You are my hero. Thank you so much for doing this. I was debating to pay a contractor to install. I watched lots of videos, But had questions as I plan to do the entire house. Going to have to watch this several more times. But I am grateful to have the resource!!!
It's nice to have someone that has some serious intellectual fortitude do construction work and think about things in a super logical manner. Your discussion on working backwards around the 23 minute mark is missed by just about every typical installer. Your intro "table of contents" for the video is spot on too. Nicely done on many levels.
Best video I have found for this installation. You have covered it all and answered so many questions that were not answered in all the other videos I found. Thanks my Man!!
This whole video is gold, but this is by far the most important bit and the part everyone else doesn't explain well 19:58 - Prep: Determine where to start and finish installing the floor Thanks, Walt!
Walt, I’m a 38 year construction Vet that’s has layed many laminate floors and engineered floors. You did a fantastic job of explaining the process. I’m getting ready to install my own home and just wanted to thank you for solving my potential problems before they became a problem. Nice job!!
Thank you for this! Super informative and helpful - I’m about to lay vinyl plank flooring in my house - my mom and husband think I’m crazy for wanting to do it on my own, but I know I can do it, and this video really helped. Your info on direction of board, working backwards, and planning out where to start is so much more helpful than other videos I’ve watched! I know I’ll come back and watch this video several more times as I work through my project.
Seriously, the BEST video I've seen on this topic. So glad I found it before we started. I appreciate how thorough you are and for all the extra info that so many other videos don't cover. Thank you!!!
This is the best most elaborative educational video on this subject on the entire internet. Thank you! You could sell this material as a true comprehensive course on how to install Vinyl planks floors. Great job there.
I have watched so many and this is the first one that answered most of my questions and it was really easy to follow! Especially with regard to going from room to room and no transitions 🙌
I'm gearing up to do this myself in a few of my bedrooms, and this is one of the most helpful vinyl plank flooring installation videos I've seen on CZcams so far. Thanks for posting!
WOW....Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge and time. My teenage Son and I are getting ready to install 1700 square feet of flooring and you have given us such an amazing tool. Thank you ever so much
I am about to begin my own flooring project for the entire house to replace carpet with LVP. As you note, other videos, while helpful, leave out a lot of details. You've just done what I was thinking I needed to do. Thanks a bunch. I'll try to share updates of my project and we'll be watching your meticulous guides as I work.
Dude..., one of the beat videos on installing lvp. I'm about to lay some down and I've been watching several videos on this and yours is one of the most informative, concise, detailed and thorough. Two thumbs up! 👍🏾👍🏾
I’m most impressed that you still call your friend, “buddy” in the video after finding those mistakes. Friend or foe, I would’ve been using a different term when I found those mistakes! Those mistakes are the very reason I don’t hire friends. You may have saved a little money on install, but wasted materials, and more valuable: time.
Greetings from Netherlands. On this Easter weekend I've decided to lay down rigid pvc tiles myself. I have no experience and because of covid my help can't travel so I'm alone to do this and mostly trying to plan as much as possible. All questions you addressed I had and you answered them all in detail and so clearly. Your tips are so valuable. Sending you lots of good vibes!
Wow! So very helpful!! Thank you for taking the time to speak to DIY beginners, covering all the details and tips so thoroughly! You filled in so many gaps that were left out of other videos I've seen. Many thanks for this great resource!!!
WOW! and WOW! This one is THE most informative video I have watched on install! That was absolutely AMAZING to have all the how-to's; don't do that! & oops fixes laid out so I know what to watch for before it becomes a fix it. I am thinking you have given us many many hours back! I am by no means OCD--but my house was a flip by cheapskate, "close enough" people so you providing the insight to be able to plan ahead saved me time, money, and kept me from pulling my hair out! Thank you!
I have watched several videos and floor installation and this is by far the best one I've seen. Great job! Thank you so much for putting together an amazing "how to" video.
THIS IS THE BEST EXPLANATION VIDEO FOR THIS ON CZcams! Man! I've been looking for hours for this video. I've been wondering what to do, do I change direction of the boards for different rooms/hallways etc, this whole time I knew the answer I just wanted to confirm. Great job man, thank you.
Killer video brother!!! Excellent info for DIY'ers as well as us pros! Can never stress enough the word "RANDOM"! I've got 10 rooms, 1,800 sf to do, and a bad knee. Should be fun :)
I have just recently discovered this vinyl by Lifeproof at Home Depot. I also have a concrete slab that I would be applying it to... I really like the way you showed all of the tools you would work with and the actual way you showed yourself working through the problems that came up. Good job and Thank you for your time. Very informative..
By far the most extensive video I've seen - thanks! One thing I missed and wonder about is "working backwards". I will have places where I'll go through a doorway and have to backtrack 3-4 feet in the other direction. The best I can figure is that I'd be laying out that section as carefully as I can so it's like a big sheet of flooring, and then to lift it up and snap it into the piece that's running through. Hard to explain, and would be nice to see via video:)
Wow. Super helpful video to assist me prior to flooring my home. Very well spoken and put together. You're awesome brother. Thank you for this. God bless!
thanks for sharing! i've learned many of these lessons myself during my first two rooms out of more to come. It's great to hear from other DIYers sharing learning experiences to reinforce your own to keep improving. Cheers and congrats on your flooring install!
