measurements. To do this just use the box cutter and straight edge to cut along where the wall and floor meet.
If you do this in a bathroom like we did, make sure to cut out the circle for the toilet and the openings for the bolts to go through. Otherwise, you won’t have to cut any other openings in the floor, just along the edges.
The floor can be shimmied a bit and if you step and lean on it a bit you can also get it to move that way. It’s pretty forgiving and easy to work with.
*Update* I’ve had lots of people ask about this floor, so here is the information on it. It is called Rich Onyx in the Easy Living Collection by Tarkett Flooring. I purchased it at a local flooring store called Carpet Factory Outlet. To find a retailer near you, enter your zip code here.
After we installed the floor, we installed our toilet too since we wanted to make sure that got hooked up correctly before we put down the baseboards. If you’re not doing this in a bathroom, then you can go ahead and install the baseboards right away. That will be your final step before putting the room all together.
After we put in the baseboards behind the toilet, we installed the vanity. And then the baseboards around that. All bathroom set ups are different so it will depend on your room. Here is our new floor.
See the entire small master bathroom makeover here. We’re absolutely thrilled with this floor and even though I loved finding original white hex tile, this was the best solution to cover it up and clean things up. We didn’t know what we’d find if we tried to replace that original tile, and this saved us a lot of money too. The floor was less than $3 a square foot, which is very affordable for flooring.
I hope this helps you with your next flooring project! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.
Update: We have had this flooring for several years now and it looks exactly like when we purchased it. It has not buckled, shifted or moved in any way. It’s easy to clean, soft underfoot, and still a modern design. We don’t get water under it, and have not caulked it by the tub or anywhere else.
See my bathroom projects here and all of my projects here.
Sharing with the August Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick.
Save this picture on Pinterest for your next room makeover.
I sore that was tile until you shared otherwise! The sheet vinyl looks fantastic in your bathroom!!
Thanks Katrina! Yes, it’s a great option for floors. I’m loving the clean, fresh look too.
Can you tell me what you did up against your bathtub. Did you caulk or does the floor just go right up to the tub and lay there?
Hi Sarah,
Against the bathtub is where we used the factory cut straight edge. We haven’t caulked it yet but I plan to, I just haven’t gotten to it. Right now it’s just laying there and it hasn’t moved at all.
Were there any other solutions with what to do up against the tub? I wonder what regular installers do, just caulk? The floor looks awesome. When you walk on it do you feel the bumps between the tile? I would think tiles are flat but still where the grout is would make it sink down a bit since the grout isn’t all the way level to the tile.
Hi Greg,
I don’t know if there are other solutions for against the tub. We used the straight factory edge there and caulked it. I think that is what most people would do.
No I don’t feel any bumps on the floor at all. The good thing about the vinyl sheet is that it is forgiving for where there is grout between the tiles. Hope this helps.
That is helpful.
I’m not sure what it is holding it there though. I saw you said no adhesive and that that floor board holds it down, but does a portion of the vinyl fold up against the wall? Seems to me the floor board doesn’t press down hard enough to hold it there.
Hi Greg,
No, none of the vinyl folds up against the wall. The baseboards definitely do hold it does just fine. You’d be amazed when you see the floor in person. It lies flat and stays that way.
That vinyl looks awesome. It’s come a long way, baby!
Thanks Gwen! I know, it’s really a great solution for floors. Hope all is well with you!
I love the pattern that you chose for your update. We installed tile in two bathrooms that we updated and the grout drives me nuts. Our next renovation will include vinyl flooring.
So glad to discover your blog through page of the day shares. We are partners on Wednesday!
Thanks Paula. Yea, that floor really is a great solution for a lot of areas. If you use it, let me know! See you on FB tomorrow 🙂
Hi Jessica,
Can you tell me where you purchased that sheet flooring? I would love to purchase the same one! Thanks!
We too have vinyl in our bathroom – lovely and warm underfoot! Just a tip (I know you have finished, but for new readers!!) you can make the vinyl more malable and soft by giving it a blast with a hair dryer if you hare having any diffulculties getting to fit on a corner or round the back of a pipe.
