Vinyl planks are slippery, so be very careful when pulling back on the blade. Vinyl flooring is a great way to change the appearance of a room without spending too much money. Before getting started with installing your vinyl plank flooring on any of the walls in your home, it is crucial to ensure that the surface it will be installed on is clean, dry and smooth. Vinyl plank flooring is made to look like real wood but skips the large price tag. The first step is to prep the room where you will be installing the vinyl plank flooring by removing all furniture and sweeping any debris or dirt. In addition to being waterproof, the vinyl planks had the texture of real wood grain, were heavy enough to feel solid underfoot, and had a convincing look complete with knots and splits. How to Install Vinyl Flooring. The products we saw were virtually indistinguishable from ‘the real thing.’ Even better, all we needed to do the job was a carpenter square and a utility knife. If the remainder had been less than 2″, we would have had to ‘rip’ an inch or two off the first plank we put down. If not, finish the cut by lightly running the utility knife through the fold. Vinyl plank flooring, like laminate or wood flooring, needs to have a layout that is pleasing to the eye. Deane Biermeier is a contractor with 27 years experience in home repair, maintenance, and remodeling. Vinyl Plank Flooring Installers In Your Area Vinyl is a great flooring choice for every room in your house, but it can be frustrating to install, even for the most avid DIYers. Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. Door case molding is relatively easy to remove and replace, and removing it produces a cleaner installation. Installing vinyl planks is a cost-effective way to provide different looks to your home. It is easy to cut, requires no bonding to the subfloor, and snaps together edge-to-edge and end-to-end. Each break was quite clean. If you do manually nail, use a nail-set to recess the nail heads below the surface of the trim. The first move in installing vinyl plank flooring over concrete is to determine the area that needs to be covered. Installing in rooms wider than this require that you split up tiles. Below are a few hints and tips to keep in mind when using vinyl plank flooring on walls. Measure the width of the room, and divide it by the width of the exposed portion of the plank before you start installing vinyl plank flooring. One thing that hasn’t changed about installing vinyl flooring—or any type of flooring, for the matter—is the need for a perfectly smooth and level underlayment. No more boring patterns or unconvincing imitations of wood, tile, and stone. Just be sure that fastener heads are set below the underlayment surface; otherwise they will telegraph through to the finished floor. Tip: You may install vinyl over vinyl if the existing floor is one layer thick. This was not one of those times. You can technically install vinyl plank over laminate flooring, but it’s not advised due to the physical properties of the vinyl plank and laminate and the methods with which both are installed. Joe Provey, 11 Indoor Gardening Projects Absolutely Anyone Can Do, 8 Easy and Affordable Garage Floor Options, Easy-Care Entryway: Replacing Carpet with Tile, 5 Little-Known Advantages of Linoleum Flooring. I knew that vinyl flooring had come a long way since the days when I was a young father, but even within the past few years, there have been eye-popping advancements. Position the first plank from the starting wall using ¼-inch spacers. To do so, plan to leave an expansion gap between the floor and the wall that is anywhere from 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch. Run the knife lightly across the face of the plank several times rather than trying to cut it in one pass. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. Ideally, the surface should be smooth, flat, and tightly sealed. How to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring | Tips & Tricks - YouTube To cut the planks, we only had to measure and then score the flooring the back side with a utility knife. Includes planning, equipment and material acquisition, area preparation and protection, setup and cleanup. The planks were designed to join together at half-lap joints with contact adhesive pre-applied to the mating surfaces. This is the guide for only who loves how to stagger vinyl plank flooring!. Born out of the DIY generation of home improvement, vinyl plank flooring is an affordable surrogate for traditional hardwood floors. Vinyl sheets are softer and are made of vinyl resting on a backing sheet of fiberglass. Vinyl plank flooring comes in a few different sizes. Your last row might be slightly uneven because few rooms are truly square. Today I’m sharing how we installed new vinyl plank floors over top of our existing ceramic tile flooring with just a few easy steps to ensure it was properly level. Manually nailing with a hammer, while possible, can easily damage the trim, while a brad nailer does this work effortlessly. How to Install Vinyl Flooring. My son recently asked for help installing vinyl flooring in his bathroom. