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Home / Installation Questions / How to Install Vinyl Flooring

How to Install Vinyl Flooring

When you are looking to complete a design refresh, match a household aesthetic in tricky areas, or get a home market-ready in a short amount of time, valuable luxury vinyl flooring can save the day for many reasons. Presenting the hottest hardwood, stone, tile, and concrete visuals, luxury vinyl planks offer the comfort and flexibility of the resilient category with the durability and realistic texture of hard surface flooring. In fact, the popularity of vinyl flooring is surging since these planks offer an active household the advantages of waterproof protection, scratch resistance, and sound insulation! Another huge benefit that vinyl plank flooring provides is exceptional installation versatility with floating floor capability and suitability anywhere in the home including kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms, and basements. Easy to purchase and install, vinyl flooring can even offer DIY installation opportunities for homeowners with flooring knowledge and experience. From directional considerations to floorplan issues to enhancing perspective and patterned plank layouts, here are some of our bests tips on how to install vinyl flooring:   

Should I have a flooring professional install my vinyl flooring? 

Since the direction that your vinyl plank flooring is installed will have a massive impact on the overall feel of the room, not to mention that improper installation will void your product warranty and greatly compromise performance, it’s worth consulting a local professional if you don’t have much installation experience. If your waterproof luxury vinyl floor is not properly installed or the locking mechanisms on your planks are compromised during installation, your finished floor may allow water to permeate or penetrate through it and not lock out topical water penetration at the joints. Factoring in an expansion gap around the entire perimeter of your space is another extremely important step with floating floor installation that a flooring pro can help navigate. Flooring pros are also extremely well-versed in making sure that your planks and end joints are randomized to prevent stair-stepping. Some flooring manufacturers require a subfloor moisture barrier before installation for the waterproof warranty to be valid. A flooring professional can help ensure that your moisture barrier is properly in place during the installation process. If any of these considerations give you pause before attempting a DIY installation, it may be best to work with a flooring professional to ensure gorgeous, long-lasting results.
 
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Which direction do I install vinyl plank flooring? 

Although selecting the direction of your vinyl plank flooring ultimately comes down to personal preference, the way your floors are laid out can affect the entire feeling of the room, making it feel larger, smaller, busier, or calmer. Following the direction of the main light source in a space is always a great starting point. If there are big windows or an entryway contributing streams of natural light, you can install floors in the same direction for traditional appeal. Installing vinyl planks according to the light source can help highlight some of the most beautiful characteristics of the floor, enhancing overall realism. You can also determine the best possible direction for your planks by following the lead of your room’s features. For example, you can follow the direction of the main or most frequently used entrance of the room. If you’re redoing the floors in the foyer, run the planks in the same direction as the front door to enhance perspective. Since planks are installed horizontally on stairs, a horizontal installation can maintain uniformity from your steps to your main floors. Make sure to always refer to your manufacturer’s installation instructions before beginning to ensure adherence to a specified “correct” pattern of installation for warranty guidelines. 
 


How do I install vinyl flooring for a tricky floorplan? 

Sometimes when installing vinyl flooring for a tricky floorplan, light will not always be the best guide if there are space limitations. If you are dealing with a narrow room such as a hallway, corridor, or kitchen, planks should run the length of the room and be installed parallel to the longest wall of the room. Following this principle will help smaller rooms feel bigger and wider! If your room has angled walls, a diagonal layout can help the flooring installation be more visually intriguing and feel more naturally compatible to the room than a horizontal or vertical plank installation. Working with a talented designer can help you come up with a patterned plank installation that visually enhances your floorplan the best. LVP can easily and more affordably help you capture trending herringbone, parquet, or chevron patterned plank installations that are as popular as they are helpful in maximizing design appeal in unique spaces. When it comes to smaller rooms with odd measurements, luxury vinyl planks are more easily customizable to meet tricky dimensions with the proper saws. Luxury vinyl flooring also has the flex to solve subfloor issues which makes vinyl installation for tricky floorplans easier. 

Talk to a Flooring Expert for Advice!

Efficient and affordable installation is a major plus when it comes to our vast array of stylish LVP options! Once you come up with your ideal installation plan to maximize space, schedule an appointment with a Twenty & Oak dealer to get an accurate quote and prep for your quick LVP installation that will be ready to use instantly!

Twenty & Oak Flooring Experts
Twenty & Oak Flooring Experts are a team of flooring professionals with over 150 years of combined experience in the industry. They have hands-on experience with all flooring types and bring inside industry know-how to homeowners in the Southeast.
 

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