Vinyl plank flooring has been an excellent alternative to other hardwood floorings due to its extra durability and cost-effectiveness. This flooring material is also designed with pre-adhesive material to install on the subfloor. In this article, PVC Vinyl Flooring has mentioned the DIY approach for the installation of vinyl plank flooring. If you’re going to install this flooring, you should consider this step-by-step guide for an outstanding experience.
Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation | 10 Easy Steps
The vinyl plank flooring attracts the user’s attention due to its matchless features such as nonporous layering, easy maintenance, smooth installation, high resistance, and insulation. These vinyl-made planks are the best option for covering the floor of damp places such as kitchens, bathrooms, outdoors, or basements due to amazing water resistance. Moreover, the anti-static, mold, and slip-resistant features also make these planks more favorable for these places.
These heavy-duty vinyl-made planks are designed with multiple adjacent layers such as base, core, decorative, wear, and a top layer. A wide range of plank laying patterns are popular such as diagonal, herringbone, weave, corridor, random, or stagger. For the installation of these planks, we have mentioned a complete list of essential materials that would be necessary for your DIY project.
Stuff That You Will Need
- Measuring Tape
- Utility Knife
- Hammer
- Nailset
- Rubber Mallet
- Straightedge
- Fine Tooth Saw
- ¼ Inch Spacers
- Pliers
- Sander
Step 1: Consider The Flooring Layout
Before installation, you should consider the desired laying pattern and layout for smooth and flawless planks fixing on the floor. Always start fixing the planks from the front and dominant wall of the room and move toward entrances. The first row of planks should be placed in parallel to the front wall for an aligned interior look. Because most of the rooms don’t have even or squared floor area so always follow this layout to skip flaws.
Step 2: Take Off Trim Moldings
After considering the flooring layout, you need to take off trim moldings with the help of a pry bar because these moldings can create hindrances in fixing planks. The most common moldings around the edges of windows and doors are case moldings, base shoe moldings, and baseboards. The door case moldings are difficult to remove, you can leave these moldings in their place or cut them using an undercut saw.
Step 3: Subfloor Preparation
This step requires complete concentration of the installer due to its significant importance. Before installation, you should level the floor by fixing the dents, spots, and uneven surfaces. If you’re going to lay vinyl-made planks on the concrete subfloor, you should utilize the patcher to make the floor surface even and plain. On the other hand, if you’re going to lay the planks on a plywood subfloor, you can use a leveling compound to fill the depressions.
Step 4: Place The First Row Of Planks
To test the alignment and level of the floor, you can place the first row of planks along the length of the prominent wall. When you reach the end of both sides, you should cut the planks of the same size for decency. Always start placing a full-length plank from the center of the first row. Moreover, you should leave an ¼ inch of space at both side ends of the row for expansion purposes.
Step 5: Planks Cutting As Per Size
Cutting the planks perfectly per the required size demands precise skills and experience. After taking exact measurements, you can cut the plank tiles with the aid of a utility knife. Before cutting the plank, you should mark the straight line on the plank surface with the help of a marker and level. To cut the planks, repeatedly use a utility knife on the exact line of the plank to ensure accuracy. After initial cuts, fold the plank tile on the backside to completely break at the marked line.
Step 6: Interlock The Planks
Interlocking the planks is the most technical step in the installation process. You should place the vinyl-made planks on the floor by end-to-end and edge-to-edge methods. In this technique, you will flatly lay one plank while another adjacent plank should be placed at an angle to the other. After completing the first row, you will continue the same technique of interlocking.
Step 7: Cut Planks For Protrusions
While installing these planks, you will face multiple hurdles or obstacles such as door ducts, door frames, or any other pillar area. You can’t place the full-sized planks here due to irregularity. To overcome these obstacles, you need to cut the planks to the required size, position, and shape. You can utilize a heavy-duty sharp knife or scissors to cut the planks for these protrusions.
Step 8: Insert Planks Around Obstacles
Inserting the planks around obstacles is the most technical skill in the entire plank or tile installation procedure. After cutting the plank per the required size and shape, you should first remove the adjacent plank to analyze the perfect position. Then fit the cut-out plank into the exact obstacle position by using a rubber mallet without leaving any space. Now, you can place the adjacent planks around the dissected planks at an appropriate angle.
Step 9: Place The Final Plank
In the last row, you need to be careful before placing the final planks due to size variability. You should take the length of the entire row with measuring tape to cut the planks in equal sizes. In addition, use a sharp knife and metal straightedge to cut these planks accurately. Try to place these planks end-to-end against the length of the previous row by utilizing the flooring pull bar.
Step 10: Refix The Trim Moldings
After laying all the planks on the floor surface, you need to refix all the trim moldings or baseboards to their positions. Place these baseboards or moldings by manually nailing them with a hammer but it can damage the baseboard’s texture. Therefore, try to utilize the Brad nailing and good quality adhesive material to fix these moldings to door or window borders, wall bottoms, and pillar sides.
Exclusive Tips For Cleaning & Maintenance Of Vinyl Flooring
For cleaning and maintenance of vinyl-plank flooring, we have mentioned some promising tips that not only enhance longevity but also maintain the floor’s shine and texture.
- While cleaning vinyl flooring, try to avoid abrasive scrubbers or steel wools because they can scratch the surface.
- You should also avoid the use of wax and other abrasive cleaners (ammonia-based) or detergents because they usually make a layer on the floor surface and trap the dust particles.
- Regular vacuuming or dusting can minimize the accumulation of dirt or grime particles on the plank surfaces.
- Avoid using too much water in cleaning and washing these planks because excessive water can soak in the planks and cause discoloration, bubbling, and mold development.
Wrapping Up!
It is concluded with the remarks that the installation of vinyl plank flooring is not a difficult DIY project. It requires professional skills in flooring measurements, cutting, installation, and finishing. PVC Vinyl Flooring has put down the complete installation procedure in 10 easy and effective steps for your convenience. By considering all these steps, you can accomplish your DIY project in very little time and budget. Moreover, you will also open new horizons of technical experiences in vinyl flooring installation.