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When using tongue and groove planks, vinyl flooring installation should start in a lefthand corner with the tongue facing the wall. And then baseboard is another leap forward… it’s so exciting! A moderate-sized room can easily be covered with vinyl plank flooring with just a few hours of work. Upon dividing the width of the room by the plank width of 6″, we found that the remainder—2-1/2″—would indeed be wide enough. How to Install Allure Vinyl Plank Flooring, How to Install Shoe Molding or Quarter-Round Molding, How to Fit Baseboards With Mitered Inside Corners, Vinyl Plank (Luxury Vinyl) Flooring Review: Pros and Cons, How to Save Your Laminate Floors From Water Damage, How to Prepare for Hardwood Floor Installation, How to Choose the Right Subfloor Leveling Techniques, Vinyl vs. Laminate Flooring Comparison Guide. Next, you will need to measure the … When installing the replacement luan, careful measuring was necessary to make sure floor penetrations would align with cutouts in the underlayment. Prying Up Damaged Floor Underlayment. Installing vinyl plank flooring. Are you looking for renovating and giving a new and different look to the flooring of your house? Lay the first plank, appropriately spaced from the wall. Providing that floor is structurally sound and smooth. The planks have a click-lock system that closely resembles that of laminate flooringbut vinyl fl… Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Photo: JProvey. No doubt you bought your vinyl plank flooring as much for ease of installation as you did for its looks. Vinyl plank flooring is a great way to upgrade the flooring in any room of your home and is a relatively easy process for installation. The best vinyl plank flooring will give you years of trouble-free use, is easy to maintain and suits the style and décor of your home . Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring on the Staircase. You agree that BobVila.com may process your data in the manner described by our Privacy Policy. At least 48 hours prior to installation, place the new vinyl plank flooring in the room for acclimation. Your goal is to create the flattest, smoothest surface possible as the underlayment for the vinyl plank flooring. Today I’m sharing some tips, tools, and tricks to installing vinyl plank over concrete. Often, removing doors from their hinges helps with installation, too. While you could have purchased solid hardwood or engineered wood or ceramic or porcelain tile, you may well have chosen vinyl flooring because you knew you could do it all by yourself and very inexpensively. Vinyl plank flooring installation cost is $1.50-$2.75 per square foot for most jobs. Make sure that end joints are staggered so they are at least 6 inches away from the end joints in the previous row. During installation, mix planks from different boxes to blend the dye lots and patterns for a more uniform appearance. Vinyl plank flooring is also ideal for high-moisture areas such as bathrooms and basements since the material is completely impervious to water. But there has since been an explosion of offerings for vinyl plank flooring, including products that look like ceramic and porcelain, and natural stone like marble or granite. If necessary, a draw bar can be used to tug this final narrow plank into place against the previous row. When installing vinyl plank flooring, it is important to plan accordingly for the expansion and contraction of the floor. Vinyl plank flooring is flexible enough that it can usually be bent enough to get fit around door frames and other protrusions. Where you encounter obstacles such as door frames or floor ducts, vinyl planks can be easily snipped to the desired shape with tin snips or heavy-duty shop scissors. Tips on Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring. When things suddenly and drastically changed this spring with the pandemic and our spring break holidays ... Read More about How to Install Vinyl Plank Over Tile Floors Vinyl plank flooring can usually be laid right over existing flooring, but if there are any high spots, they should be sanded down to create a flush surface for the new floor. Of all of the do-it-yourself floor coverings, vinyl plank flooring (also known as luxury vinyl) is one of the simplest to install. As you can see, vinyl flooring is a simple to install, low-cost solution to your flooring needs. The brand you choose to go with … After the floor is laid, re-attach the baseboards and trim, preferably using an pneumatic brad nailer. Do not install in wet areas like patios and showers, or in exterior areas; Do not install over radiant heat. My son chose a rustic pine plank-style flooring, ideal for areas that get wet. Ring shank nails or staples work well, too. With a few tools, you can transform any room of your house and give your tired floor a facelift in as little as a few days. The most common vinyl floorings are 36 and 48 inches in length and can range anywhere from 4 to 12 inches wide. Cutting vinyl planks to size is similar to how drywall panels are cut. In our case, we decided with little hesitation to rip out the underlayment and replace it with 1/4″ luan plywood. For example, if your room measures 123 in., and your flooring is 5.75 in. As with previous rows, join these narrow planks end-to-end, then fold the tongues into the grooves of the previous row. Vinyl Plank Flooring Sizes. Screwing Underlayment to Subfloor. Vinyl Tile Flooring Installation Labor, Basic Basic labor to install vinyl tile flooring with favorable site conditions. The corners and adhesive need to match up just right, and your floors may need an underlayer or a bit of repair before installation. wide, you’d