Hello,
we recently completed a new build. The cement screed was treated with leveling compound and primer, and adhesive vinyl was installed on top. The requirement was that we did not want the usual edge trim profiles or baseboards; instead, strips were to be cut from the vinyl itself and glued to the wall as edge trim. The wall connection was done with a very narrow joint, about 5mm (2 inches) wide. It really looked good.
However, all the joints had to be cut open again because the vinyl probably did not adhere properly and/or expanded too much. Be that as it may, that is another matter why this happened. Some planks in the middle of the room were hollow; the company has already re-glued those and plans to seal the joints again in a year. The manually cut joints currently look, of course, really bad and are wider than the previously neat silicone joint. Now a few questions arise, which I hope someone can answer so that I know whether I can put some pressure on the company:
- Since I have already seen this type of edge trim in various medical practices, can I assume that using vinyl itself as edge trim instead of the usually much wider baseboards is generally feasible in residential buildings as well?
- What is a reasonable edge gap to maintain between glued vinyl flooring and the wall to prevent damage caused by expansion?
- If in our case a silicone joint is applied all around, how much overlap should it have on the vinyl to hold properly without tearing? In other words, how many millimeters wider should the silicone joint on the floor – which is a triangular joint – be compared to the joint it is covering?
We deliberately chose the vinyl strips because we believe that the "normal" baseboards only collect dust. We were fine with the initial silicone joint, but since the company does not want to repair some roughly cut edges with new planks for economic reasons, the new joints will be wider (they also need to look uniform). When I look more closely at the old joints, it can be seen that the silicone originally overlapped the vinyl by at least 3mm (0.1 inches). If I add 3mm (0.1 inches) to the cut joint, the new silicone joint will be at least 8mm (0.3 inches) wide, sometimes up to 10mm (0.4 inches). Can I object to this and demand remedial work?
we recently completed a new build. The cement screed was treated with leveling compound and primer, and adhesive vinyl was installed on top. The requirement was that we did not want the usual edge trim profiles or baseboards; instead, strips were to be cut from the vinyl itself and glued to the wall as edge trim. The wall connection was done with a very narrow joint, about 5mm (2 inches) wide. It really looked good.
However, all the joints had to be cut open again because the vinyl probably did not adhere properly and/or expanded too much. Be that as it may, that is another matter why this happened. Some planks in the middle of the room were hollow; the company has already re-glued those and plans to seal the joints again in a year. The manually cut joints currently look, of course, really bad and are wider than the previously neat silicone joint. Now a few questions arise, which I hope someone can answer so that I know whether I can put some pressure on the company:
- Since I have already seen this type of edge trim in various medical practices, can I assume that using vinyl itself as edge trim instead of the usually much wider baseboards is generally feasible in residential buildings as well?
- What is a reasonable edge gap to maintain between glued vinyl flooring and the wall to prevent damage caused by expansion?
- If in our case a silicone joint is applied all around, how much overlap should it have on the vinyl to hold properly without tearing? In other words, how many millimeters wider should the silicone joint on the floor – which is a triangular joint – be compared to the joint it is covering?
We deliberately chose the vinyl strips because we believe that the "normal" baseboards only collect dust. We were fine with the initial silicone joint, but since the company does not want to repair some roughly cut edges with new planks for economic reasons, the new joints will be wider (they also need to look uniform). When I look more closely at the old joints, it can be seen that the silicone originally overlapped the vinyl by at least 3mm (0.1 inches). If I add 3mm (0.1 inches) to the cut joint, the new silicone joint will be at least 8mm (0.3 inches) wide, sometimes up to 10mm (0.4 inches). Can I object to this and demand remedial work?
Hello "rabudde".
To answer your questions:
Regarding question 1:
"(...) can I assume that it is generally possible to use the vinyl itself as the edge finish in a private setting, instead of these much too wide usual baseboards?"
Answer:
Basically YES, because from a building physics point of view, it doesn’t matter how the room in question is used.
-----------------------------------------------
Regarding question 2:
"How much gap (...) should be left between glued vinyl and the wall (...) to prevent follow-up damage due to expansion?"
Answer:
The existing movement joint (or perimeter gap) between the wall surfaces and the screed sets the scale. If this measures 5-7mm (0.2-0.3 inches) for unheated screeds, it is completely sufficient.
---------------------------------------------------
Regarding question 3:
"(...) how much overlap should the sealant have on the vinyl to hold properly and not tear right away?"
Answer:
This depends partly on the expected movement and also on the material properties of the sealant. There are significant differences here.
The “opposite side” and “adjacent side” of the triangle formed by the sealant should be at least 5mm (0.2 inches). However, there are no binding reference values for these edge heights.
To prevent tearing, here is a practical trick:
Once the sealant has cured, carefully cut the lower edge of the sealant triangle just above the floor surface with a sharp utility knife, thereby decoupling the sealant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Best regards and good luck: KlaRa
To answer your questions:
Regarding question 1:
"(...) can I assume that it is generally possible to use the vinyl itself as the edge finish in a private setting, instead of these much too wide usual baseboards?"
Answer:
Basically YES, because from a building physics point of view, it doesn’t matter how the room in question is used.
-----------------------------------------------
Regarding question 2:
"How much gap (...) should be left between glued vinyl and the wall (...) to prevent follow-up damage due to expansion?"
Answer:
The existing movement joint (or perimeter gap) between the wall surfaces and the screed sets the scale. If this measures 5-7mm (0.2-0.3 inches) for unheated screeds, it is completely sufficient.
---------------------------------------------------
Regarding question 3:
"(...) how much overlap should the sealant have on the vinyl to hold properly and not tear right away?"
Answer:
This depends partly on the expected movement and also on the material properties of the sealant. There are significant differences here.
The “opposite side” and “adjacent side” of the triangle formed by the sealant should be at least 5mm (0.2 inches). However, there are no binding reference values for these edge heights.
To prevent tearing, here is a practical trick:
Once the sealant has cured, carefully cut the lower edge of the sealant triangle just above the floor surface with a sharp utility knife, thereby decoupling the sealant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Best regards and good luck: KlaRa
Similar topics