Can you please share the manufacturer and pattern of the sheet vinyl? Really beautiful!
Hi,
Thanks, glad you like it. The information is in this post about the flooring. I just updated the post to show information about the floor. It is by Tarkett Flooring and the pattern is Rich Onyx in the Easy Living collection.
Two years later we are using the same flooring. Now it is part of the Urban Living Collection. We purchased at Menard’s for $1.69 per square foot. Thanks for the idea.
Hi Kristenne,
Thanks for sharing that you can get this flooring elsewhere. We don’t have Menards where I live, but it’s great to find more places to shop for home improvement products. Plus, it’s so affordable!
Thanks for reading my blog.
Hi Kristinne,
What is the name of the Vinyl you purchased at Menards? Does it look identical to Jessicas? Thanks! 🙂
I read that you are supposed to roll it out and then reroll it on the opposite side. Is that really necessary? Or is the space not large enough to have to do that?
Hi Roslyn,
We didn’t have to re-roll the floor. It is specifically made not to have a memory, which means it won’t curl up once you lay it down, and lays perfectly flat. It seems like it would not do that, but it does. Even in larger rooms it lays flat. We know this because we’ve installed it in several other spaces like larger laundry rooms, a kitchen and basement bathroom.
Were there any strong or chemical smells from the sheet vinyl?
Hi,
No, not at all. In fact, we specifically noticed that there was no smell. The product is environmentally friendly, which is probably why it does not smell.
Just a couple quick questions, please. You did this over ceramic floor? If so, is there a certain tile thickness to be used? I have come to HATE our ceramic floors we put down 14 years ago. Currently do not want to go through the work and expense to remove ceramic floors, then put some new tiles or flooring. Certainly do not want and cannot afford the expense to have somebody do it right now. Looked at maybe painting or staining ceramic tile but that would means days with our kitchen and hallway (won’t work).
If what you have done is indeed over ceramic tile – you have provided my answer in a long time search and just became my HERO!
Hi Debi,
The tile we installed this over was ceramic I think. It is original to our 115 year old house, so I’m not 100% sure if it is ceramic or porcelain. Although it doesn’t really matter since you can install this vinyl over pretty much anything. So it should work for you! The vinyl we purchased is 1/8 inch thick.
All you’d have to do is remove what is in your room (or cut around an island for example) and remove the baseboards to install this type of floor. I hope that helps. Let me know what you decide to do!
You just said remove what you have. Does that mean you cant just install over tile that is already there? I have cracked tile kitchen and wondering if this would work.
I’m in love with the pattern and color! It’s perfect! My bathroom looks to be similar in size to yours, how much did it cost you for the sheet and adhesive?
Hi Jennifer,
I think I paid around $2.75 a square foot, which was a sale price at the time. There is no adhesive for this floor, it rolls out flat and has no memory. It’s held to the floor by your baseboards, which makes it very easy to install. Hope this helps!
What did you do near your doorway to transition? We need to replace flooring in both our bathrooms and we are thinking sheet vinyl, but have hardwood in the hallways and bedrooms. I just hate the look of those metal strips.
Hi Kristi,
At the doorway to the wood floors in the hallway is a marble threshold. It was there and we didn’t remove it to put down the floor. The vinyl just goes up next to it. I know they sell wooden transition pieces, maybe you can find one that works or cut your own. I hope that helps.
Did you caulk it next to the marble? Or is it just a loose edge?
Hi Kristi,
The edge next to the threshold is just “loose”, it’s not caulked. You can’t use any adhesive with this type of floor, and although it may seem like you want to, it’s unnecessary and the company specifically prints on the bottom of the floor not to use any adhesive. It lies completely flat there and hasn’t curled up. It’s the same way against the tub. I might caulk that edge (I haven’t yet and it hasn’t moved or anything) only for the sake of not letting any water in and under the floor.
I have been doing my small bathrooms for years with vinyl flooring, I love it more than ceramic tile. The way I did was take news papers using all the straight edges and used masking tape and made a pattern of the floor by taping the paper all over the floor and taping the paper together all over. Lift the paper pattern up, place on vinyl mark with a pen and cut with scissors. Mine fit perfect every time. A great way when you have a tub that is off set in front.
