How to Lay Vinyl Flooring & Carpet Tiles

If you’re looking to update your room, we'll show you how to lay vinyl flooring. We’ll focus specifically on vinyl floor tiles with a self-adhesive backing. We'll also explain how to lay carpet tiles using a dry method without wet adhesives.

You'll find practical advice on how to cut vinyl flooring and how to fit them around awkward obstacles. Soft vinyl floor tiles are hard-wearing and straightforward to lay - however they’re not usually recommended for laying over underfloor heating. They should also not go over a timber floor treated with a wood preservative.

Some vinyl flooring tiles have a peel-off self-adhesive backing. This makes them much easier to lay. Other types require you to apply an adhesive for vinyl tile flooring yourself. Carpet tiles are usually laid dry without a wet carpet tile adhesive.

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Tools

Materials

Safety

Kneepads

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Your subfloor needs to be clean, dry, and perfectly level before you start laying any vinyl or carpet tiles.
Always begin tiling from the middle of the room and work outwards to avoid thin, untidy cuts at the skirting boards.
Self-adhesive vinyl tiles just need the backing peeled off, while carpet tiles are usually laid dry and held down with double-sided tape.

Planning and preparation

Thorough surface preparation is the key to ensuring a long-lasting, high-quality finish. Your tiles must always be laid on a level surface. It needs to be clean, dry, and smooth, with no nails or screws sticking up.

If you have traditional floorboards, these need to be screwed down tightly. You then need to cover them with flooring grade hardboard or plywood. Lay the hardboard with the smooth side facing up. Secure it firmly in place using 25mm nails spaced at 150mm intervals. Use your pipe and cable detector first to stay safe.

Plywood, hardboard and other porous surfaces like concrete will need to be sealed. You should use a suitable primer before you start laying vinyl flooring. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions on the tin.

To work out how many tiles you need, measure your room. Calculate the area by multiplying the length by the width. This gives you the number of square metres. Check the coverage listed on the pack of tiles and always remember to account for any alcoves.

Purchase an extra 10% of tiles to allow for wastage and cuts. This also means you can keep some spare tiles afterwards. If any get damaged in the future, you'll have an exact match ready to swap in.

It's best to buy all the tiles you need at the same time. Check they have the same batch number. This helps you avoid possible colour variations between different manufacturing batches.

Store your tiles in the room where they’re going to be laid for at least 24 hours. This allows them to acclimatise to the room temperature before you start fitting.

Plan your tiles’ position

As most rooms are not perfectly square, it's a good idea to plan the position of your tiles. You should do this before laying them down permanently.

Always tile from the middle of the room outwards. Do not start from a corner. Walls are often not straight, and corners are rarely perfectly square. Starting in the middle gives you a neat, balanced finish.

How to install vinyl tiles

If you want to know how to fit vinyl flooring properly, take your time reading through these steps.

Carefully measure the room to find the middle of the floor. Mark this initial starting position with a pencil.

Starting with the corner of a tile on the midpoint, position a row of tiles towards one of the side walls. Do not stick the tiles down at this stage as you’re just checking the layout.

If this leaves a very narrow gap between the last tile and the wall, adjust your layout. Move all the tiles away from the wall by about half a tile’s width. Adjust your central starting mark by the same amount.

Repeat this process towards one of the end walls. Adjust your starting position again if necessary. This helps you avoid having to cut and fit tiny, thin strips of tile at the edges. Thin slivers look messy and they may not stick down well.

Once you’ve established your final starting position, measure carefully. Use a straight edge to draw a pencil line parallel to the nearest side wall.

From the same starting point, use a combination square and straight edge to draw another line perpendicular to the first.

If you’re using self-adhesive vinyl tiles, peel the backing paper off the first tile. If you’re using tiles where you apply tile adhesive yourself, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Place one corner of the tile on the starting point where your two pencil lines cross. Carefully align two edges of the tile with the lines.

Press the tile down firmly into place. Use a rolling pin or a wallpaper seam roller to firmly secure the edges.

Place one corner of your second tile onto the starting point. Butt one edge tightly against the first tile, on the other side of your pencil line. Secure it firmly with the roller.

Lay the next two tiles, each with one corner touching the starting point. This will complete a square in the middle of your room.

Align subsequent tiles with those you have already laid. Step back occasionally to check that your lines are staying perfectly straight.

Lay all the whole tiles in one half of the room first. Then complete the other half. Do this before you start cutting tiles for the edges or around fittings.

How to cut vinyl tiles

Your room will likely have a few obstacles that require you to cut into your tiles. You’ll also need to cut the last row of tiles to fit the gap between your previous row and the wall.

Place the tile that needs to be cut exactly on top of the last whole tile you laid. Then place another whole tile on top of that. Position this top tile so that one of its edges touches the wall.

Use your pencil to draw a line along the edge of the top tile, marking the tile sitting below it. This gives you the exact cutting line.

Place the tile you need to cut onto an offcut of wooden board. This protects the floor underneath. Position a straight edge along the pencil line. Use a retractable knife to carefully score and cut through the tile.

