South Wonston Village Hall, north of Winchester, has been the centre of village activities since 1985. It is a popular venue. It has a hall (with stage) capable of seating 150 people and a small meeting room for up to 25. The kitchen has full catering facilities. The hall hosts dances, concerts and community gatherings. It is used by many local clubs.

As a registered charity its Board of Trustees relies upon hire fees and fundraising to finance its upkeep, modernisation and renewal program. As part of the latter, we were asked to look at replacing the hall and lobby floor with something more vibrant, attractive and hard-wearing to replace the 35-year-old vinyl tiles.

It was decided that an LVT (luxury vinyl tile or plank) would give the overall performance that the hall needed. This highly resilient and thin, yet flexible material, has replaced laminate and become hugely popular. The wood and tile designs are printed and sealed under a layer of polyurethane and they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. LVT is tough, impervious to dents and scratches, is waterproof, warm to the touch and easy to keep clean. The LVT chosen was a medium oak colour from the LG Hausys’s, Deco tile range.

The first task was removing the existing tiles (1). Around the perimeter of the hall, they came up relatively easily. The well-trod central area was more difficult and required the use of a tile stripper (2). Once the hall was cleared of debris it was swept and vacuumed (3). The floor was then primed (4) and allowed to dry. LVT requires to be laid on a completely smooth and flat surface. A coat of latex provides an excellent base. The two-part chemical mix was stirred to a creamy consistency (5) and trowelled across the floor (6). Latex finds its own level but often requires sanding when dry (7). Once the dusty residue was vacuumed away (8) the floor was progressively coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and the planks were laid carefully in position (9). A heavy roller was used to give the pressure needed to bind the LVT firmly to the floor (10). The final result is pleasing to the eye (11) and should give many years of satisfactory service.

The difference was so appreciated that we went back and continued the floor replacement in the washrooms and rear corridors a few months later.