Vinyl Flooring Installation in Lithonia, GA

The floor you see is rarely the only one in the room. Before any vinyl flooring installation in Lithonia, the first real question is what sits beneath the current surface and whether it should come out or stay as a base. That answer drives preparation, finished height, the edge details and a good share of the estimate.

We install sheet vinyl and vinyl tile, glued or loose-laid. If you would rather have a floating, click-lock rigid-core plank, our LVP flooring installation page for Lithonia covers it.

Carpet: pad, tack strip and staples

Under carpet there is usually a foam pad, staples holding it to the subfloor and tack strips nailed around the edges of the room. All of it comes out. Staples are pulled rather than hammered flat, tack strip nails are removed, and pad residue is scraped off. What remains is often plywood or OSB with seams, nail heads and the odd paint spill, and those details decide how much patching or new underlayment the vinyl needs.

Old sheet vinyl or vinyl tile beneath

An older resilient floor can sometimes stay as a base if it is a single layer, firmly adhered, not cushioned and in sound condition. Its embossed texture is filled with a leveling compound so the old pattern does not telegraph through the new material. Loose edges, curling seams, a cushioned backing or several layers stacked on one another usually mean removal.

Age matters as well. Older vinyl products and the black adhesives used under some of them can contain asbestos, so a floor of uncertain age should be tested before anyone sands, scrapes or tears it out.

Ceramic tile, painted concrete and hardwood

Ceramic tile can stay if it is firmly attached and the grout lines are filled flush with a suitable patch; otherwise the joints will show through as a grid. Painted or sealed concrete is a different problem: adhesive grips the coating, not the slab, so coatings are usually ground off before a glue-down floor. Solid hardwood is generally covered with a new underlayment panel first, because board edges and gaps would print through thin vinyl.

How layering affects heights and edges

Every layer kept or added raises the finished floor. Leveling compound, an underlayment panel and the vinyl itself can add enough height that doors drag, the dishwasher gets trapped and the step into the next room needs a reducer instead of a flat transition. We measure at each doorway and appliance opening before deciding what stays.

Edges change too. If the old floor comes out, the gap left under the baseboard may be wider than a shoe molding can cover; if it stays, the new surface may sit higher than the base was set for.

Choosing a wear surface once the base is sound

With the substrate settled, attention turns to the vinyl itself. A thicker wear surface resists scratches from grit and pet nails, and a lightly textured finish hides scuffs better than a high gloss. Upkeep is straightforward: sweep or vacuum, damp mop with a cleaner the manufacturer approves, and keep a mat outside exterior doors to catch grit before it reaches the floor.

If tear-out in Lithonia uncovers more

Lithonia is in DeKalb County. If uncovering the old floor reveals damage that leads to structural repair, or the project adds plumbing or electrical work, the City of Lithonia’s building permits page is the place to check whether a permit is required for that work.

Frequently asked questions

How can I find out what is under my carpet before an estimate?

Look where the carpet ends, such as at a floor register, a closet corner or a doorway transition, and you can often see the layers. Pulling back a corner inside a closet works too if you are comfortable reattaching it. We check these same places during the visit, and if the layers are still unclear, the estimate notes how a surprise beneath the carpet would be handled.

Can new vinyl go over more than one layer of old flooring?

Usually not. Most vinyl manufacturers accept a single layer of existing resilient flooring that is fully adhered, smooth and not cushioned, and they want its texture filled first. Several stacked layers tend to flex, add height and hide problems underneath, so the usual answer is removal down to the subfloor. The product’s installation instructions are the deciding document.

Can vinyl be installed over old hardwood floors?

It can, but rarely directly. Solid wood boards expand and contract with the seasons, and their edges, gaps and any cupping would show through thin vinyl. The usual approach is a new underlayment panel fastened over the hardwood, which creates a smooth, stable surface. If the hardwood is in decent shape, it is worth asking whether refinishing it would serve you better.

Tell us what is on the floor now

Call 404-409-4448 and describe the room and the flooring in it today; if you already know what lies underneath, mention that too. We can come out to look, measure and check the substrate, then give you a written estimate based on what we find. Our remodeling services in Lithonia page lists other work we handle.