Last summer, SRI & Company helped prevent a specialized healthcare facility in Central New Jersey from making a costly mistake after we were awarded a contract to install new flooring as part of a major renovation project.
The existing vinyl composition tile (VCT) floors were sturdy and had held up quite well, but after more than two decades of heavy foot traffic, rolling equipment, and frequent cleaning, they were ready for replacement. Sheet vinyl flooring was to be installed throughout most of the facility, and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) was selected for nurses’ stations and other support areas.
The problem arose when, in an effort to lower project costs, project managers asked a local flooring representative if sheet vinyl could be installed on top of VCT. Technically, the answer to this question is “sometimes”, but in most cases, it is advisable to remove the existing flooring first. Whether or not the representative informed the owners of the various limitations and caveats is unclear, but it was decided that the original flooring would not be removed. SRI advised against this and strongly recommended removing the VCT prior to the new installation.
Ideally, existing flooring should be removed to ensure that new sheet goods adhere properly to the concrete substrate. If there is a good bond between the original floor and the concrete and there are no moisture issues, there are sheet vinyl products on the market that can be installed over an existing floor. In most cases, however, a mechanical bond between vinyl and concrete in which an adhesive penetrates the pores in the slab will almost always be superior to a chemical bond between vinyl products.
On SRI & Co.’s advice, the owners opted to remove the original floor and, as it turned out, avoided what would have been a costly mistake. After removing the VCT, we tested the slab and discovered significant moisture in the concrete. Had the VCT not been removed prior to installation, vapor migrating upward between seams and gaps would have become trapped between the two floors, resulting in buckling of the sheet vinyl floor and adhesive failure.
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