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You've made the choice to install
some attractive, durable vinyl flooring
in your home, a choice that can boost your home's value
and will allow you to create a cohesive look in your spaces.
Vinyl plank flooring is known for its versatility,
durability, low cost, and comfort for walking on.
You can easily install over any rigid and level surface,
including concrete, wood, or even one layer
of existing hard flooring.
To install click-lock planks first, gather your tools.
Vinyl cutters are the best choice to cut vital pieces
but you can also use a utility knife, jigsaw, or miter saw.
Other tools you'll need include a measuring tape, a pencil,
straightedge, a rubber mallet, tapping block, caulk,
and a nail gun.
Gather your safety gear.
It's best to wear safety goggles, work gloves,
and knee pads for this project.
Step 1, preparing your subfloor for installation.
Your subfloor should be clean, rigid, level,
and free of cracks.
If the subfloor is unlevel, fix low spots
with a self-leveling product and sand down high spots.
Remove any carpeting or old vinyl flooring
and temporarily remove the baseboards and molding.
Once your subfloor and room edges are clear and level,
you can begin measuring your flooring for installation.
Step 2, measuring for your vinyl installation.
Try to install the vinyl parallel to the longest
wall in the room.
This will minimize the need for cutting in the long run.
You'll still need to adjust the width of your last
and maybe first row of planks, which means
we've got to do some measuring.
You'll start by measuring the width of the room, that
is the measurement that runs perpendicular to how
you want your planks aligned.
Write that number down.
You need to allow a gap for your flooring to expand,
so subtract 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from your measurement.
Write that number down as well.
To determine how many rows of flooring you'll need,
divide your measurement by the width of one of your planks.
Write that number down too.
This is the number of full width rows you'll be installing.
For most rooms, this won't divide evenly
so you need to do a bit more math to find out how
narrow your last row should be.
You can figure out the width of your last row
by calculating the width of all the other rows
and subtracting that from the initial room measurement.
To do that, take the number of rows
you calculated a minute ago and round it down so
it's a whole number.
Multiply that number by the width
of a single plank and you'll get the width of the area
highlighted on your screen.
Subtract that number from the measurement
you took of the room and you'll get the width of your last row.
Remember, a final tip about measuring before we move on.
If your last row is going to be less than 1/2 the width of one
vinyl plank, you might want to trim
from both sides of the room.
That will keep any one row from being too narrow.
To get the right measurements for this process
just add the width of your last row
to the width of a full plank and divide that number by two.
That will give you the width for both your first and last row,
which will keep your floor looking even.
Step 3, preparing your doorways.
Cut the door frame to allow the planks to slide easily
beneath them.
To make this kind of cut first, take a plank of flooring
and lay it finished side down next to the doors molding.
Trace a guiding line along the surface
of the molding with a pencil to show you
where the cut should be.
Use a jamb saw to make the cut.
Step 4, installing your first row.
Start by removing all the planks from their boxes
and shuffling them together to make things look natural.
Lay down the first plank, leaving the proper expansion
gap between the edge and the wall.
Install the second plank by holding it at an angle
and inserting its groove edge into the first planks tongue
edge.
Lower the second plank to snap the planks together.
Keep retrieving new planks and snapping them into place
until you have a complete row.
When you get to the end simply cut the last planks
so that it falls an expansion gaps worth of space
away from the wall.
Step five, the second row and beyond.
For the second row, use the same angle and step method,
attaching planks side-by-side to the planks in the first row.
Plan to stagger the vertical seams of your planks,
leaving at least six inches between the seams
of adjacent rows.
This strategy gives your floor a more natural appearance.
Use this method to finish the entire room,
finishing each row before you begin the next.
When you've finished up, trim the border planks
a bit more if you still need to achieve a proper expansion gap.
Replace the baseboard and molding in the entire room,
and finally, use caulk to go over the seams of the baseboard
and molding, creating a finished look.
If you follow these steps closely,
you can successfully and simply install
vinyl click-lock flooring.