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My house was built in 1968 with plywood subflooring. I have sheet vinyl in the kitchen (either 2 or 3 layers) which now has symmetrical ridges which appear to follow the plywood edges. There is no moisture problem. The vinyl is glued down very securely, so scraping it up is not an option.
What should I have someone do? I am an elderly woman and even when I was younger was not a do-it-yourselfer, so I am not at all knowledgeable about such things. Should I have the subflooring torn out (I hope not - this sounds drastic!), have a 3/4" subfloor installed over the vinyl and subfloor, have a 1/4" underlayer installed over the vinyl and subfloor, or something else?
Is sheet vinyl or vinyl tile the better choice? What is the best thickness of vinyl for long wear?
Do I need a vinyl expert to lay it or is this something a good handyman could do?
I will be SO appreciative of any help you can give me!
I like the sheet vinyl. It's softer than the tiles, and it's easier to put down. And I think it looks better,especially if it's installed diagonally.
I bet the subfloor doesn't need replacement. Also, it's probably easier than you might think to remove the old vinyl. Heat will soften the adhesive, and when the old stuff is up, it's usually not difficult to make the subfloor and / or underlayment smooth and even. High spots can be screwed down, and gaps filled with floor leveling compound (a kind of plaster) and sanded. If it turns out the
subfloor is in really rough shape, new underlayment can be put down on top to even it up.
When you're talking to people to help with this, ask if they've done it before, and ask to speak to some customers. If they've done any kind of flooring before, this should be no problem.
I'm wondering, how do you pronounce Ooltewah, accent on the -te- or -Ool?
I agree with everything claypa said, but a couple other points...first, make sure whoever installs your new floor doesn't just install the new vinyl overtop of the old vinyl, if you don't smooth out ridges in the floor underneath, you'll just end up with ridges in the new vinyl too. And secondly, sheet vinyl is generally much preferable to the peel and stick tiles, the tiles are easier to install yourself and may be cheaper, but they tend to peel up at the corners so they won't last nearly as long as sheet vinyl would.
Repsie, I've been using the Armstrong sheet vinyl, and as far as I can tell, their residential stuff is all the same thickness. This stuff is strong. I have some in my house too, and it looks the same as when I bought it 2 years later (after I mop it ;) I can't personally vouch for how it would work, say, with a bunch of big dogs, but I've only heard good things about it in rental properties I know of. I'm not familiar with other brands anymore. I think it's the best stuff around for kitchens and baths, as far as vinyl or peel and stick tiles go.
I mentioned earlier that I like to run it diagonally, that's only because the pattern I chose looked like marble tiles.
