Technically LVP?

Can this be installed directly over plywood subfloor with the roll sheet vinyl underlayment?

TIA

Better answers on the way, I'm sure.

They tell me the laminate flooring is better than it was.

I can’t answer the question but vinyl plank does look nice. My mom recently had it installed and I hate to admit it but it looks better than my hardwood floors.

Do yourself a favor, if your installing it yourself, get the stuff with the vapor barrier attached. And yes, looks very nice when done.

Yep.
2 years running, no issues so far.
Wears well.
Just be prepared to air the area out for a while. Stuff has a significant oder when first placed.

Yes you can

High quality vinyl planking is completely waterproof and very scuff resistant. The kind that has its own rubber subfloor material attached (Lowe's brand is called Smartcore Ultra) can be installed over a wood subfloor or bare concrete without any other subflooring material.

I installed some about four years ago in our living room and hallway over bare concrete (house is on a slab), it still looks great, even with two 85 lb dogs running around on it and slopping water out of their dishes all over it. It won't warp like hardwood if it gets wet, and it doesn't absorb water and get "puffy" like wood pulp-based laminate flooring does.

We're very happy with it and will be putting it in our kitchen and dining room this year.

What I put down it went directly on the plywood no underlayment.

Sure can, just finished laying 1500 sq ft over old linoleum. Make sure its clean, and snap away.

Had some installed last year, so far great

We recently installed vinyl floor planking over bare concrete slab, no issues after a year and half. I would rent a coil screw gun and screw down the sub flooring every 8"-10" into the joists. I did that to my house in Alaska during a remodel and it tightened the floors and took out the creaking. The vinyl will hold up better during your occasional quakes than more ridged flooring.

Mike, does the LVP you are looking at have the thin 1-2mm foam backing?
If so you can lay it over anything solid.

Just do it...going on 6 years here, best home upgrade we ever did.

Been using it for about 4yrs, it gets better and better.

Take a sample piece from the store, weigh it and soak it in a 5 gallon bucket of water for a week or longer. Then re-weigh it and inspect it carefully. That test will tell you how good your flooring is.

Aside from me not ever hearing about a problem laying vinyl plank over linoleum.

I’m wondering if the same is true for laying vinyl plank over tile squares?

Apologies, IB for the hi-jack question.

🦫

I have wood floors in the kitchen that got soaked with leaking water line. It as a slow leak and we didn't realize until everything in about a 4' sq area was soaked. Its warped and I've been debating what to do. I was going to put down that tile that looks like wood, but I've felt it was trendy and would be outdated very soon. I wonder if vinyl would be a good cover on it

No decision yet mark. In the flooring shopping phase. Needs to just get done.

I'd think enough water will ruin any floor.

No water. Repurposing a kid bedroom.

I put it down directly over plywood and over a concrete floor with an underlayment.
It looks great and wears very well.

This is what I learned when I remodeled the house we are in.

Vinyl plank flooring comes is different thicknesses, such as 1.5 mils, 2.0 mils, etc., all the way up to 7.5 mills. There may be thicker flooring, but I'm not aware of it. Along with the thickness is the 'wear layer'. The thicker the product and the thicker the 'wear layer', the better the product. The 'wear layer' comes in 8mm, 10mm, etc. all the way up to 28mm. Again, there may be thicker 'wear layers', but I'm not familiar with them.

I was told that 7.5 mils thick with a 28 wear layer was heavy duty commercial flooring. Stuff like they would use at a Wal-Mart store, large grocery store, etc. Pallet trucks can run over the stuff and not hurt it.

5 mil with a 20 wear layer would be commonly used in a light commercial setting.... an office area with lots of walking traffic, hospital, etc. This is what I put in my house.

So on and so on..... the thinner the material and thinner the wear layer, the cheaper the product.

Make sure to get a product that locks together and when locked is waterproof. I tried it out before I bought it and the stuff I got will not leak water when locked.

Be sure not to put too thick a pad under the flooring. The pad and flooring can be installed over any type of surface..... concrete, wood, osb, etc. It can even be installed over older flooring, if its stable and sound. You can glue the product down or let it float. I let it float in my house. I did the entire 1200 sf house for about $3500, IIRC. Took me about a week to do it, by myself. You'll definitely need knee pads and a rubber mallet. Cutting the stuff with a table saw make it go a lot faster.

Added: As said before, be sure to get a product with the backing on it. Cheaper flooring does not have the backing.

