Maggie’s Installing a Vinyl Plank floor could use some help

[AngryKoala]

So I am installing a Vinyl Plank flooring on the whole first floor. I'm currently in the process of removing the tile, carpet and concrete board.

My main question is do I need to put new concrete board down or can I just lay the vinyl planks over the subfloor?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[Jgunner]

Most floor manufacturers say to use a moisture barrier. For floating floors you do not use tile/cement board. Even glue down go strait to the subfloor. I suggest removing baseboard and putting new(prob taller to hide the damage from removal) base on top.

 

[HiDesertELR]

Meh on the concrete board, unless the floor framing / sheathing is lacking...

Don't skip the floor leveler (yup, $50/bag is tough to swallow, but it makes all the difference)... unless it doesn't need to be perfect.

 

[AngryKoala]

So what moisture barrier would I add if I'm not adding the cement board? I'm stripping it down to the wood floor.

I will need the leveler as we have a dip from the kitchen to the family room.

 

[Jrb572]

Cork is a good barrier. If I’m not mistaken it resists mold also.

 

[Ken Burton]

Just tell them when buying you'll need a barrier and they'll have or should have something they put down with that flooring

 

[AngryKoala]

So the cement board is around a 1/4" I believe. I just need to match that thickness with the barrier or change the height of the baseboards, correct?

 

[Jgunner]

So what moisture barrier would I add if I'm not adding the cement board? I'm stripping it down to the wood floor.

I will need the leveler as we have a dip from the kitchen to the family room.

Ive see guy use tar paper, 4-6 mil plastic(can make it louder i think) or most of the thin pads out there are a moisture barrier. I just tape all my seams. On the plastic i know it can make certain flooring types louder when you step, or make some sort of noise. Could’ve been for other reasons, i am unsure.

Any time i am laying a floating floor i set it down on top of the underlayment and walk on it, have the customer walk on it to make sure its what they are expecting. Keeps you from pulling up floors to upgrade pad. Vinyl even if ut has pad on the back you should be able to run additional pad/moisture barrier, but it has to be thin.

 

[hollowoutadime]

I used QuietWalk over hardwood plywood underlayment. (all over 3/4 T&G OSB) Quiet and solid.

 

[Jigstick]

Don’t cut the shit balls tight to the walls either. Leave yourself some room for the planks to float and expand. Your baseboard should cover the gaps

 

[AngryKoala]

Don’t cut the shit balls tight to the walls either. Leave yourself some room for the planks to float and expand. Your baseboard should cover the gaps

How much of a gap? Assuming the gap can't be larger than the quarter round.

 

[Familydude]

How much of a gap? Assuming the gap can't be larger than the quarter round.

The flooring manufacturer should include a recommendation with the installation instructions. Typically 1/4”. Most usually also recommend purchasing the flooring and letting it acclimate for a period of time to the environment you’re going to install them in. In the case of vinyl flooring that may not be as great a concern. Check your install instructions to be sure.

 

[PD DUMPER]

Pour a floor leveling layer first. I actually put a heating system in my kitchen floor before the leveling. Then the plank flooring. NICE.

 

[nhdeadhead]

Make sure the subfloor is level ( sounds like you know that )

use an underlament such as tar paper or plastic or spend the $ to get the insulated stuff (3.5r value )

determine what you’ll be using for baseboard/moulding and make sure the gap from the wall is no greater than the width of said baseboard/moulding
— most call for a 5/8” gap to allow for contraction/expansion.

use a “shim” board on your starting row. If using a 5/8” gap use a piece of 5/8” board ran along the span of the wall. This will be ensure when you are hitting your pieces into each other they won’t move.

you can chop off an end of the board to use as a pounding block when installing but a speed square will be much more rigid just be mindful not to damage the tounge. You’ll want to place the edge of the speed square on the lip above the tounge and don’t be afraid to hit it like you’ve got a pair so it locks in tight.

play with a few pieces and see how they go together. Usually you’ll want to put the pieces into the tounge on an angle while pushing in and lowering the piece flat on the floor. Start each board about an 1/8” ahead of the previous board and once you have the piece flat on the floor tap it in tight with the hammer/square and then tap from the end to lock in that tounge as well.
After that it’s just repetition. Make sure to stagger your seams. Make the most of your cuts by having a starter and finisher pile ( if you start with a 12” piece from a 48” plank the remaining 36” can often be used to finish the row)

Feel free to pm me with any questions or if you have any trouble or if I forgot to clarify anything

good luck!

 

[Josh1978]

Once the sub floor is level, place a pad, (sold by the same folks that sold you the flooring) under your vinyl floor planks. It should come in rolls about 4’ wide and 100’ long or something. This product gives the flooring something to “float” on. Leave no less than an 1/8” gap all the way around the outside edge of the floor.
Good luck and posts pics when you are done.

 

[AngryKoala]

Thank you guys, going to take what everyone said and watch a few videos and I'll post some pics once done. Hoping to have it done by end of the month (so damn busy with kids/work). Thanks again!!!

 

[Jgunner]

Package should tell you how far off the wall. I will say i can ALWAYS tell the difference between a pro and a homeowner install. I undercut door jambs and use very little t bar. I will use it in places where i think it will come back out in the future, like baths and sometimes kitchens. But vinyl is way better with moisture than wood based floors, I believe it expands and contracts less. I would be between 1/8” and 1/4” off the wall or base(if you are using quarter round).

