Vinyl, Laminate, and Hardwood Flooring

Tile fails by cracking. Plank floors fail by moving. Wood swells in humid weather and shrinks in dry weather, and vinyl and laminate grow and shrink with temperature. A plank floor that lasts is one that was put down with room to move, on a substrate that is flat and dry.

This guide covers luxury vinyl plank and tile, laminate, and solid and engineered hardwood. Every product comes with its own instructions, and they control the gaps, acclimation time, moisture limits and warranty. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) publishes guidelines for hardwood. Read the sheet in the box first, even if you have installed a hundred floors.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Choose the right floor for a room's moisture and subfloor.
• Test moisture and flatness before installing.
• Acclimate material and plan a layout that does not end in a sliver.
• Install a floating click-lock floor.
• Nail down hardwood with the right gaps and fastening.

Before You Touch an Old Floor

Warning: Old sheet vinyl, vinyl tile, backing and black mastic adhesive can contain asbestos. Do not sand, grind, scrape or tear them up until a test shows they are clear. If they contain asbestos, only trained and licensed crews may remove them, and rules vary by state.

If the floor is sound and the maker allows it, covering it can be an option. Ask your supervisor. Do not decide alone.

Choosing the Floor

Luxury Vinyl

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and tile (LVT) have a clear wear layer, a printed image layer, a core and sometimes an attached pad.

• SPC (stone plastic composite) cores are rigid and stable, and they bridge small dips well.
• WPC (wood plastic composite) cores are thicker and softer underfoot.

A waterproof floor is not a waterproof room. Water can still pass around the edges and damage the subfloor.

Laminate

Laminate has a high-density fiberboard (HDF) core with a printed layer and a hard melamine surface. The core swells if water gets into it, and that swelling is permanent. Some newer products are more water-resistant, so check the rating before use in a damp room.

Hardwood

Solid hardwood is usually 3/4 inch thick. It can be sanded many times, but it moves the most and should not go below grade or directly on concrete.

Engineered hardwood has a real wood veneer on a plywood or HDF core. It moves less. It can be nailed, glued or floated, and some products can go over concrete with the right moisture control. It can only be sanded as many times as the veneer allows.

Site-finished floors are sanded and coated after installation. Prefinished floors come coated from the factory and can be used right away.

Testing the Substrate

Flatness

Most plank floors need the substrate flat within about 3/16 inch in 10 feet, though some makers want 1/8 inch in 6 feet. Floating floors flex over a dip, and the joints break. Fill low spots with a patching compound and grind or sand high spots.

Moisture

Over concrete: New slabs need time to dry, often 60 days or more, and moisture tests are the proof. Use the test named by the maker, usually in-slab RH (ASTM F2170). Limits vary by product. If readings are too high, use a moisture barrier system or choose a different floor.

Over wood: Use a moisture meter on the subfloor. NWFA guidance is that the wood subfloor should be within 4 percent of solid strip flooring under 3 inches wide, and within 2 percent for wider planks.

Moisture problems nearly always come from somewhere: a slab, a crawl space, a leak or a new building that has not dried. Heat and air conditioning should be running at normal living levels before you start.

Other Checks

• Fix squeaks in the subfloor now. Screw them down.
• Clean thoroughly. A small stone can break a click joint.
• Check door clearances. A new floor raises the height.

Acclimation

Material needs to reach the temperature and humidity of the space.

• Vinyl plank: Most makers call for about 48 hours in the room. Lay boxes flat.
• Laminate: Usually about 48 hours.
• Hardwood: Often 3 to 7 days, but what matters is moisture content, not days. Use a meter until the wood reaches the target range. Open the boxes if the maker says to.

Do not stack boxes against outside walls or on bare concrete. Do not store them in a garage. Material stored in a cold truck and installed the same day is a callback waiting to happen.

Laying Out the Floor

Direction

Planks usually run the length of the room or toward the main light source. Hardwood should normally run across the floor joists, for strength. Plan transitions at doorways.

Measuring

Worked example. A room is 14 feet by 18 feet, and a box covers 23.6 square feet.

• Area = 14 x 18 = 252 square feet.
• Add 10 percent for waste: 277 square feet.
• Boxes = 277 / 23.6 = 11.7, so order 12.

Avoiding a Sliver

Figure out the last row before you start.

Worked example. A room is 120 inches wide. Planks are 7 inches wide with 1/4-inch gaps at both walls.

• Usable width = 120 - 1/2 = 119-1/2 inches.
• 119.5 / 7 = 17 full rows, plus 1/2 inch left over.

A 1/2-inch last row cannot be installed. Rip the first row so that the first and last rows match. Take 7 inches plus 1/2 inch, which is 7-1/2 inches, and split it between them: 3-3/4 inches each.