This is what I did.......... https://www.homedepot.com/b/Floorin...feproof/N-5yc1vZbzjzZnv7?storeSelection=

No pad required...............

Cut with a shop knife = Total BS, technically you could, but trust me you will NOT, used a chop saw and a Jig-saw....

They make a 'kit' - a couple of tools, tapping block and such, to aid in installation, I recommend it.

Great stuff. Just got done replacing 5 rooms of laminate with rigid vinyl planks in our house. The surface of laminate may be advertised as guaranteed waterproof but not the bottom or ends whereas vinyl is 100% waterproof top, bottom and ends. Plumbing leaks that get under laminate will ruin it quick. It will swell up then shrink as it drys out leaving gaps between planks.

Vinyl is great though a bit more prone to scratches than laminate is so before trying to slide heavy furniture over floor be sure floor is clear of anything that could cause scratches like fine grit, pebbles, etc., tracked in on shoes and best to use felt or carpet bottomed furniture "slides", too.

Also, over time heavy furniture and appliances can leave depressions in vinyl, too, so if possible probably a good idea to leave padded furniture slides under all the time to help absorb and spread the weight.

You might want to check that wear layer info.
28mm is over an inch.
Pretty sure you something got crossed up.

First stuff I had was absolute schit, as a matter of fact they quit making it. Second time around I went with more expensive stuff I really like it. Life proof sold only at Home Depot.

If it a 100% waterproof product like home depot life proof yes.

If it a 100% waterproof product like home depot life proof yes.

Yes, if it ceramic or porcelain tile you need to float the grout lines so the floor is level.

This was what we used. Impressed so far.

good stuff.

That’s what my concern was...Grout lines.

Thanks, Roger.

🦫

Consider the question to be a recommendation to buy LVP that has the pad on the bottom then.
Roger recommended floating the grout lines for install over tile. Same rec if there are any uneven spots either high or low.
We put down 8mm as our carpet and tile friend thought that it was the best compromise of thickness without overpaying by going thicker.

Alot of misconceptions on here already, not surprising though.

Some of the better vinyl plank flooring is 100% waterproof. Just test it like I stated earlier. A good company will back up their products.

You can cut vinyl plank with a flooring saw but it means multiple trips outside to cut if you want to limit dust.

A good quality vinyl plank cutter will save install time by 40-50% and no dust. Well worth the price. You will have to lengthwise using a saw on edge planks.

This is the stuff we installed last year. Indestructible and it looks great. Big dogs, lots of traffic, water dishes, etc, can't hurt it.

https://www.karndean.com/en/floors/products/rp61-canadian-maple

So if on a concrete slab you recommend I grind the high spots and level it?

Yep, you're right!

5mm thickness with a 20 mil wear layer.

Here is a photo of a room.

The professional installers did on our concrete floor before installing the new rigid vinyl plank floors and used a fast drying concrete type mix on low spots to level and "feather" edges in cracks.

yes, you can get by with some but if they are noticeable you want to float it, it will tell on the instructions what's allowable.

Biggest tip I can offer is to be absolutely 100% sure that whatever surface you install it on is completely free of any high spots or debris. The people who installed out Allure, missed some high nail heads, resulting in high spots where the finish got rubbed off over time. Looks like he'll now.

This plywood is in good shape. I believe it to be 1-1/2”, but won’t swear to it. But, it’s flat and smooth.

Good chance it’ll be HomeyD lifeproof. No Lowe’s here. Another building supply had to order from anchorage.


Ok, part II question:
Lay the LVP parallel to the subfloor plywood or crossways?

II(b): should there be a preference at the room door? i.e. board ends at the hallway or longways?

Or, am I overthinking this?

get end caps for where it meets carpet and t cap where it meets ceramic tile, reducer for linoleum. They call them transition strips. Undercut your door jams.

I would think that the flooring pattern would decide that for you but having said that I'd go with crossways

that's just preference, what look you like.

Sorry, should have been more complete.

Door is at hallway. Hallway will get the same LVP. Will buy enough of same lot to do the 3 rooms and hallway upstairs. I’m thinking transition strips anyway.

That change your answer?

you can put a t-cap to make it a little easier for you but I just let flow through so there are no transitions.

Pretty good stuff, I've used all grades and they a have their different characteristics.

The cheaper products I've installed are more brittle and can and will chip when installing, until you learn why your chipping it then that's over.
The brittle cheap stuff is a bit stiffer and floats over things the more exspensive, softer products don't.

