Vinyl Plank Flooring

I have just had vinyl planks installed throughout my unit because they are soft under foot and don’t warp if water gets on them. I want to know should there be a gap of say 3 to 5mm left between the end and the wall? Then filled with beading? Does the vinyl expand like wood laminate does or not? Thanks

 

If they are loose lay. Vinyl planks they wont expand so can go right to the wall. If you have any small gaps from cuts, selleys no more gaps in a suitable colour works a treat.

 

You can get a beading but doesn't look the best imo
I have the same issue after laying myself. It's very hard to get the cuts spot on do 3-5mm sounds acceptable.
I picked up a sikaflex product so i it should last many years

 

The instructions on one of my loose lay vinyl plank flooring brands explicitly states to leave an expansion gap of 8mm.

By 'loose lay', I mean not stuck down - these planks have a rubber-type backing, are waterproof and 'click' together.

I have another (more expensive) brand that has a thicker, more resilient backing - otherwise similar to the other type above. Will see if I can find the installation instructions for that too for a comparison.

Later edit: the other brand explicitly states that perimeter expansion gaps must be 10mm. For rooms bigger than 8m long or wide, an internal expansion gap is needed using a z or t profile moulding.

Doorways and adjoining rooms need expansion gaps too (they say 5mm for vertical obstructions).

It says, lack of expansion gaps voids the warranty and can cause cupping, peaking or gapping.

 

My thought... Put skirting boards above?

 

or quad

 

Must have diffrent types of “loose lay” just did a whole house in them last year, these dont click togeather or get glued, you go right to the wall and everything stays togeather, no expansion what so ever. They specifically say go as tight to the wall as possible.

Karndean LooseLay | Quick and Easy to Install

 

Yes, I can see why you'd need to go right to the wall if they don't click together or aren't glued.

 

Mine have a rubber type backing and click together but there is virtually no gap left. I think my builder layed them so It makes no sense to me why he wouldn’t leave a larger gap, surely he would know about this, he uses this product all the time. I’m just trying to educate myself on this product before I call him.

 

What brand of plank?

 

My builder did tell me but I’ve forgotten, need to ask him again. Does that matter? I thought every physical material expands and contracts just varied in by how much? Am I wrong?

 

It matters because if they havn't been installed according to the manufacturer's instructions then you can ask for that to be remedied as a way of avoiding future warranty issues.

Caulking of small gaps around doors is pretty common, but for larger gaps it is common for moulding (quad etc) to be fixed to the skirting to cover the gap, or skirting is put over the planks to cover the gap (but still allow the planks to expand).

It’s also useful to know brand and colour in case you need to match them in future - paint colors too.

 

I’ve sent an email to my builder asking for all the details about the planks and the supplier

 

It is Gerfloor, a German product

 

I am thinking it shouldn't expand or contract because that's the surface that international volleyball games are played on, and court sizes must be exact.

 

I hope that’s the case. I can’t seem to find any installation video on their website

 

Ask the manufacturer?

 

Gerflor Senso is their 'Click together version'. Here is the instruction pdf. Gerfloor says 0.1% gap needed based on the size of the room. So, they say, a 5m long room needs 5mm expansion at each end. The gap at each side would depend on the actual width of the room.

https://www.gerflor.com.au/media/senso-lock-installation-maintenance-guide-oct-15.pdf

 

How big a room is it? His stable is the temperature in the room ie -5 deg - 40 deg or year round 15-25 deg?

There are tables for the coefficients of expansion for various materials which may be used to calculate how much space/gap you require or just follow the directions on the pack - a couple of mm at each end mastic the gap or cover with the skirting.

 

Yes, this the product I have. I rang Gerflor in Melbourne and spoke to an installer who told me about the .01% gap needed. Each room in my unit is between 3 and 4 metres wide. Therefore for a 4m room only 4mm gap in total is required ie 2 mm each end. The installer said they say 5mm but really 2 to 3mm is enough. He also said they specify 8metres before you need an expansion joint but that my 10metres will be ok. The main issue that arises with this product is the sub floor being unstable. Mine is laid straight onto concrete so will be fine. Thankyou all for your help, much appreciated