Awesome Video!! I am a finish carpenter by trade and this Video was Amazing!! One thing that I haven't done is install Vinyl Plank Flooring yet and so I have watched a lot of videos. This by far was the Best One!! Thank You!! "Subscribed"
Thanks for this video. I'm also debating to hire somebody to do the work and this helped out a lot. Definitely prepping is key so I've got to look at this video a number of times.
This is a great video - so informative and I enjoyed your calm steady vibe. I really liked your graphic explanations about running the planks and taking time to plan for not "working backwards". You've really helped us feel better prepared to give it a go. A+
Really good information, you covered a lot of great points. I’m sharing this video with my boss, I only hope he watches the whole thing. He has a tendency to cut corners and fix mistakes after the fact. Even though I’m going to be laying the floor in his rental, I still have to convince him how it is done correctly. Thanks 🙏
Great video! Thank you so much. In the part where you tried to put a whole piece in a door way horizontally... this can be achieved by bending the plank upward like a rainbow. Then you can get both ends in and push down the plank in the middle.
Very good. Answered many of questions especially about transitions and going room to room layouts. I know I will be coming back to this for many references.
What a fantastic video! Well said and well done. I am preparing to take on this project and have done a lot of research but you have ideas and tips that I have not seen. Thank you for all your effort, knowledge, and your willingness to share.
Very comprehensive! You covered a lot of considerations, tips and tricks that other LVP videos don't cover. As always, the proper planning up front makes the job go so much easier without surprises half way through. I can just add one comment regarding LVP or any other type of floating "click" flooring. I was debating whether to sand and refinish all the 50 year old existing hardwood floors in my home, since they are already there, or whether to install new flooring over them. Refinishing hardwood floors requires the entire floors of the house to be cleared of all furniture, etc, before sanding, repairing, staining and applying multiple coat of polyurethane. You need somewhere else to store everything and each process requires a lengthy time period, compounded by the drying periods between each coat of finish. A "click" floating floor allows you to move furniture to one side of each room to lay half of the room, then move furniture to the new finished floor area to complete the remainder of the room, or you can store in another room while you complete the existing. This is also a much cleaner process without the dust and noxious fumes of refinishing existing floors. Finally, the cost between the two processes is comparable.
That is a lot of variables to consider. After 10 months of the LVP I am realizing at least the stuff I got is not as durable as hardwood. Where my office chair wheels rub each day has started to chip the edges of the VLP. I order a floor mat for the chair to prevent this, but unlike hardwood once its chipped you can't restore that plank.
@@waltsreviews90 LVP is available in a number of different qualities from a number of different sources. One assumes that the more expensive will be better quality, but you never know. A floor mat at your office desk is a good investment. We don't realize how much an office chair moves with those small hard wheels during the course of a day. Most floor materials will wear badly under an office chair.
Well,, I had difficulty going into closets and the baseboards where installed, with crazy slot cuts, etc, etc, As you said, and many others will also, But I cut a piece in half with a good blade on a miter saw. And used crazy glue between the perfect butt joint. It worked Amazing and the joint was invisible
THIS is the video I've been looking for! Thank you sir! This is excellent information, well put together. Looking forward to watching anything else you put up. Subscribed, and thank you again!
This is a great video. I had to figure this all out myself. I spent a long time on the math of multiple rooms and the edges until I finally just realized there was no way to get it perfect and that I just needed to prioritize the hallway, say as the thought process you took us through. I also realized I had to lay the hallway first because I could fit an exact whole number of boards there and there was no way I was going to get it right by working my way to the hallway. So I had to work backwards for a big chunk because the hallway was priority.
It's been a while since I watched this video, so pardon me if you've covered this already. I just wanted to follow up now that I'm done with my project. I started in my hallway and went down the right way and up (backwards) for the kitchen and dining room. The real problem with going backwards is when you hit the wall. You need a lot more space to go backwards than to go forwards (I mean on the long end, not the short end) so when you go backwards and you hit the top wall, there has to be a bigger gap. This isn't a huge problem if you're hiding that gap under quarter round or baseboard. But it's a real problem if you've got a doorway to the outside that doesn't just hide the gap. Interior doorways, you can just hide the gap under a transition. So I'm talking about outside doorways. There's just nothing to hide that gap (that I know of). My problem was that I had two doorways that way, so when I did them, I had the most agonizing time trying over and over to reduce the gap. I kept trying different ways to pinch the boards closer and closer and ended up kind of damaging them because I was trying so hard to squeeze them in while going backwards, which is just hard to do. It's much easier if you take all the molding off the door frames, but that's a pain and you will still have a gap. So I'd say just try to avoid going backwards if there are doors that way. My hallway was in the middle and I had two doorways one way and nothing the other way. I made my decision based on square footage (there was less square footage the direction I chose), but that's a mistake. Choose it based on the doorways because they're the biggest pain). I should have reversed it, then I would have had no doorways and the gap would have been smaller and easier. Anyway, so what I ended up doing was getting some colored caulk. It's the same color as my vinyl planks, so it looked pretty good.