Staggering

Offset end joints from row to row, commonly by at least 6 to 8 inches, or more for long planks. Avoid repeating stair-step patterns or H-shaped joints. Use the offcut from one row to start the next, if it is long enough. Mix boxes to spread out color and pattern.

Installing a Floating Floor

A floating floor clicks together and rests on the subfloor without being fastened. It must be free to move.

1. Undercut door jambs with a jamb saw, so that the floor slides under them.
2. Lay underlayment if required. Laminate over concrete needs a poly vapor barrier. Many LVPs have pads attached, and adding a second can void the warranty.
3. Set spacers. Leave an expansion gap of about 1/4 inch at all walls and fixed objects, or as specified. Larger rooms may need more.
4. Start along the straightest wall. Run the first row with the tongues toward the wall, if the instructions show that.
5. Click in the long side, then tap the end joint with a tapping block and pull bar. Do not hit the edge directly.
6. Check for straightness every few rows.
7. Cut around pipes and door casings, leaving a gap.
8. Install the last row with a pull bar.
9. Remove spacers, and cover the gaps with base, quarter-round or trim. Nail trim to the wall, never down through the floor.

Things that pin a floating floor stop it from moving. Do not put cabinets, islands or heavy built-ins on it. Very long runs may need a T-molding, depending on the maker's limit.

To cut, score vinyl with a utility knife and snap it. Use a saw or shear for laminate. Saws make fine dust from the core, so use a dust collection bag or vacuum and wear a respirator as needed.

Installing Nail-Down Hardwood

1. Prepare the deck. Use a suitable wood subfloor. Screw down loose spots, and lay a paper or felt underlayment if the job calls for it.
2. Snap a line. Set it away from the starting wall by the width of the board plus the expansion gap.
3. Leave the gap. The usual gap for solid hardwood is about 3/4 inch at walls and fixed objects. This space gives the wood room to expand with humidity changes without buckling. Base trim covers it.
4. Rack the boards. Lay out several rows loose to plan the end joints, color and length.
5. Face-nail the first rows. Drill pilot holes, and nail near the edge, where the base will cover. A flooring nailer will not fit against the wall.
6. Blind-nail the field. Use a flooring nailer, angled through the tongue, with fasteners about 8 to 10 inches apart and within a few inches of the board ends. Check the product guide.
7. Rip the last row, and face-nail it.

Use the nailer's correct adapter plate so that it does not mar the board. Keep your hands and feet away from the nailer, since you are swinging a mallet at it. Wear eye and hearing protection.

Do not force a tight row with a sledge. Bowed boards should be pulled straight with a pry bar or board jack before nailing.

Gluing

Glue-down floors need the adhesive and trowel the maker specifies. Pay attention to open time, and roll the floor if the instructions call for it. Good ventilation matters.

Finishing on Site

Sanding creates a lot of fine dust, and floor finishes can be flammable. Empty sander bags outdoors into a metal can with water, because dust and finish-soaked rags can ignite on their own. Turn off pilot lights and ventilate as the product says. Do this only after you have been trained on the machine.

Fixing Problems

Cupping means board edges are higher than the center. It tells you that the bottom of the board is wetter than the top. Do not sand it until the moisture is fixed and the floor has dried.

Working Safely

• Wear knee pads. This is kneeling work, all day.
• Lift boxes with care, and use a cart. Hardwood is heavy.
• Wear eye protection when cutting or nailing.
• Use a dust mask or respirator for sanding and cutting, and a vacuum for dust.
• Keep power cords and air hoses out of the walkway.

Check Your Understanding

1. A homeowner wants laminate in a laundry room. What do you tell them?

Most laminate has an HDF core that swells with water. Suggest luxury vinyl or tile, or check that the product is rated for the area.

2. You pull up old vinyl tile in a 1960s house and see black adhesive. What do you do?

Stop, and do not sand or scrape. Have it tested for asbestos first.

3. Vinyl planks arrive this morning, and the crew wants to install them today. What is the problem?

Most makers call for about 48 hours of acclimation in the room.

4. A room is 100 inches wide, and planks are 6 inches wide with 1/4-inch gaps. How wide is the last row?

99.5 / 6 = 16 full rows with 3-1/2 inches left over. That works, though you could rip the first row to balance it.

5. A hardwood floor was installed tight against the walls, with no gap. What happens when summer humidity comes?

The boards expand with nowhere to go, and the floor can buckle.

Key Takeaways

• Test old floors for asbestos before you disturb them.
• Test moisture and flatness before you open the boxes.
• Acclimate. LVP usually needs about 48 hours, and hardwood needs to hit its moisture target.
• Plan the last row before the first row.
• Leave expansion gaps. Never pin a floating floor.
• Read the instructions for the product in the box.