Vinyl 'click' flooring.. Who knew?

[Mullardman]

So as part of the bathroom refurb, I decided to finally put down some 'click' vinyl flooring.
Less than 5 m square as much of the room is occupied by a bath. But 'if a job's worth doing' etc.. so I've spent some time prepping the floor, which is traditional floorboards.
However, still concerned by dire vinyl manufacturers warnings of total failure if the sub floor is anything less than totally flat, I decided to line the floor with 3mm hardboard. Only later did I discover that I'm supposed to 'condition' the hardboard with water and let it rest for 24 hours, so that supposedly, it will expand, then shrink again when fitted..eliminating bumps. It makes sense, but I'm left wondering how many floor layers would bother with the 'at least 48 hours' 'acclimation' of the vinyl, then 24 hours pratting about with wet hardboard.. in a typical domestic setting? Istm they would be in, done and gone in less than a day..
Am I overthinking this?
Views?

 

[daytona600]

 

[garyi]

My parents have that all through the ground floor and basically its an old rema house so the floor aint great, it looks good. In terms of hardboard just don't knock it together tight. I have never heard of getting it wet and I fitted carpet and vinyl for a couple of years with my dad who fitted it all his life.

 

[Pete MB&D]

I thought that you wet the hardboard so it expands and then fit it, so it shrinks and tightens as it dries.

Pete

 

[steveinspain]

I thought that you wet the hardboard so it expands and then fit it, so it shrinks and tightens as it dries.

Pete

Yup, that's what I was taught and did many times, and I still walk on several floors I laid like that and all are fine, one was done in 1986. Back then I was renovating victorian houses so there was time to soak the boards. I imagine now there must an alternative that doesn't need prep, although I doubt it gets used unless cost is no object.
Interesting that @garyi and his dad never did, maybe it was rather OTT and urban myth as if they were laying flooring every day they'd have known of any problems.

 

[stevec67]

I suspect that the pros simply leave a few expansion joints. It's a bathroom, there will be some moisture. I've done this before but only 3mm ply, so less prone to expand ing and bowing.

 

[hifinutt]

i have never conditioned hardboard under vinyl , i doubt many would do that these days !!! last lot i did i glued it down first .

 

[matt j]

I've only ever put ply down, not heard of wetting it.

 

[Mullardman]

Thanks for all contributions.
Here's what B&Q say..

Brown Hardboard (L)1.22m (W)2.44m (T)3mm | DIY at B&Q

Brown Hardboard (L)1.22m (W)2.44m (T)3mm - B&Q for all your home and garden supplies and advice on all the latest DIY trends

www.diy.com

But I accept that probably few would bother these days. I wet mine last night. Only 3 sheets. 1830mmx610. Just wiped over rough side with a wet cloth. They're going down today whatever.
I suspect a lot of the stuff online relates to issues of scale, but I'm not flooring a ballroom, just a small bathroom that's 3 m by 1.8 m with a whole chunk occupied by a bath.
Same with the click vinyl. Detailed instructions insist on expansion gaps all around, which is fair enough but surely the gap needs to be different according to size of installation? They also warn of failure if things run out of level by more than a mm or so over whatever distance, but once I've sorted a couple of obvious floorboard issues and put my hardboard down it will have to be a case of 'suck it and see'.

 

[Mullardman]

I thought that you wet the hardboard so it expands and then fit it, so it shrinks and tightens as it dries.

Pete

I thought that was what I said.

 

[Mullardman]

P.S. I reported in another thread that I had huge difficulty removing the inner concealed shelf from a nice new Geberit wall hung vanity cabinet. Even rang them and their young lady confirmed it takes " Some force".
So.went to the supplier and spent an hour with their showroom manager trying to remove identical drawer from their display unit. With "some force" we eventually succeeded and after a couple of practice runs I came home and tried again on my unit. Eventually succeeded, but 'Some force' resulted in damaged side rails on the drawer, cracking the waterproof coating leaving the drawer open to water ingress. A pretty poor engineering concept in my view as the drawer 'timber' has a hole which is pressed onto a steel pin on the drawer runner and removal according to the non verbal instructions involves twiddling a couple of gadgets which actually have no discernible function, then applying 'some force'.
Anyway, to their credit, Geberit are sending me a replacement drawer.

This refurb has been endlessly frustrating in many ways. Little things, but they add up. Had to return a nice new basin 'clacker' waste as there were flaws in the chrome plating. Exchanged without debate but another tooth on the ratchet.. Then quickly tired of so called 'bathroom showrooms', suppliers who don't actually stock anything but 'can have in a few days'. Finally found somewhere with actual flooring stock, but didn't know the area and Satnav took me in circles several times by insisting that I needed to turn right onto the road I was already on! Then spent ages trying to order a splashback from Screwfix before their 'help bot' told me it was out of stock...but that not stated anywhere on website and no info as to restocking times. Eventually ordered same from B&Q for a couple of quid more. B&Q and Screwfix both owned by Kngfisher! I could go on...
OK.. and breathe....

 

[garyi]

Regards expansion I just don’t see it as an issue with vinyl, I suspect they just don’t want you butting it so tight that it warps. In fact I have laid yards of pretend wood flooring over the years and left no more than a few mm on edges without ever having an issue.

Where I fitted natural oak downstairs I followed the rules with that!