Are you interested in putting vinyl plank flooring in your home, but you're not quite sure how to do it? If so, you'll definitely want to know the following tips that will help with the installation.
Prepare The Surface
Chances are that the subfloor that you are placing the vinyl plank flooring on needs a bit of prep work. You'll want to make sure that the surface is completely level, or else you'll end up with places where the vinyl plank flooring dips downward when you step on it. This can be done with self-leveling concrete in most situations.
Let The Flooring Acclimate
It's crucial that you let the vinyl plank flooring acclimate to your home for a couple of days prior to installing it. That is because humidity can impact the flooring in a subtle way that you may not realize with it either expanding or contracting. If your home is humid, the flooring can expand slightly and cause it to buckle. If your home is very dry, the flooring can slightly shrink and leave gaps between the planks.
Install An Underlayment Material
It's always a good idea to install an underlayment material beneath the vinyl plank flooring. This acts as a barrier that prevents humidity from reaching the flooring material. In addition, the underlayment material can help dampen the sound of people walking on the flooring material, which is especially helpful when vinyl plank flooring is installed on any floor other than a basement.
Use Spacers Around The Edges
You should be placing spacers along the edges of the room so that the flooring material does not rest flush against an edge. This is because a floating floor does need some room to move slightly, and a small gap can prevent those problems with buckling floorboards. The gap left behind by the spacers will be covered by molding, so you won't need to worry about it being seen.
Stagger The Planks
It's important to stagger each row of flooring material so that the planks do not line up at the corner. This can be done by cutting down the first plank used for each row. Try using a full board to start the first row, and then cut a board into ⅓ and ⅔ sized sections to start the second and third row respectively. This will create a nice staggered pattern that is not too repetitive.
Contact a company to learn more about flooring installation.
