How Soon Can You Put Furniture on Vinyl Plank Flooring

If you are a DIY'er, a major benefit of vinyl plank flooring is its relatively easy installation. Unlike hardwood flooring, which involves labor-intensive nailing to the subfloor or other planks, luxury vinyl flooring requires little to no tools. For many DIY'ers, this is even a project that they’re willing to take on themselves, although it’s always recommended to entrust the process to a professional flooring installer.

Luxury vinyl tiles and planks are installed in two ways. How long you have to wait to move furniture back into the room is entirely dependent on which installation type is used. These two types are:

• Glue-Down
• Click-Lock
  

How exactly do these work? Let’s take a look.

Concrete Subfloors

Luxury vinyl plank flooring is a good choice for installation over concrete subfloors. Take note of the grade level before applying luxury vinyl over concrete. Before installation, you should also perform a moisture test on suspended, on-grade, and below-grade concrete subfloors. To ensure the best results, lay down a moisture vapor barrier over the concrete subfloor before installation.

Wood Subfloors

If the wood subfloor is porous, a double-layer plywood construction is required when you glue down vinyl plank flooring. Afterward, prep the subfloor by spreading a primer that fills the pores and makes the floor ready to accept adhesive.

Existing Flooring

You can glue down luxury vinyl plank flooring over some existing flooring and eliminate hours of work peeling up the floor. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is so versatile that you can apply it directly over existing floor substrates, including terrazzo, fiber cement, vinyl sheeting, and radiant heat flooring. However, don't install it over the cork, carpet, laminate, vinyl with a cushioned backing, or any other floating floor system.

Glue-down flooring can be installed in two different ways:

• Hard Set: This type of glue-down vinyl involves an adhesive being spread across the subfloor. The vinyl planks are then laid down on top of it and allowed time to cure.
• Pressure Set: Also known as “peel and stick”, this is the most affordable type of glue-down flooring. The backing of the planks has a sticky side that is revealed by peeling back the protective layer. The planks are then pressed down into the subfloor and smoothed out.

Source: whatisvinyl.com

Click-Lock Vinyl Flooring

Click-lock is the most durable kind of luxury vinyl flooring, and it’s also the most expensive. These planks are installed via interlocking joints that connect the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. Also known as a “floating floor”, click-lock requires no adhesive whatsoever. It simply rests on top of the subfloor and is held in place by each of the surrounding pieces.

How Long To Wait Before Putting Furniture on Your Vinyl?

As mentioned, the time you must wait before moving furniture back after the installation will entirely depend on which type of luxury vinyl flooring style was used. Because of this, your flooring purchase may depend on how quickly you’d like to get your home back to normal. It can be frustrating not being able to use a portion of your home for an extended period of time.

If you’re installing glue-down flooring, you will need to wait a certain amount of time before furniture can be moved back in. This is primarily because the adhesive that is used needs to set. If the curing process is disrupted it can easily affect the quality of the project and the planks can shift before installation completes. It’s always best to be patient.

Most manufacturers recommend between 48 and 72 hours for glue-down flooring. During this time, it’s suggested that you don’t even walk on the flooring, so your best bet is to completely close off that portion of the home for daily use. You may also want to open some windows and ventilate the room, as vinyl flooring and the glue may release VOCs which may be unpleasant to smell.

If you’d like to go back to using your home as quickly as possible, click-lock vinyl is what you’re after. Since no adhesive is used, there’s no curing process, meaning you don’t have to wait for the glue to set. With this flooring type, you can actually move furniture back in immediately. However, when you are ready to move furniture in, there are some special considerations to make to avoid potential damage.

How Much Furniture Weight Can Vinyl Hold?

A significant drawback of vinyl plank flooring, when compared to true hardwood, is that the surface is softer and it is more susceptible to dents from heavy items. If your floor is overloaded by heavy appliances or heavy furniture, you risk damaging the planks. It’s important to know the specific weight rating of your flooring so that you can avoid damage.

According to Home Inspection Insider, most manufacturers rate their vinyl to be able to withstand 500 pounds. Keep in mind that this is for a single vinyl plank. While 500 pounds may seem like a lot, heavy appliances like refrigerators or heavy furniture pieces like pianos can easily exceed this.

Use Furniture Pads and Glides

Furniture legs are responsible for most of the damage that your floors will suffer . This is because all of the weight from the furniture is concentrated onto four small contact points. When this concentrated weight is pressed directly against the floor, indentations can occur.

The best way of preventing this is by adding furniture pads to all four legs. These pads glue onto the underside of the legs and disperse the weight. In addition to preventing dents, these pads also help prevent scratches and scuffs. It’s important to choose a furniture pad that’s made of felt or cotton rather than rubber.

Rubber and vinyl do not mix well, and rubber padding may cause staining on the vinyl floors.

If you move your furniture often, it’s also worthwhile to add furniture glides. These function much like pads, but their design allows for smooth sliding. Glides feature a nail that’s pounded into the furniture’s leg, so it’s also much sturdier and they stay in place better. With furniture pads you always have to check them to make sure that they haven’t come off, opening up your flooring to damage. Glides don’t have this problem.

Add Some Area Rugs

Area rugs are also a great method to avoid vinyl floor damage from heavy furniture. Instead of worrying about furniture pads, you can simply place a nice rug underneath the piece. Rugs are also quite stylish and look well underneath a variety of furniture pieces including tables, couches, and pianos.

It’s also worth putting rugs in areas with high foot traffic. This functions as a floor protector and prevents excess dirt and debris from shoes from getting pushed into the flooring. This will extend the life of your flooring and ensure it remains dent, scratch and scuff free.

Always Pick Up Furniture - Don’t Slide

When moving furniture around the room, it’s important to avoid sliding, even if it's equipped with furniture gliders. With the help of friends or family, it’s recommended to completely lift furniture off the floor before rearranging. This will prevent any scratching and gouging from occurring.

Keep Your Luxury Vinyl Clean For Maximum Longevity

Preventative maintenance is the key to retaining luxury vinyl flooring’s durability, which will help to avoid furniture-related damage. By keeping up on a regular cleaning cycle and removing dirt from the flooring as often as possible, you’ll extend the flooring’s lifespan. When dirt is left to sit on the flooring it can get pushed into the planks. Eventually, this will degrade the material, causing weakness, and allowing damages to occur more easily.

Ready to Purchase Your Luxury Vinyl Flooring?

If you’re installing luxury vinyl flooring into your living space, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding installation and use. If you’ve chosen glue-down flooring, you’ll need to allow a few days for the adhesive to set before you move furniture in. Click-lock flooring on the other hand allows you to move furniture back immediately.

Above all else, however, taking the necessary precautions to avoid damage and cleaning regularly will ensure your flooring installation will last decades. If you’re ready to purchase beautiful luxury vinyl flooring for your home, check out Martin's Floor Coverings’s complete collection for inspiration.