How to Measure & Cut Fiberglass Cushioned Flooring

Measuring to Estimate Materials

• 1

  Measure along one wall from end to end, rounding up the measurement to whole feet, then measure a perpendicular wall.

• 2

  Multiply the two measurements to determine the square footage of the room. For example, if both walls are 12 feet long, the floor is 144 square feet.

• 3

  Divide the square footage by 9, which is the square footage of 1 yard and the dimensions by which flooring is usually sold. A 144-square-foot floor needs 16 square yards of flooring, plus any overage that you choose to purchase in case of errors and for pattern matching along seams.

Template for Small Rooms

• 4

  Tape several sheets of newspaper or brown craft paper together to form a single sheet slightly larger than the room’s floor.

• 5

  Lay the taped sheet of paper on the floor, making preliminary cuts with a utility knife or scissors around obstacles, such as a toilet or sink, to allow the paper to lie somewhat flat. It is unnecessary to remove built-in items when laying fiberglass cushioned vinyl flooring.

• 6

  Smooth the paper across the floor with your hands, pressing and creasing it against the edges of each obstacle in the room.

• 7

  Trim the sheet closely around all obstacles and the edges of the room.

• 8

  Roll out the vinyl, right-side facing up, and lay the paper template on top of the vinyl.

• 9

  Arrange the template until you are pleased with its placement, using the patterns on the vinyl as an aesthetic guide.

• 10

  Tape the paper to the vinyl, using only enough masking tape to keep the paper from shifting.

• 11

  Trace the template’s outline onto the vinyl with a washable marker, removing the tape to access the edges of the template as needed.

• 12

  Cut the vinyl along the lines with the utility knife.

Measuring for Larger Rooms

• 13

  Measure the floor along the wall where the factory- or store-cut end of the vinyl will fit.

• 14

  Measure across the end of the vinyl to that measurement plus 6 inches and mark it with a washable marker.

• 15

  Measure a perpendicular wall, apply that measurement plus 6 inches to the side edge of the vinyl and mark it.

• 16

  Lay a yardstick or straightedge on the vinyl, extending straight out from either mark. Align the yardstick with the flooring pattern until it is straight and trace its edge with a marker. Repeat at the perpendicular edge on the mark, then extend both lines across the flooring until they intersect.

• 17

  Cut the flooring along both lines with a utility knife.

• 18

  Lay the flooring in place, sliding it to align the pattern as needed.

• 19

  Cut through the vinyl at each corner of the room and on each side of doorways from the outer edge of the vinyl straight down to the floor. These short cuts prevent buckling, tearing or folding at the corners and doorways, allowing the vinyl to lie flat.

• 20

  Press the vinyl against the edge of the floor and cut it along the wall edge with a utility knife. Continue around the room until the excess material is removed.

• 21

  Allow the excess vinyl to remain in the doorway or threshold, as the transition strip’s instructions will guide you through trimming or covering it.

• 22

  Trim approximately 1/8 inch off each edge of the vinyl, except in the doorway, to make a small space between the edge of the vinyl and the wall.