I'm speaking of a bad, heaved joint between sheets of plywood or just some rank little spot that's just not perfectly in tune with the rest the floor you are covering.
It might appear to have hidden such areas right after it goes down but in time the softer product will show most any imperfection that lies beneath it.

I'd rather use the better, softer products and get the floors perfect before I start but sometimes it's just not in the budget for the house I might be flipping at the time.

I've done about 15 houses, typically the entire house. Probably used 8 different products, what ever meets the colors or shades and fits the price range allowed at the time.

I've never used anything but a speed square and a razor knife for cutting it.
Just scribe and snap, all grades, all products.
Rips go through the table saw and inside cuts hit the chop saw.

If you're hammering it together, you're doing it wrong.
Get the angle needed to put them together figured out and it just falls into place.
It's either right or not, hammering just breaks the top off the locking bead, it still goes together but can pull apart once you break the bead. A bump with the palm of your hand should be all the extra pressure you need in a hard spot if it's in position to go together.

It expands and contracts a considerable amount, that's why it has to float. Do not cut it tight, I rip a 1/4 inch off a 2×4 and put it against the wall or bottom plate so I maintain a gap around the edges, the butt ends have a tendency to creep their way towards walls while you install.

I hate all their transition strips that are meant to go in doorways and such. They are all just too bulky and seem to take away from the finished flooring job in a home.

I run the planks through all doorways, just like a real wood floor is done when doing a entire home.
Only bought the transition pieces once, look at them often but just refuse to use them.

One big thing I learned the hard way.
I had a high end, lifetime warranted product with the rubber like backing in a home that flooded.

I just skinned it all up and stacked it in the garage while I restored the house. It sat there stacked for a couple of months.

When the time came to reinstall the flooring I found the rubber backing had deeply stained the crap out of the face of all the flooring, like 5 grand worth of the stuff.

Tried every trick going to clean it but it didn't happen, it was trashed.

The manufacturer held to its warranty and replaced it all free of charge with just a series of emails and photos of the damage.

Stacking it back to back, face to face would have prevented that.

Also noticed as I removed the new product from the box it was packaged back to face but there was a thin sheet of paper between each plank, humm.

IIRC, they dont recommend running over 35' if it's floated without a break, because of contraction and expansion. I broke mine going into each room with a t-cap.

As Roger said, "Lay it the way you like".

It's said that the running direction can add length or width to a room.

So just due to some unknown entity writing that, I've always kept it in mind when making that decision.

Does it make a difference?
Idunno, it's never seemed to hurt.

Lay the plank according to the room and your personal preference. I lay it long ways of plank to long ways of room. I feel it looks better and makes the room "Larger".

When you lay it Mike just take your time, pay attention and you'll have a nice floor you'll be very happy with. Make sure you buy the pull bar and tapping block, it makes the installation go much easier.

Since a couple guys mentioned running straight through the doorways, which you should, a little tip . Look at your locking edge and shave off 1 side apply adhesive to the joint and tap together. Banging it together flat while going under door jambs will break the lock otherwise.

I had my entire house done with it, I'm on a pier and beam. Unfortunately, I've had areas where gaps have formed between the plank ends. Not sure what the cause is. Pier and beams naturally have movement and we chose the vinyl floor because of that, but we've been disappointed that the gaps formed. The installer fixed them once, but they've appeared again. I believe ours is an Armstrong product.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

Re: the doorway.
Plan is for that to be done last after each room. Not possible to do all of it at once like an unoccupado new construction.

Took me about a year overall, but have refloored my entire little house with the stuff. Paid for it as I went along. Get a lot of positive comments about the floor!

Being a pet owner.....much easier to clean up than other types of flooring and as already mentioned, waterproof!

I do occupied houses all the time, we just move the furniture from one room to another.

It's probably not the fault of the product, it's the installer.
His method of getting the butt joints locked together isn't up to par.

There are two main “types”, snap/click together and glue down.

If you go with glue down you prolly will need a nice clean new underlayment.

I just finished installing the 1/4 “ underlayment yesterday, today I start installing the Industrial Grade Glue down.

Highly recommended.
Easy to install
Can easily work from both directions
Extremely durable
Replacing a damaged plank is a snap

When passing through the doorways, I undercut my jams.

I lay a piece of scrap plank tight up against the jab and with a flat blade on a Oscillating Multi-Tool I'll cut the jam and trim off.

Your plank will slide under the jam perfectly everytime.
Makes for a pretty clean looking finished job.

