Replies

1. 
   Greg_Warren | Jan 20, 2001 05:51pm | #1

   *
   Dave,
   It sounds like what you are saying is the seem has split apart. Is this correct? If so, that usually suggests that the flooring was warm when the seam was cut and then the material shrank when it cooled down. What is unusual is the fact that it appears you did not put a scrap piece of vinyl under the uncut seam prior to the actual cut. This is done to keep the finished seam from bunching. The way you claim that you cut it, you should have had plenty of material to come together, and then some. Sounds like major cooling down.

1. 
   Ian.D.Gilham. | Jan 20, 2001 06:59pm | #2

   *In my experience of commercial applications, hospitals for example, the seam was always welded. Would that be a possibility? -- the weld would fill a gap up to 1/8"

1. 
   Greg_Warren | Jan 20, 2001 07:17pm | #3

   *Ian, That process is not done in residential applications. GW

1. 
   Ian.D.Gilham. | Jan 20, 2001 07:19pm | #4

   *I know it isn't, but the guy needs a fix. Would look a whole lot better than a gaping joint.

1. 
   Greg_Warren | Jan 21, 2001 12:39am | #5

   *The fix that I would do when I installed vinyl (1978-83) was to fill a gap with a colored caulk to match the vinyl backdrop prior to seam sealing, (not always the one requested by the manufacturer). Some seam sealers from other manufacturers have a better sheen match than the one spec'd. Another way to fix a bad seam is to drop back to the next pattern match and put in a full sheet the size of the pattern. In other words, you would now have two seams the distance of the pattern match apart. Over time it will look better than one bad seam. At this point, get a professional vinyl installer to come out and do the fix. That's why we are there. Vinyl installation is VERY unforgiving to the uninitiated. Ian, what happened to Dave? We seem to be more interested than him. GW

2. 
   Ian.D.Gilham. | Jan 21, 2001 01:24am | #6

   *Dunno Greg, p'raps he's too busy trying to fix the gaps!!I tried laying sheet just once -- not for me! I preferred parquet and working with diddy little pieces --- less trouble.I was CM on the Kent and Canterbury Regional Hospital ('72 - '74) where all the floors were sheet vinyl and I seem to remember that the vinyl was laid for some time before the joints were cut and the seams and baseboards welded, to allow the sheet to stretch/shrink.

3. 
   Qtrmeg_ | Jan 21, 2001 07:33pm | #7

   *Greg & Ian, is it normal to glue down all of the floor except for one foot by the seam, as Dave mentioned? I would have thought you would glue the last part of the first piece and the first part of the second piece after you cut your seam, then continue to fit the second part of the second piece. Also, would the procedure differ depending on the shape or size of the area being covered?

4. 
   Greg_Warren | Jan 21, 2001 08:52pm | #8

   *I never was an advocate of the double cut method. I always straight edged the two pieces separately, and then just squeezed any gaps together until the glue caught it up square. Armstrong's commercial products and residential inlaids like Designer Solarian would get underscribe fitted to match the seams. Size and shape means nothing. GW

5. 
   Dave_Otto | Jan 22, 2001 03:17am | #9

   *Greg, I'm considering adding a piece to match the pattern. Fortunately, the pattern is difficult to see. I may try to find a matching caulk also. As someone who is uninitiated, would a heat gun do any good? The vinyl is one of Armstrong's inlaid products and is the same color through out the thickness of the vinyl.Greg, for my own information, in your opinion is doing a seam this size (16') that much more difficult than a seam 36"? I do mostly carpentry, dry wall, and roofing. When it comes to flooring, I prefer to do cermaic, much less forgiving than vinyl. Thanks for the info.

6. 
   Greg_Warren | Jan 22, 2001 03:45am | #10

   *Dave, Inlaid vinyls are not for DIYer's. They are difficult even for trained installers. There is a process to follow when installing them and that takes a couple of years to master. I did not install the inlaids for my first year as a fulltime installer. The Armstrong school had a weeks advanced course that I went to, to train on just inlaids. You need to get an Armstrong specialist at this point. Inlaids have to be underscribed at the seams, especially ones over three or four feet in length. Double cutting does not work. A double seam on the pattern grout joint at the pattern match will work very well. The best top seam sealer that I used for this product is a two component product by Congoleum. One bottle's product is gold in color, and the other is clear. Mixed equally, and applied thinly with a cotton swab, the lustre will match and the seam sealer will keep the dirt out. Dirt makes these types of seams show up more. If you used a one component seam sealer, the top surface of the inlaid coating probably melted and raised up. The new seam will have to be cut past that point to remove it. Boy, this brings back memories. Inlaid vinyl installation is probably one of the most difficult trades to subject oneself to. I was very good at it, and the carpet stores would call me just to install those jobs. Coved to boot( four inches up the wall, all sides). It was taxing me too much, so I moved on to wood floor installation/finishing. Vinyl served me well though, because it brought a level of perfection to flooring that I would not have without that experience. GW

7. 
   Dave_Otto | Jan 22, 2001 02:18pm | #11

   *Thanks Greg for the information. I'll post back to let you know how things turn out.

8. 
   Dave_Otto | Jan 23, 2001 04:41am | #12

   *My saga continues. The floor now has two humps in it. It looks like it buckled. The humps are perpendicular to the seam and occurs in both pieces. The strange part is that the humps start almost at a point, spread to approx. 4" wide and then narrow. The perimeter of the vinyl is not humped. Finally the two anomolies approx. 36" apart, and I'm pretty sure that neither occurs over top of a seam in the underlayment. At least the homeowner is patient (for now). Everything else on this job has been going well. Livin' and learnin' the joy of self employment.

2. 
   Dave_Otto | Jan 23, 2001 04:41am | #13

   *
   I just completed my first vinyl flooring installation that required a seam. The seam was approx. 16' long. I glued both pieces down except for about one foot from where the seam would be. I used a straight edge and cut both pieces at the same time (textbook stuff). The seam was rolled with a 100lb roller, cleaned, and sealer applied. Cutting to the chase -- it looks bad. The seam is more visible today than when it was glued. The vinyl and glue sat for almost 72 hours in the house. I'm fearing that I just didn't get the pieces tight enough before sealing. Any suggestions on how to fix?