Page 16 - Fall 2021 FCICA Flooring Contractor

F E A T U RE D A R T ICL E

THE WHY AND HOW TO INSTALL LVT IN WET ENVIRONMENTS, CONTINUED

environments starts off very similarly to a tile project with the
proper placement of a waterproofing membrane over the entire
surface. The surface can virtually be anything ranging from cement
boards to waterproof boards to drywall. The critical success
factor is 100% compliance in the installation of the waterproofing
membrane. This is no different than what you would expect for tile
installations, so it is very important to make sure this step is done
according to all written instructions found on technical data sheets
and installation guides. There are a variety of types of waterproofing
membranes available from multipart cement based to fabric
membranes to roll-on coatings, all will work for LVT installations.
The next step is one that is specific for resilient material being
installed and that is to make sure the surface is very smooth and
flat. If tile were being installed, you can deal with substrate defects
with the mortar bed being used. For resilient flooring materials, you
need to make sure the surface is smooth and flat otherwise those
defects will telegraph through to the final finish. For this, you will
need a special smoothing compound, one that will bond tenaciously
of dust when it comes to installing LVT in wet environments (or to non-porous substrates, dries quickly and be waterproof when
any environment for that matter). Another benefit of this type of dry.
installation comes when you are doing retrofit installations. Now it’s time to install the LVT, not on the floor, but on a vertical
Traditionally, if you were to put new tile over existing tile this surface. For this, you will need again another special product
process adds significant weight and thickness over the existing considering you are installing a non-porous material over a non-
material. Depending on the tile and installation method this can porous substrate and something that will need to be waterproof
add as much as 3/8-1/2” of additional thickness to the walls. Using as well. In this application, we find that modified silane-based
LVT, the maximum thickness build is typically less than 1/8”. adhesives work best. They are designed to work over non-porous
Another great advantage of LVT in any application or environment substrates and have been formulated to provide the necessary
is the ability to combine multiple visuals and have them all at the thixotropy to keep large planks from slipping down the wall during
same thickness. installation. The other advantage they have is that once they are
Think about it. If you want to combine wood and stone, you cured, they form a highly moisture resistant rubber type bond
are going to have to make sure that they all come out at the same perfect for this type of application.
level when you install them. For example, combining ¾” solid Depending on the desired visual required you may choose to
prefinished wood flooring with a ½” thick piece of marble means use tile spacers when placing the LVT to leave an area for grouting
that the marble will have to be lifted up ¼” to be level with the or you can simply butt each piece of LVT together tightly. Grouting
wood. With LVT that wood visual matches up perfectly with the
stone visual without having to deal with thickness variations since
they all start at 2mm or 5 mm thicknesses.
The last benefit to discuss is what LVT is made of and why it is
perfectly suitable for wet environments. In general, most LVT is
PVC based. There are also many non-PVC types of LVT available,
but the general conclusion is that they are made of plastic based
materials and as such are extremely water resistant. Comparing the
composition of LVT to other flooring choices such as wood and tile
the differences are very obvious.
Wood, for example, is definitely not waterproof and is extremely
sensitive to moisture in any form. Putting wood materials in a wet
environment would hardly be considered for many reasons. Tile
and stone are more common materials that would be used in wet Photos courtesy of MAPEI
environments, but not all stone is suitable for this application and
can absorb moisture and be stained.
So how does it work? The installation of LVT in wet

16 The Flooring Contractor Magazine Fall 2021