If you don't have a Oscillating Multi-Tool get one.
Harbor Freight sells them for under 20 bucks and they typically come with the offset flat cutting blade.

The tool comes in handy for cutting small little inside cuts and the like in the planks as well.

Anyone use these or something similar in a garage or workshop?

https://newageproducts.com/flooring/residential-flooring/garage-flooring/

Just curious about any real work opinions/experience with these.

Good tip. Any others for cutting baseboard evenly without chipping, etc. so it will fit under? Thanks in advance.

Nothing that I've ever done, the base either gets pulled off or the rooms get the 1/4 round wrap.

Stxhunter is the master floor guy, he's probably does as many of these floors as I've ever done in his adverage week.

He's gotta be full of tips and tricks.

+1, building a house now and may consider this

I use the same from harbor freight also.

I've installed a lot of this also, pressure-sensitive glue. On this type of flooring your floor prep has to be really good, it will show any flaws in the subfloor.

We undercut door jams and put shoe mould or quarter round on the baseboard. you could remove the base also but people opt. for the trim so they don't have to do a lot of touch up painting.

I had it installed 25 years ago. Just starting to knick up and show. Some scuffs. Good stuff and looks good. It was the best on the market when installed. Wife wants to replace it soon. Have Pergo laminate in the bedrooms. 25 years and not one scratch on it anywhere and.no defects.

A friend put a lot down. like vinyl siding the main floor is not so costly, it's the trim. and transiting's..

If you are going to install the 1/4 inch underlayment, make sure you fasten it correctly.

3/16-1/4 crown stables 7/8+ long, 2 inches at the seams and 4 inches in the field.

It is called LVT - Luxury Vinyl Tile, not LVP

Secret is to make sure any subfloor imperfections are smoothed out as a bump or a dip in the subfloor will telegraph through. As with most things, you get what you pay for. I would stay with a brand name of US manufacture.

See it used in stores that are extremely high traffic areas, it looks great.

Pulled the baseboard, door trim, and oak window sill. Sill needs refinishing. Made repainting easier. IIRC, when I did a different room w laminate, I undercut the door jamb w a back saw. No Harbor Freight here.

Two different, but similar, products.

https://www.flooringamerica.com/flooring-faq/starting-a-project-faq/lvt-vs-lvp-flooring

I'll use both in a house.
Tile type in bathrooms and sometimes kitchens, the wood looking plank throughout the rest of a house.
If you stick with one brand for both they lock together making for a clean transition between the two.

Good to know. BR and kitchen in the future.

Just a FYI for those who may not already be aware --- It's wise to buy all of what ever model flooring you decide on that you think you'll ever need up front, ... and then some extra as 'just in case' spares.

The reason is because flooring manufactures are notorious for permanently obsoleting specific models and introducing new ones. Point being you likely may not be able to find the same exact model again if you should ever decide in the future to replace the flooring in other rooms or need to replace some damaged areas and want to match existing flooring.

Those things are great! Besides undercutting jams, they work well on formica, etc.
The blade on my Ryobi is about shot. Need to get a new one.

Yep we had a flood in 2016 and had it installed and it’s wonderful; practically indestructible and looks really nice.

That’s my plan. I’m figuring measured are +10%. Is there a rule of thumb for that?

You're way safe at 10 %.
Keep your left and right cutoffs sorted use them every time you can.
After you cut both ends off a scrap it's trash, get the best use out of each cutoff length possible.

I just finished doing 2 bedrooms and a hall, my waste amounted to one small handful, mostly leftover rips from the table saw cuts.

So are the 4-inch grinders for 20 bucks, slap a 4-inch diamond blade on it for cutting tile.

Yes installing on a random pattern = very little waste.

Appreciate all the helpful advice and suggestions!

Now I just need a product approved by the CEO.

Following up on this a little...
It comes in roughly 20 sq ft packs. I need about 550 sq ft. That’s 28 boxes. +10% would be another 3 boxes.

How many extras would you get yo be safe?

normally I go a minimum of 5%, seeing as where you live 10 would probably be safer.

What are the pros and cons of vinyl plank vs ceramic tile (wood look) on a concrete slab?

I laid about 1000 sf of engineered wood floor (plywood) in my previous house and I swore I would never glue another floor, thinset and grout cleans up easy compared to glue.

Thanks Rog.

Get an Oscillating Multi tool to undercut jambs and casing.


https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Power-Tools-Power-Multi-Tools-Oscillating-Tools/N-5yc1vZc2b2