Keep the backing paper on while you check that the tile fits neatly into the gap at the edge of the room. If all is well, remove the backing and fix the tile down.

Tiling around an obstacle

When figuring out how to cut vinyl flooring around toilet bases or sink pedestals, a template is your best tool.

Cut a piece of paper to the exact same size as a whole tile. Cut a series of narrow slits, around 5-10mm wide, where the paper touches the obstacle.

Place the paper template into position on the floor. Press it down against the obstacle and fold back the slits.

Draw a pencil line onto the paper, carefully following the curved shape of the obstacle. Remove the paper and cut along this line to finish your template.

Check that the paper template is a good fit around the base. Once you’re happy, tape it to a real tile. Use a pencil to carefully mark the intended cut line onto the actual tile.

Using a retractable knife, carefully cut the tile along the pencil line.

Keep the backing paper on while you check that the cut tile fits neatly against the obstacle. If it fits perfectly, remove the backing and press it into position.

How to lay carpet tiles

Laying carpet tiles is very similar to laying vinyl floor tiles. The main difference is the fixing method. You generally use double-sided carpet tape to secure the tiles, rather than applying an all-over adhesive.

Heavy Duty Tape Measure
Pencil
Long Metal Ruler or Straight Edge
Retractable Knife
Scissors
Pipe & Cable Detector (if required)
Hammer (if required)
Carpet Tiles of your choice
Double-Sided Carpet Tape
Hardboard or Plywood subfloor (if required)
Suitable Primer or Sealer (if required)
Kneepads

Find your starting point in the exact same way as described for vinyl tiles. When learning how to fit carpet tiles, the preparation is identical.

Use double-sided carpet tape to secure the first row of tiles into position. Then apply tape to every third row after that to keep the floor stable.

When laying carpet tiles, turn them over and look at the back. Pay attention to the pile direction arrows and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. You can lay all the tiles facing the same direction for a uniform look. Alternatively, you can rotate every other tile by 90 degrees to create a textured checkerboard pattern.

If you’re wondering how to cut carpet tiles for the edges, measure them exactly like you did for the vinyl tiles. Place a strip of masking tape onto the carpet tile where you need to make the cut. Mark your cutting line onto the tape with a pencil, rather than drawing directly onto the carpet pile.

Use a sharp retractable knife and a metal straight edge to cut through the backing. Use double-sided tape to fix any cut tiles securely around the edge of the room.

Caring for your newly laid floor

Once you’ve finished your floor, proper aftercare is important. Regular sweeping and light mopping will keep vinyl floor tiles looking fresh.

When cleaning tiles, only use products that are suitable for the specific material of the tile. Using the wrong cleaning product could cause permanent damage or discolouration.

For carpet tiles, regular vacuuming is all you need. If you spill something, you can easily lift the single stained carpet tile, wash it under the tap, let it dry, and drop it back into place.

Laying vinyl flooring or laying carpet tiles is a great way to refresh your space. It might feel like a big task at first. But by taking your time with the preparation, it's a project you can confidently manage yourself.

Remember to always tile from the middle of the room outwards. This gives you a neat finish and saves you from having to cut thin, awkward strips of tile at the edges of your room.

If you're wondering how to fit vinyl flooring or how to fit carpet tiles around tricky obstacles, just use our paper template method. It takes away the guesswork and helps you make a clean, accurate cut every time.

For some more flooring inspiration, check out our page on current flooring trends.

FAQs

You don’t usually need traditional soft underlay for vinyl flooring tiles. Instead, you need a hard, perfectly smooth subfloor. We recommend covering uneven floorboards with flooring grade hardboard or plywood. This creates the flat surface your vinyl tiles need to look their best.

You can put vinyl flooring over existing ceramic tiles, but the surface must be completely flat. Any deep grout lines or uneven tiles will eventually show through soft vinyl tiles. You will usually need to apply a self-levelling compound over the old tiles to create a smooth base first.

What you put under vinyl flooring depends on your existing floor. For wooden floorboards, you should put down a layer of flooring grade hardboard or thin plywood. For uneven concrete, you might need a self-levelling compound. The goal is always a flat, clean, and dry surface.

Yes, but you should not stick vinyl tiles directly to old, exposed floorboards. Floorboards naturally expand, contract and have gaps between them. You need to cover the floorboards securely with hardboard or plywood first, nailing it down every 150mm.

Vinyl floor tiles are highly water-resistant. This makes them a very popular choice for bathrooms and kitchens. However, if standing water is left for a long period, it can eventually seep through the tiny joints between the tiles and damage the subfloor below.

While you can technically paint vinyl flooring, we do not usually recommend it. Paint is prone to chipping, peeling and wearing away very quickly. Because vinyl is flexible and handles high foot traffic, the painted finish rarely lasts long.

To work out your numbers, measure the length and width of your room in metres. Multiply these together to find the total square metres. Check the packaging to see the coverage per pack and always add an extra 10% to your total to allow for cuts, awkward alcoves and future spares.

Most domestic carpet tiles are designed to be laid dry. This means you do not need a tub of wet carpet tile adhesive. Instead, you just use strips of double-sided carpet tape to hold the first row, the room edges, and every third row firmly in place.