A flawless LVT or vinyl installation is only as good as the subfloor beneath it. For this full ground-floor renovation, the client needed a perfectly flat, ridge-free surface across a large open-plan living area, hallway, and kitchen extension before the final floor coverings could be laid.
Plywood Overlay & Structural Fixing
When first assessing No. 1 Laurel House in Worle for an established chiropractic company, extensive subfloor preparation was immediately identified. Previous fitters had installed carpet tiles directly onto uneven, wavy floorboards across two large ground-floor rooms, two first-floor rooms, landings, and staircases. Furthermore, wet tackifier had been used during the original installation, leaving significant bitumen residue behind upon uplift.
Subfloor Preparation & Mechanical Works
Following extensive scraping and grinding to clean the subfloors:
- Carpet Tile Areas: 6mm flooring-grade plywood was fixed across the two first-floor rooms, two main landings, one half-landing, and a rear storage room to establish a stable, flat base.
- Vinyl Safety Flooring Areas: Due to severe subfloor degradation on the ground floor, a thicker 9mm flooring-grade plywood overlay was installed across the hallway, toilet, and reception area. This was finished with a full coat of ARDEX Feather Finish micro-screed to fill remaining imperfections and guarantee a perfectly flat, glass-smooth base.
Finishing Works & Material Specification
- Reception, Hallway & W/C: To provide an ultra-clean, hygienic environment for patients, Polyflor Forest FX wood-effect sheet vinyl safety flooring was installed. All seams were hot-welded using colour-matched weld rods to prevent water ingress and bacteria accumulation. The PUR surface treatment ensures stain resistance, chemical resistance, and straightforward maintenance under high foot traffic.
- Staircase Refurbishment: Overhauled using Genesis bullnose aluminium nosings combined with heavy-duty New Chinook carpet tiles fitted down treads and risers.
- Entrance Way: Fitted with heavy-duty matting (Kersaint Cobb black entrance matting) designed to trap moisture and dirt from foot traffic before visitors step onto the safety vinyl.
Feather-Edge Joint Treatment & Micro-Screeding
To prevent ply joints or screw heads from telegraphing through the final LVT finish, we applied a rapid-drying feather-edge micro-coat compound. Using precise trowel techniques, all seams, board edges, and floor level transitions were smoothed out to create a continuous, glass-smooth surface ready for glue-down installation.
