Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Prep: Subfloor to First Row

Luxury vinyl plank flooring has a reputation for being easy to install, and compared with tile or nail-down hardwood, it is. That reputation is also why so many vinyl floors fail. People treat the click joints as forgiving and skip the preparation. Separated seams, planks that clack underfoot and joints that break are nearly always caused by what happened before the first row went down.

This guide covers the preparation that decides whether the floor lasts, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring an installer and want to know what to expect.

Flatness matters more than anything

Click-together vinyl planks float over the subfloor. If the subfloor has a dip, the plank bridges it, flexes every time someone steps there, and the joint eventually fails. A bump does the same thing in reverse.

Every manufacturer's installation guide lists a flatness tolerance, usually expressed as a maximum gap under a straightedge of a given length. Check it with a long level or straightedge in several directions across each room. Mark the low spots and high spots with a pencil. Pay particular attention to doorways and the areas under old appliances, where subfloors often dip or have been patched.

• Low spots are filled with a floor patch or self-leveling compound suitable for the subfloor.
• High spots in wood subfloors are sanded or planed down. In concrete they are ground.
• Loose or squeaky subfloor panels should be screwed down now. A floating floor will not stop a squeak, and may make it louder.

What stays and what has to go

Vinyl plank can often go over existing hard surfaces, but not all of them.

• Carpet and carpet pad always come out. Anything soft underneath will let the joints flex.
• Old sheet vinyl that is well bonded and flat can often stay, depending on the manufacturer's guidance. Loose or cushioned sheet vinyl comes out.
• Ceramic tile can sometimes stay if it is flat and sound, with deep grout lines filled. Adding height is the trade-off.
• Hardwood can sometimes stay if it is secure and flat, but check the guide.

In older houses, pulling up flooring may reveal older layers underneath, and in some older materials there can be asbestos. If you are unsure what an old sheet flooring or adhesive is made of, have it tested before you disturb it.

Every layer you leave in place adds height, so check how the new floor will meet thresholds, stairs and appliances such as a dishwasher that has to slide back under the counter.

Acclimation and storage

Vinyl moves with temperature. Planks that were cold in a truck or an unheated garage and are then installed in a warm living room will expand after installation, and that is how you get peaked joints.

Follow the manufacturer's acclimation instructions. Typically that means bringing the boxes into the rooms where they will be installed, stacking them flat, and keeping the house at normal living temperature for the specified time before and during installation. In a Bellingham winter, that means turning the heat on in a house that is empty during a remodel. Keep the boxes out of direct sun during this time as well. A stack sitting in front of a south-facing window warms unevenly, and the top boxes will not match the temperature of the room.

Luxury vinyl plank flooring layout decisions

A little planning at the start avoids awkward results at the end:

1. Direction. Planks usually look best running parallel to the longest wall or toward the main light source. In a long hallway, run them lengthwise.
2. Starting row. Measure the room width and calculate the last row. If it ends up as a thin sliver, trim the first row so both edges are balanced.
3. Stagger. Offset end joints by the amount in the installation guide, and avoid a repeating stair-step pattern.
4. Mix boxes. Pull planks from several boxes as you go so color and pattern variation spreads evenly.
5. Expansion gaps. Leave the gap the guide calls for at every wall and fixed object, and plan where breaks are needed in large or long spaces.
6. Door jambs. Undercut them so planks slide underneath, instead of scribing planks around the trim.

Order the right amount

Measure each room, multiply length by width, and add a waste allowance. A common rule of thumb is several percent for simple rectangular rooms and more for rooms with angles, closets and lots of doorways. Order everything at once so all of it comes from the same production run.

You can compare planks in the flooring category. Our main vinyl line is from CALI.

Before you call

Check the subfloor with a straightedge, note what is currently on the floor, and measure the rooms. With that information, we can help you pick a plank and work out quantities for your Bellingham, WA project. Call (360) 255-8377 or email [email protected].