How To Lay Vinyl Tiles on Floorboards

Whether you want to replace old flooring in your home, or simply want to redecorate your home, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) can be a great solution. However, if you wish to lay vinyl tiles on floorboards, there are a few things you should know.

In this article, we provide you with a quick and easy way to lay vinyl tiles on floorboards to refresh your home.

Luxury vinyl tiles, also known as LVT, is a type of flooring that has the look of wood or stone but is made from PVC. The result is a durable product that has all the practical benefits of tile.

They are a great alternative to ceramic or porcelain tiles as they are quicker to lay and are often a cheaper option that you can install yourself.

We have an entire guide section dedicated to LVT flooring - covering everything from what LVT flooring is to how to lay LVT flooring, step by step.

Yes, you can lay LVT on floorboards and it can be a quick way to refresh your home. However, before you start laying LVT on floorboards it is important to consider the following factors:

• Are the floorboards in good condition?


• Are the floorboards even?


• Are your floorboards exposed to moisture or humidity?


• Do you have a subfloor?

In short, yes you can put vinyl flooring over wooden floorboards, however, not all will be suitable to put vinyl flooring on.

Before you put vinyl flooring over wooden floorboards you must make sure that:

1. The wooden floor is completely attached to the original subfloor as this ensures that it will be a good foundation for installation.
2. The wooden flooring is in good condition and has a sturdy foundation.

When installing vinyl onto floorboards, you mustn’t overlook the importance of preparing the surface.

First things first is to visually examine the surface you are dealing with. If you notice any bumps, uneven areas, nails or screws in the floorboards. It is important to remove the nails and screws, you can sand any rough areas down and if there are floorboards that are worn, very uneven, or unsteady then remove and replace them.

Failure to make sure the floorboards are even will result in your vinyl flooring being uneven.

While you can lay vinyl and LVT directly onto floorboards, it isn’t advised. Instead, it is recommended to install a subfloor in which the vinyl is installed. A subfloor helps to even out the floorboards and adds additional stability to your vinyl and LVT, it can also make the installation process easier.

If you need more information on what deflection means, take a look at our Tiling onto Plywood guide where we discuss how to measure (and combat!) deflection. Alternatively, if you already have old vinyl flooring installed and simply want to tile over them, check out our dedicated guide for tiling over vinyl.