Fitting guide · dctuk.com · 0345 222 1544 · Flooring that ain’t boring
Tarkett luxury vinyl tiles
How to fit Tarkett LVT flooring
Tarkett LVT comes two ways. iD Inspiration and iD Essential are glue-down. Starfloor Click and iD Click Ultimate slot together and float. Check the back of a plank — if there's a locking profile, you want the click method.
- Difficulty
- Click: easy. Glue-down: moderate
- Time
- A day for a 20m² room
- People
- 1–2 people
- Skill level
- Confident beginner
What you’ll need to fit Tarkett luxury vinyl tiles
- Sharp utility knife and lots of spare blades
- Metal straight edge
- Tape measure and pencil
- White-headed rubber mallet (click)
- Spacers (click)
- Notched trowel and LVT adhesive (glue-down)
- Heavy floor roller (glue-down)
Before you start
24 hours in the room
Leave the boxes in the room they're going in for at least a day, at 15–25°C.
Check the floor is flat
Tarkett want no more than 3mm of dip under a 2m straight edge in the UK. That's tighter than you'd think — check it before you commit.
Take up carpet and needlefelt
Both have to come up. Click ranges can go over ceramic tiles, which is handy.
Underfloor heating off
48 hours before, 48 hours after, then a few degrees a day.
How to fit Tarkett luxury vinyl tiles, step by step
Work out which type you've got
Locking profile on the plank edges means click. Flat edges all round means glue-down. They're completely different jobs.
CLICK: leave the expansion gap
5mm all round for iD Inspiration Click Solid, 6mm for Starfloor Click Ultimate — including around pipes and door frames. Use spacers.
CLICK: start left, tongue to the wall
Put the first plank in the left-hand corner with the tongue side facing the wall, then work left to right.
CLICK: angle and tap
Engage each plank at about 30° and lower it, then tap the joint home with a white-headed rubber mallet. White specifically — a black mallet can mark the surface.
CLICK: stagger the ends
Keep end joints at least 30cm apart from row to row, and aim for the last row to be about half a plank wide.
GLUE-DOWN: set out from the centre
Chalk a cross through the middle of the room, check it's square, and dry-lay to check your edge cuts are over 10cm.
GLUE-DOWN: spread and wait
Use an acrylic LVT adhesive at roughly 250g per square metre with a fine-notched trowel. Wait for it to go tacky — touch it, and if it transfers to your finger it isn't ready.
GLUE-DOWN: mind the arrows
Tarkett lay their glue-down tiles in a checkerboard, following reverse arrows — so each tile is turned relative to its neighbour. Planks get staggered end joints instead.
GLUE-DOWN: roll and wait
Roll the whole floor both ways with a heavy roller. Then leave it: no foot traffic for 48 hours, no furniture for 72.
Watch it being done
How to install iD Click Ultimate LVT — Tarkett's official click installation video.
The Tarkett bits that catch people out
Big rooms need a break
iD Inspiration Click Solid shouldn't run more than 15m in one direction or cover more than 150m² without a break. Starfloor Click Ultimate goes to about 20m and 400m².
Don't fix it down — ever
Click ranges must float. Never screw, nail or glue them to the floor, underlay, furniture or fittings. Skirting fixes to the wall, not through the floor.
Latex smoothing compound has limits
Tarkett specifically warn that latex smoothing compounds aren't suitable in heavy traffic areas.
Bathrooms up to 12m²
In a small damp room, you're allowed to silicone the perimeter expansion gap. Everywhere else, leave it open.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the expansion gap on click ranges.
- Using a black rubber mallet, which marks the planks.
- Laying glue-down LVT into wet adhesive.
- Running a click floor more than 15–20m without a threshold break.
- Walking on freshly glued LVT before 48 hours.
Tarkett fitting questions, answered
Is Tarkett LVT click or glue-down?
Both. iD Inspiration and iD Essential are glue-down; Starfloor Click and iD Click Ultimate are click. Look at the plank edge — a locking profile means click.
What gap do I leave for Tarkett click flooring?
5mm for iD Inspiration Click Solid 30, 6mm for Starfloor Click Ultimate, all the way round including around pipes and door frames.
Do I need underlay for Tarkett click LVT?
Usually not — most Tarkett click ranges have acoustic backing built in. Underlay is optional and only for extra sound reduction.
Can Tarkett LVT go over ceramic tiles?
The click ranges can, as long as the tiles are sound and flat. Fill any wide grout lines first.
How long before I can walk on glue-down Tarkett LVT?
48 hours for foot traffic, 72 hours before moving furniture back.
Rather someone else did it?
If it's a big room, an awkward shape, or you just fancy a Saturday off, our own fitting teams cover the whole of the UK. Free site survey, tidy job, no dramas.
See how our fitting worksNationwide fitting, fully managed
Our own teams, a free site survey, and one point of contact from quote to clean-up.
Get a fitting quoteManufacturer’s own instructions: Tarkett UK documentation. Always check the guidance supplied in the box — ranges and backings vary.