If it is too close to the edge of trim it can peek out when it contracts.

I do a random staggered rows. NEVER have two ends within 12” of each other. This is for two reasons: it looks better and its stronger. I do random so there isnt a pattern that repeats every other row. Its tacky. I start a row and the leftover cut end usually goes to the other side unless its less than 12” long. Sometimes you just sacrifice a partial board to get it into a random pattern.

 

[Jigstick]

How much of a gap? Assuming the gap can't be larger than the quarter round.

Depends on the thickness of your baseboard and quarter round. And if your drywall is held up off the subfloor...which it should be. There should be Atleast a 1/2 gap between your drywall and subfloor. So there’s some foregiveness there.

baseboard is probably 1/2in thick or slightly bigger. Then your quarter round. So cut your flooring so it it’s barely tucks under your baseboard.

Then when you shoot that fucking quarter round down DO NOT shoot into your flooring. Shoot into your baseboard.

 

[zeroz]

When you say vinyl plank, there are many types. Unless I missed it, I didn't see you specify. Is this a full spread LVT or is it a pergo type laminate that floats. Need more info.

 

[AngryKoala]

When you say vinyl plank, there are many types. Unless I missed it, I didn't see you specify. Is this a full spread LVT or is it a pergo type laminate that floats. Need more info.

Floats, wife is still deciding on color/brand (lowes smartcore pro vs. Coretech). I believe the core is solid plastic with a backer. Comes in the snap together planks. Supposedly the newer planks are more rigid and have less issues with showing subfloor issues (not sure how true that is).

 

[Familydude]

Just installed a bunch of this. Got it from Home Depot. Solid core vinyl.

 

[gunjunkie45]

How much of a gap? Assuming the gap can't be larger than the quarter round.

1/4"- 3/8"... most stock base is 7/16. Fancier base goes up to 3/4". If you're also doing shoe you can go a little bigger but it's ideal to have the gap slightly smaller than the base. Gives you something to set the trim on without one end falling off the flooring.

 

[AngryKoala]

Just installed a bunch of this. Got it from Home Depot. Solid core vinyl.

How has it held up? That looks just like the smartcore pro from Lowes. I always question lowes/HD quality but both have gotten decent reviews on the flooring.

 

[Familydude]

Pretty well thus far. Very snug fit. Some of the lesser expensive flooring I’ve installed were less so, which caused slight gapping between pieces as time passed. Try not to go too cheap. It shows in the long run. Not saying you need to break the bank either...

As mentioned previously, cut door jambs so the flooring slides underneath. A scrap piece of flooring will allow you to rest your jamb saw on top as you cut, giving the correct height. Keep your blade straight. I use a hand saw with a reversible blade to allow for easier cutting depending on the direction/hand you’re using.

Included more pics of the flooring, scrap piece I used, and my inexpensive hand powered jamb saw. You can get an electric one as well if your job is a large one.

Get a good pair of knee pads and some Epsom Salts too.

Good luck!

 

[AngryKoala]

Pretty well thus far. Very snug fit. Some of the lesser expensive flooring I’ve installed were less so, which caused slight gapping between pieces as time passed. Try not to go too cheap. It shows in the long run. Not saying you need to break the bank either...

As mentioned previously, cut door jambs so the flooring slides underneath. A scrap piece of flooring will allow you to rest your jamb saw on top as you cut, giving the correct height. Keep your blade straight. I use a hand saw with a reversible blade to allow for easier cutting depending on the direction/hand you’re using.

Included more pics of the flooring, scrap piece I used, and my inexpensive hand powered jamb saw. You can get an electric one as well if your job is a large one.

Get a good pair of knee pads and some Epsom Salts too.

Good luck!

Looks great. One of plank samples my wife picked out looks pretty close to that color. Going to paint the trim white to play off the darker floor.

 

[kenny1773]

you should look at the "lifetime" products warranty page before buying

https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/ae/ae6bef4c-69a9-4001-801a-54f19de578f9.pdf

The item linked looks to have a 6 mil wear layer???? hard to determine the way they provide the information

I decided to go with a more commercial flooring product that had a 22 mils wear layer because my family can destroy anything. I chose to not use a floating floor since installing over concrete, used a glue down product and I am very happy with it.

Ironman | Happy Feet International

www.happyfeetinternational.com

 

[AngryKoala]

you should look at the "lifetime" products warranty page before buying

https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/ae/ae6bef4c-69a9-4001-801a-54f19de578f9.pdf

The item linked looks to have a 6 mil wear layer???? hard to determine the way they provide the information

I decided to go with a more commercial flooring product that had a 22 mils wear layer because my family can destroy anything. I chose to not use a floating floor since installing over concrete, used a glue down product and I am very happy with it.

Ironman | Happy Feet International

www.happyfeetinternational.com

We are going to sell the house in a couple years so we are looking for about a 12mil wear layer. I don't want to go too expensive for the planks because we are moving. The pro vinyl plank are around $3.50 sq/ft.

 

[Devildog]

Prep your floors, make sure nails are set exc. you don’t need a vapor barrier just lay the floor directly on the sub floor. It’ll be fine, we do it all the time.