Expert insights and tips for construction professionals to select the best adhesive for LVT flooring installations.
Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring.
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) floors represent the new generation of PVC flooring. They are modular PVC floors laid as planks or tiles rather than the traditional PVC floors laid in rolls.
LVT floors are designed to give an appearance closer to that of parquet and tile floors. They are perfect for a variety of spaces including retail, hospitality, workplace, and education.
The attraction of LVT floors to designers and clients is the wide range of colours and styles from which they can choose. An LVT floor is a modern, high-tech floor with style and functionality.
And when it comes to installation, LVT flooring is simple and easy to install.
The primary benefits of LVT flooring are:
- There are Infinite possibilities (colours, formats, and styles).
- It is easy to create a unique design.
- Long-lasting performance, even under heavy foot and rolling load traffic.
- It is easy to install using BOSTIK’s soft flooring systems.
Installation options for LVT flooring.
There are three installation methods for LVT floors:
Traditional bonding method
This method ensures long-lasting performance and is used primarily in retail, hospitality, commercial, and healthcare settings, but it is also used in the residential sector.
Bonding in extreme conditions
Extreme conditions such as high humidity and temperature call for specific adhesive solutions. For example, bonding of floors in wet rooms or behind bay windows needs to be done with an adhesive that can withstand large changes in moisture, humidity, or heat.
Loose-lay installation
Loose-lay installation is the most recent development in LVT floor installations. This system is particularly suited to environments such as shops whose floors are expected to be replaced frequently.
Adhesive options.
This article will focus on STIX A340 LVT PROJECT and STIX A550 POWER ELASTIC as these two products were specifically formulated to bond LVT flooring. They provide excellent grab and adhesion strength with very little waiting time, and they are designed to withstand the movements of highly plasticised LVT flooring by forming hard-cured ridges.
Note: other adhesives can also be used to bond LVT floors, but those products are universal adhesives with much longer waiting times to develop their grab. Using an LVT-specific adhesive can save you time and your customers money, and it will give them a high-end, high-quality floor.
- STIX A340 LVT PROJECT is a soft-floor, acrylic-based adhesive ideal for LVT (planks and tiles) and all types of PVC floor covering (sheets and tiles). It is designed for faster installation, and it has a higher grab and produces harder ridges than the products it was designed to supersede.
- STIX A550 POWER ELASTIC is a multi-functional adhesive ideal for the bonding of LVT planks or tiles. This product creates hard-set ridges to provide a high-performing adhesive.
Installing LVT flooring.
STIX A340 LVT PROJECT
Step 1: Preparation
- Ensure the condition of the subfloor complies with local building standards.
- Subfloors must be clean, sound, dry (<75% RH), and free from contaminants that may impair adhesion, such as dust, grease, paint, plaster, polish, and water-softenable adhesive.
- For subfloors that are not sufficiently smooth or require height build-up to receive the particular floor covering being bonded, apply a suitable BOSTIK self-levelling compound and primer system.
- Very absorbent subfloors such as open textured screeds and plywood should be primed using a suitable BOSTIK primer before applying adhesive.
- Before applying any adhesive, ensure the substrate is dry and dust-free.
A tip for underfloor heating: Warm water underfloor heating systems must be switched off for 48 hours before, during, and for a minimum of 48 hours after application. After this time, gradually turn up the underfloor heating until operational temperature is achieved.
Step 2: Installation
Before you begin, make sure you have the flooring manufacturer's instructions with you. Always follow their instructions.
- Application temperature range +10 to +30 degrees Celsius
- Select the appropriate trowel size and application method for the floor covering.
- For an A2 trowel, consumption will be 250–300g/m².
- For a B1 trowel, consumption will be 350 g/m².
- Apply the adhesive evenly onto the subfloor, holding the trowel at an angle of 60 degrees.
- Allow the adhesive to air for 5–10 minutes, then place the flooring into the adhesive bed.
- Immediately roll the flooring using a heavy roller to dispel any trapped air and ensure the adhesive contacts the back of the floor covering.
- After 30 minutes, roll the flooring again.
A tip for installing thin floor coverings: To minimize the effect of adhesive serrations showing through a thin floor covering, use a roller pre-wetted with adhesive to flatten the adhesive applied to the subfloor. Doing it this way will prevent any adhesive from being removed, and it will create a uniform appearance and maximize surface contact with the floor covering. Place the floor covering immediately after applying the adhesive.
Step 3: Next steps
- Wait 12 hours before letting people walk on the floor.
- Curing time 24–48 hours.
- Do not weld the joints before the adhesive has had sufficient time to develop a good bond (approximately 24 hours after installation).
STIX A550 POWER ELASTIC
Step 1: Preparation
- The substrate must be level, permanently dry, crack-free, and tension- and pressure-resistant.
- Apply a suitable Bostik self-levelling compound and a primer before putting down the adhesive.
Step 2: Installation
Before you begin, make sure you have the flooring manufacturer’s instructions with you. Always follow their instructions.
- Application temperature range +10 to +23 degrees Celsius (Subfloor: 10 degrees; Air: 10 degrees, maximum 75% RH).
- Apply the STIX A550 POWER ELASTIC to the substrate with a serrated trowel with suitable TKB serration.
- For an A2 trowel, consumption will be 320 g/m².
- For a B1 trowel, consumption will be 360 g/m².
- Depending on the floor covering, a short flash-off time may be necessary.
- Place the floor covering in the adhesive bed and rub in thoroughly.
- After 30–40 minutes, rub the floor covering again.
Step 3: Next steps
- Wait 24 hours before letting people walk on the floor.
- Curing time: after 24 hours.
- Do not weld the joints before the adhesive has had sufficient time to develop a good bond (approximately 24 hours after installation).
A high-tech, high-performing floor.
Make sure you select the appropriate BOSTIK adhesive for your client’s LVT floor. Choose an adhesive designed specifically for LVT, and your client will have a beautiful high-tech floor that will last for the long term.
LVT + BOSTIK adhesives = satisfaction for everybody.
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