Jessica,
Thanks for the pictures! I picked this exact flooring but was uncertain if it would really look the way I wanted it to look. Your pics have made my decision for me.
Looks great!
Jeanine
I’d love to replace the carpeting in our sunporch with this, much easier to clean with our two dogs from the sunporch to the back yard. Previous owner installed carpeting that doesn’t suit my color scheme and it’s become stained with dog foot prints, etc. Once we’ve removed the carpeting, can we install this directly over the concrete flooring or do we need a moisture or vapor block first?
Hi Barbara,
I don’t know if you would need a vapor block under this but I do not think so. Please make sure to ask at the flooring store where you find it and they will let you know. I do know you don’t put any glue or adhesive on this to secure it to the floor. I hope that helps and good luck with your floor!
Looks great, thanks for the detailed tutorial! I am about to move into a new apartment that I am renting and the kitchen floor is an awful color. If I were to put this in there, do you know if it would be easy to take out in a year or two if I were to move out? I can’t install anything permanent or that will damage the tile that’s already down.
Thanks so much!
Looks great! Do you know the name of paint color used? It looks to be a blueish gray. Thanks!
Hi. I have sheet vinyl in my bathroom and we are going to remodel. Our vinyl is so difficult to keep clean b/c it has so many little dents in it. How is your floor to keep clean? Thank you.
Hi Michelle,
Yes, I know what you mean about the dirt settling into the floor. We have the same problem in our kitchen. I would recommend you clean it often, probably weekly until you can get it to a good clean state. We use a steam mop and no soap or cleaner on our floor in the bathroom. Sometimes you have to get down on your hands and knees and use a bucket and sponge. That will work, but it will probably take a few tries. Hope this helps you.
Thank you for your advice.
Hi! I just found your post and ordered this flooring for 2 bathrooms in my house. Wondering what color you painted your walls? I love it!
Hi Erin,
The paint color in this bathroom is called Flint Smoke by Behr. Here is more info on the paint colors in my home
http://decoradventures.com/2014/01/paint-colors-home.html
Thanks for reading my blog!
Seems very easy and since we are remodeling on a budget this is right up our creek! My only issue is water! You said there’s no adhesive and I’m just wondering what would keep the water from getting under day by the tub or toilet? Reason being is we woke up to 2 inches of water 1/2 out house last week (Hince the reason for our remodel).. we are having to cut out our whole bathroom down to the floor joices and repair all the flooring (we have tile which I HATE) so would caulking around the baseboard and floor help with that you think? I’m terrified of water leaks and damage right now.. Thanks a bunch and your remodel looks amazing!!!
Hi Audrey,
We actually do need to caulk between the floor and the tub. The area around the toilet is good since the toilet is on top of the floor. I suppose you could caulk there, especially since there could be water. Sorry about your mini flood! We have used caulk around the baseboards of our house, but it won’t prevent water from getting through material such as wood or other material that can absorb water.
Hope your remodel is going well!
What is the wall color used in this bathroom? I love it! Looks like a mix of blue and gray. Thanks!
Hi Aggie,
The color of this bathroom is Flint Smoke by Behr Paint. All of my paint colors are listed here:
http://decoradventures.com/2014/01/paint-colors-home.html
Thanks for reading my blog!
We bought this floor and it is currently sitting on our bathroom floor with the toilet back on, ready to be caulked by the tub and the quarter round reinstalled all around. However I’m finding it is not sitting 100 percent flat, there are small air pockets that if you press and slide your foot over the floor you can watch the air pocket move. Did you have this when you installed it?
We installed the same stuff in our bathrooms and laundry room, but we did glue it down. I am a flooring contractor and by far, this is a better way to install it than to just loose lay it down. The other comment I would make is that I would have installed the baseboard behind the toilet FIRST before re-seating it. Makes getting that piece in there easier and then you can caulk it, etc. without struggling behind the toilet.
Hi Jared,
Thanks for leaving a comment and for the tips. I appreciate your expert advice!
