Vinyl Floor – Full Glue vs Perimeter Glue

Q: Under what circumstances would a vinyl floor be fully glued vs. perimeter glue?
Diana
Buffalo, NY
A: Vinyl has come a long way as far as how it is manufactured and how it can be installed. The old rule of thumb was that a fiber back vinyl was fully glued and flex back vinyls were perimeter glued, but in recent years this has changed quite a bit. Nowadays, the few remnant collections of flex back vinyl are still perimeter glue only, but now many fiber backed vinyls can be installed with the perimeter glue method.
In the case of smaller rooms, such as a bathroom, you will still usually want to install vinyl with a full spread across the entire floor. With how small these areas are (relatively speaking of course) there is not much vinyl to weight the floor down (this is very similar to the philosophy behind floating wood floors), so you want to use adhesive across the entire floor to ensure it remains in place.
In rooms any larger than a bathroom, many installers will use only perimeter glue method including around all vents and in front of appliances. Typically a 3-5 inch band of adhesive, although follow the adhesive or vinyl’s instructions if this differs, suffices to form proper bond and anchor the vinyl down without fear of peeling or excessive movement. When vinyl is installed in larger rooms with a perimeter glue method, you still need to leave some room for expansion and keep in mind that these floors are slightly more susceptible to damage from moving heavy furniture (dragging heavy objects) over the floor than a vinyl floor which is fully glued.
Beyond objects being dragged, perimeter glued vinyl is just as resilient as fully glued vinyl and you get the benefit of them being less likely to telegraph any discrepancies in the subfloor through. However, much like fully glued vinyl, you should still use an embossing leveler in order to ensure there is no issues with the subfloor being telegraphed through the vinyl.
In the end, if the vinyl you are looking at can be perimeter or fully glued, it becomes a matter of opinion and room size. Some vinyl installers will use only the perimeter method as it is much easier to remove should it need to be replaced. Most apartment complexes use the perimeter method for ease. If you intend to do this install yourself, examine the room(s) you will be installing in and decide if they are larger enough for a perimeter glue install. If they are, use a thick perimeter of adhesive just to be sure. In smaller rooms like bathrooms, ensure to fully glue the floor.