The planks will not lie flat, a joint pops open, or a gap shows at the wall a month later. Almost every vinyl plank problem starts under the floor or at the first three rows. So check what is underneath first, then start straight.
Check this first: the subfloor
- Clean, dry and level. Lowe’s lists all three. Vacuum and sweep, because dirt in a joint keeps it from locking, as the double wide video notes.
- Bumps. In the whole-house video, a bump at a seam was taken down with an electric hand planer, starting with a little more than 1/32 in. A plywood ridge in the double wide was ground down with a circular saw set about an eighth of an inch deep.
- Low spots. Both videos fill them with patching compound. The double wide used a floor patch good for 1/8 to 1/4 in. at most, which took about an hour and a half to dry enough to build on. The other video back-fills tile grout lines the same way.
- Water. One video says that if the floor gets wet in a basement or flood, you have to tear it up, because you cannot take the boards apart and reinstall them.
- What you are covering. Vinyl plank can go over tile, concrete or wood (Lowe’s), and the whole-house video went over old hardwood and bathroom tile. Old flooring is a safety issue, too. Health Canada’s asbestos page lists floor and ceiling tiles among older building materials that may contain asbestos, so have old tile tested before you remove or sand it.
At a glance
| Skill | Beginner to intermediate. All three videos rate it DIY |
| Time | Not stated in the videos |
| Cost | Not stated in the videos. Price the flooring per square foot where you shop |
| Safety | Safety glasses at the saw, knee pads |
Step 1: Work out how much to buy
Lowe’s has a free calculator. Enter the room size and it gives the amount of flooring with 10% added for mistakes and cuts. Treat a closet as a second space. The product you buy may state its own waste allowance, so read the box.
Step 2: Read the spec sheet
The double wide installer says to check the product’s spec sheet for your climate. That sheet gives the expansion gap and how far the floor can run without a transition: he says his product can run 80 ft in each direction with a 1/2 in. gap around the outside, but follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your product. Mike’s First Flip used a 1/4 in. gap off the walls with spacers.
Step 3: Set a straight start
- Pick the starting line. The whole-house install snapped a chalk line down the middle of the hallway and measured plank-face widths to the starting wall. Because that would leave only a sliver at the wall, he centred a seam on the line instead.
- Build three rows first. In the double wide video, three locked and staggered rows are checked with a laser line before the first row is committed. If a row is crooked, the whole floor is.
- Temporary screws. He pre-drills and sets temporary screws around the perimeter so the floor cannot be pulled out of shape by the tapping block. The 3/4 in. baseboard covers the holes, and he removes the screws before it goes on.
Step 4: Click, tap and stagger
- Tongue-and-groove planks lock by lining them up, lifting one end slightly and dropping it down. Lowe’s says to lock the top first, then scoot over.
- A tapping block seats the joint. A scrap plank makes a tapping block. Tap lightly, about a three or four out of ten, and use a pull bar to close any gap.
- If it does not lay flat, it is not locked, says the double wide installer. Hairline gaps matter because the floor’s water resistance depends on tight joints.
- Stagger seams. Lowe’s says at least 8 in. for its product. The whole-house video says 8 to 10 in., and works from six to eight open boxes to mix colour and grain. Check your maker’s number.
Step 5: Cut
Score the plank once or twice with a utility knife and square, flip it and snap it. The double wide installer says one score is enough, and that a second score line makes a second weak spot that can chip; Lowe’s scores a couple of times. Test on a scrap. A circular saw, jigsaw, table saw or miter saw handles notches and rips. He advises against buying an expensive vinyl cutter. Wear safety glasses.
Step 6: Doors, vents, wires and appliances
- Door frames. Undercut the frame with an oscillating tool, using a scrap plank as a guide so the plank slides underneath. Allow about half an inch for a jamb, as the whole-house video does.
- Dishwasher. If it is installed, bring the flooring up to its feet. If there is no machine yet, install the floor all the way in.
- Toilet flange and vanity. Trace the flange with a pencil to make a template, and leave an expansion gap.
Step 7: Finish with trim
Quarter round or baseboard covers the expansion gap. Nail into the wall or the molding, never into the floor (Lowe’s). For trim, see Baseboard and Crown Moulding.
Mistakes to avoid
- Laying over a bump or a low spot and hoping the planks will bridge it.
- Dirt in a joint.
- Pinching the floor against the wall. The gap is there for expansion.
- Rows that start crooked.
- Nailing trim into the floor.
Tools and materials
- Utility knife, tape measure, circular saw, jigsaw, oscillating multi-tool, random orbit sander
- Spacers, tapping block, pull bar, knee pads, patching compound
Watch it done
- The Install vinyl plank flooring job and the Flooring system
- The Living room and Whole house rooms
- Next: Paint a room, or Install baseboard trim
- If you are doing a bathroom, see Planning a Bathroom Remodel: The Order of Work
If that didn’t fix it
If a joint will not lock, check for dirt, then check the subfloor under it with a straightedge. If the floor is rising in the middle or gapping at the wall, you may have run it too far without a gap. Lift the trim and check the manufacturer’s limit. If the subfloor is wet, soft or smells, stop and find the water, and call a pro for anything structural.
Sources
- Shown on this site, source of the three-row start, temporary screws, gaps and low-spot filler. Installing Click-Lock Vinyl Plank Floors in a Double Wide (video) Source
- Shown on this site, source of the centre-line layout, leveling, and installing rooms backwards. Whole-House LVP Install With No Transitions: Layout to Last Row (video, Mike’s First Flip) Source
- Shown on this site, source of the estimating, spacers and the 10 percent allowance. Laying Click-Together Vinyl Plank Over a Wood Subfloor (video, Lowe’s Home Improvement) Source
- Health Canada. Asbestos and your health Source