divide 123 by 5.75, which is 21.39. Layout pattern. Of course, there is no sawing involved in vinyl plank flooring. We recommend vinyl tiles for stair installations, as the tiles are more manageable than vinyl sheets. Do not install under permanent kitchen cabinets when floating; Do not install on concrete unless proper moisture testing is … Installation: while our vinyl sheets need to be loose laid on the floor, most of our vinyl planks need to be glued down to the subfloor. Vinyl plank flooring can usually be laid right over existing flooring, but if there are any high spots, they should be sanded down to create a flush surface for the new floor. Perfect every time! After making the cutouts, first attach the plank to the adjoining plank while holding the cut-out plank upward, at an angle. If you are laying the flooring over a plywood subfloor, fill any depressions with a floor-leveling compound. If you install it on top of laminate, the vinyl plank flooring will end up uneven and look unprofessional. A drawbar tool can be used to gently pull the end plank to snug-up these joints. Plan to stagger rows so that end joints do not fall at the same point for adjacent rows. We tore up the old underlayment using a hefty prybar and banged home the nails left behind. What I found surprised me. Depending on the nature of the obstruction, it may be necessary to disassemble previous planks in order to navigate the cutout plank into position. Leave a 1/4-inch gap at the wall and at the ends; spacers can be placed against the walls to establish this expansion gap. At the final planks in a row, the end butt joints can be tricky to fit. Then slowly fold down the cut-out plank until it locks into place with the adjoining plank. But baseboards or shoe moldings will usually obscure this unevenness. Alternatively, you can use a fine-tooth handsaw to cut straight through the entire plank. The average life of vinyl plank flooring is 10-15 years, but thicker vinyl plank floorings can last upto 25 years. At the far wall, the last row of planks may need to be trimmed lengthwise to fit. The hole for the toilet drain, and notches for for valves and piping, were cut with a saber saw. The underlayment was fastened to the subfloor with screws 8″ apart in each direction, and all joints and fastener holes were filled with patching compound. Sometimes old underlayment can be reused. In a small bathroom, the most visible row might be the one that runs alongside the bathtub. Copyright © 2020 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Trim molding is typically attached with thin brad-like nails, and it can be removed by carefully prying it off with a flat pry bar. At least 48 hours prior to installation, place the new vinyl plank flooring in the room for acclimation. Of course, things aren’t often ideal in the world of remodeling and some floors need to be fixed before vinyl floor installation. Clear debris from level, clean floor or subfloor. Your goal is to create the flattest, smoothest surface possible as the underlayment for the vinyl plank flooring. Photo: JProvey. Vinyl Plank Flooring Prices Installation Preparation Engineered Vinyl Plank Flooring. One plank lies flat on the subfloor, while the other plank is held at an angle and placed into the first board's receiving groove. Vinyl plank flooring originally became popular because it mimicked wood plank flooring very convincingly—more so than even plastic laminate flooring. Start with a full plank at the center, and work to either side, so that cut planks at the ends will be of equal length. Installing Click Lock Vinyl Plank Flooring Trim the short tongue edge from the first vinyl plank. Fold the plank back. Then, flip the board over so that the finished surface is facing down. Prepare the Floor. Cost factors are explained in detail below, but the most important one is who installs the flooring. Perhaps the only tricky part of the job was ensuring that, upon reaching the other side of the room, we didn’t end up with a too-narrow final plank (less than 2″ wide). Because of this, it can typically be installed over existing flooring. You may want to use this opportunity to replace shoe moldings or other trim, especially if the old trim was cracked or damaged when it was removed. 4. Lengthwise cuts are best made with a utility knife guided by a long straightedge, using multiple passes of the knife until the planks are cut to the desired width. We used Golden Select Vinyl Plank in Smokey Barrel. If the floor is level, carry on. You may Choose to Create a Focus on a Particular Area in the Room Make sure to cut it narrow enough to provide a 1/4-inch gap between the planks and the wall. Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. You can place shims between the floor and wall to … DIY installation is free, except for tools you might need to purchase. New moldings installed alongside new flooring makes for a very polished, elegant look. Photo: JProvey. Folding the second board until it lies flat and parallel to the first board helps to draw the boards together and lock them in place. With an installation process easy enough for a DIYer, this flooring option will give any space a polished look that will last for years. Step 5 – Apply Adhesive. In this post, we will be providing you with tips on how to install stick down luxury vinyl flooring … Use your level to check the surface of the floor. 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