I am thinking of putting this in in my house. Can you tell me how this has held up over time? Have you been happy with he durability?
I am thinking of putting this in my house. Can you tell me how it has held up for you since you’ve had it a while now? Thanks!
Hi Wendy,
The floor has held up great. It looks exactly the same as when we put it in. It cleans so easily and hasn’t moved at all. It’s a great choice, you should definitely get it for your home. I hope that helps you! – Jessica
My baseboards are tile, so I cant remove them. Any suggestions to attach the sheet vinyl without the baseboards?
Hi, If you can cut and place the floor right up next to the base boards, you might be able to install it that way. I don’t suggest using caulk to connect it or any kind of glue, as per the installation instructions. The toilet, vanity and other furniture should hold the floor down. Ours has not moved. Hope this helps.
Love your flooring!! I know this post is old, but what transition piece did you use. I was thinking of putting that flooring in my bathrooms and the hallway and Master have hardwood. Would a hardwood transition piece work? Thanks!!
Hi Courtney,
We didn’t change the transition piece when we put in this vinyl floor. It was already there that connected between the wood floor in the hallway and the hex tile what is underneath the vinyl floor. It’s a marble piece. The new vinyl floor just goes right up to the transition piece, it’s not glued there. The directions to install the floor actually tell you not to glue down the vinyl.
Hope this helps!
Hey Jessica!
I’m planning to redo my bathroom floor with this vinyl next weekend! I am for some reason really intimidated at removing the toilet. I have found tutorials but it just makes me so nervous! Was it easy to do? Hubbs will do thr heavy lifting but I worry about putting it back the right way! Lol!
Hi Brittany,
Hope your project is going well! The toilet is actually easier than it seems. Make sure to get a good wax seal. We were told that sometimes the ones that come with the toilet are sub-grade, so to get a better quality one. I hope this helps you and everything went well. There are definitely good videos and blog posts about replacing the toilet. We did both ourselves. You need to make sure it goes back level!
Beautiful work! I am trying to get my husband on board with vinyl flooring over the yellow tile in our bathroom…blehh. We also want to switch out the vanity as well. Quick question (so I can be armed with all the answers when I try to convince him): did you do all of this in one day? We only have one bathroom so it would be tough if it took a few days. Thanks!
Hi Cheryl,
We installed the floor, toilet and vanity back in one day yes. It can be done! The floor should be relatively quick, depending on the size and shape of your room. And the toilet is easier than it seems too. Look up some how to videos on that. Best of luck with your space!
Love the various shades of grey. What is this color called?
Hi Lori,
I don’t believe the floor had a name of the color. It was just the pattern we picked with the hex tile look. Hope that helps you.
Your vinyl floor looks terrific! I just installed a self-adhesive vinyl tile in my tiny half bath, which came out great, but I think I will look into putting a sheet vinyl floor in my master bath. One question though: as I research laying vinyl over a grouted ceramic tile floor, which is what I have in both baths, all the research I found strongly advised that one needs to fill in the grout lines (I used Henry Featherfinish) that are on the ceramic tile floor otherwise the new vinyl will, over time, sink a bit in those areas that have the grout channels underneath, so you will eventually see that underpattern in the vinyl flooring. I notice you didn’t seem to do that with your installation, have you noticed any telltale grout depressions in your viny sheet flooring? It was a labor intensive prep to have to do with the vinyl self-adhesive, so I would love to be able to skip that with the sheet vinyl, but not if I’m going to get those underlying grout channels bleeding through. Thanks
Hi Lucille,
No we did not fill in the grout lines for this floor before we put down the vinyl sheet flooring. We have not seen any grout lines at all. It may be because the grout lines were so thin and there are a lot to disperse the weight of the floor, however I don’t know if they would show up in another project. I hope this helps you and you figured out a solution to your project.
We recently started a bathroom remodel and saw this article. I would have never of thought to not use adhesive but it makes perfect sense in that it will lay flat on its own. Thanks a ton.
I LOVE how this looks! Do you think an almond tub and toilet would match this? What are the colors? Thanks!