If you are a fan of luxurious home interiors, chances are you have already come across the term ‘vinyl flooring’. It is basically a synthetic flooring option consisting of multiple layers of different materials sandwiched together to create a highly durable and practical floor covering. Due to its sturdiness and affordability, vinyl flooring is considered by many homeowners as an economical flooring choice.
With proper care and regular maintenance, vinyl flooring can generally hold up well, but problems may still eventually occur with the material, such as the formation of cracks. Sometimes, no matter how much care you put into your vinyl flooring, it is still possible for cracks to show up in between the planks. To help you understand why this can happen, read on as this article dives into the usual cause of cracks in vinyl flooring and what you can do to fix them.
What causes cracks in vinyl flooring?
The most common and sometimes the sole reason your vinyl flooring is cracking is that it was not installed correctly. If you hired an inexperienced contractor or installed the flooring yourself, the measurements and placement of the planks may need to be corrected. They may have yet to click into place, have been put too closely together, or are not glued down correctly to the subfloor. These mistakes can eventually result in cracks between the planks.
The underlayment or subfloor is often the cause of cracks in vinyl flooring. If the flooring experiences severe cracking, it will require replacement, and you need to repair the subfloor to avoid future issues with the new floor. Furthermore, if there has been considerable water damage to the floor, this can cause the affected planks to cup, which will then create a space between adjacent planks. In such a case, it is best to fix all the planks entirely.
Can cracked vinyl floor planks be removed and reinstalled?
Whether or not vinyl floor planks can be removed and reinstalled depends on your flooring. Some planks are equipped with interlock installation that enables easy removal. However, other vinyl floor planks require an adhesive to be glued down for installation. If you have this type of vinyl flooring, you might find it somewhat challenging to reinstall the planks once they have been lifted to the floor.
If reinstallation is not possible, replacing the entire vinyl flooring or the individual planks one at a time is best. However, if you choose to have the planks replaced one at a time, you may run into some problems, depending on the kind of planks that you have. Click-in planks are relatively easy to remove because you simply need to line them up and lay them down next to one another.
On the other hand, for vinyl floor planks glued down, you will need to have several planks removed first to access the ones you intend to replace. You will need to have these planks pulled up from the adhesive, which may take a little elbow grease. This technique may also require you to use a circular saw to cut through the planks.
Conclusion
Cracks in vinyl flooring usually occur due to improper installation. Therefore, to avoid this inconvenient and costly problem, be sure to have your vinyl flooring installed by a reliable contractor only. Furthermore, always pay attention to the quality of vinyl floor planks you purchase because low-quality vinyl floors may not just wreak havoc on your wallet but can potentially affect your home interiors down the road.
For the most excellent yet cost-effective vinyl floors that will add sophistication to your home, Wallhub is the expert you can count on! We are an established wallpaper supplier in Singapore that offers high-quality flooring solutions, such as luxury vinyl flooring for your kitchen or any other room. To ensure that your flooring will not experience any issues in the future, we have seasoned in-house installers who can provide you with reliable vinyl flooring or carpet tile installation services.