This is very helpful, great video for me. Thank you for all the different things to consider before starting. I am looking to put flooring down on pretty much a whole floor and this will help me tremendously.
Great video, really walked me through everything I need to do going from room to room with no transitions strips. And how to reduce working backwards as much as possible. Thanks for taking the time to show and tell.
Well explained. Your buddy, well, perhaps should have known better, like me! I should have watched this before I began. But it is working out and your assist is highly valued.
Wow, this is just fantastic. Thanks so much for all the great info. I haven't done vinyl plank yet, but I've done lots of interlocking laminate, and much of your layout and planning tips apply to that material as well. Wish I'd seen something like this years ago.
Initialy I did not like the video because the camera was just moving so fast but I stuck with it and I soon realize the its actually the best video on this site for Vinyl Plank Installation. THANKS
I always thought knee pads were optional and more of a comfort thing. On a different job I developed what is called pre patellar bursitis. The next day it went septic and I ended up in the hospital getting IV antibiotics for 3 days. That condition is no joke! I strongly encourage anyone to use very good knee pads! Thanks for the video man!
@@waltsreviews90 man, I'm not going to lie, that was excruciating pain. I was also in a military teaching hospital where every single doc wanted to come in and touch it!😲 That was the first thing out of my mouth when they entered the room, "DON'T TOUCH!!!" Even the grazing bed sheets caused excruciating pain. I have a question about the radon gas. Since your application of the vapor barrier and the other underlayment have you retaken the radon gas readings?
This was a great video and addressed the multi-room complexity the everyone else avoids. However, I was surprised by the multiple layers that became installed. So much discussion is given to making sure floors are level and clean. You had a moisture barrier, underlament pad secured with duck tape(!) and covered with padded vinyl planks. It seems that you would have areas of bumps from any gathering of material beneath-let alone the duck tape!
Good tips. Reminds me of me, down on my hands and knees measuring out how to get around some door jam. I like the idea of having two separate piles for the discards, I've always just thrown them all together, I'll use that. But my discards usually don't last too long, a use for them always pops up quick. ;)
Amazingly detailed video, thank you. This really helped answer some questions for me. I like to think I'm reasonably handy, mainly with woodworking, but haven't installed a floor before. We decided to give vinyl flooring a try after our old Labrador ruined our maple hardwood floors on the main floor. Our new dog is even heavier and I just didn't want to deal with watching a brand new hardwood floor get scratched repeatedly over time. So we decided on SPC 8mm flooring with a 22mil wear layer. This stuff is HEAVY (especially compared to WPC vinyl) and seems quite durable. One concern at the moment is that our family room has two corners with 3/4 maple stair nosing, so I need the vinyl planks to sit flush with them (edge-wise, height-wise is already taken care of with 7/16 OSB overlaid on subfloor + 5/16 thick planks = 3/4). Now, I've heard that SPC doesn't expand as much as WPC - so I was thinking of either a) putting a small bead of grey caulking along the edges that touch the nosing or b) tacking those edges with glue. I think gluing them will look cleaner but I'm not sure if gluing *just* that one small corner will cause issues or not. My other big concern was something your video addressed and that is running the planks through multiple rooms without any transition pieces - I can't stand transitions and that's one reason I was hesitant to try vinyl flooring in the first place. But it seems like your layout is similar to mine and that it went well for you. How is it holding up? Again, thanks for the very detailed and informative video.
I moved in July but it held up well until then. Only regret was not leveling the concrete under the floor first. The unevenness, led to the edges in some spots being raised and a place that something like my office chair would catch on and ultimately damage.
Fantastic instructional video! Bravo, very complete and well done. Nice section about the planning stage regarding direction and placement of the planks. Thanks for posting this!👍🏽
You are my hero. Thank you so much for doing this. I was debating to pay a contractor to install. I watched lots of videos,
But had questions as I plan to do the entire house. Going to have to watch this several more times. But I am grateful to have the resource!!!
You are very welcome, glad I could help.
It's nice to have someone that has some serious intellectual fortitude do construction work and think about things in a super logical manner. Your discussion on working backwards around the 23 minute mark is missed by just about every typical installer. Your intro "table of contents" for the video is spot on too. Nicely done on many levels.
Thank you, always happy to help.
I found it surprisingly difficult to find a video that explained the details of a whole house layout. I really appreciate this one. Nice work, thanks!
Best video I have found for this installation. You have covered it all and answered so many questions that were not answered in all the other videos I found. Thanks my Man!!
This whole video is gold, but this is by far the most important bit and the part everyone else doesn't explain well 19:58 - Prep: Determine where to start and finish installing the floor
Thanks, Walt!
Thanks for watching, and glad the video helped!
This really goes to show how much is involved in doing a truly good job and how many people don’t do it.
Walt, I’m a 38 year construction Vet that’s has layed many laminate floors and engineered floors. You did a fantastic job of explaining the process. I’m getting ready to install my own home and just wanted to thank you for solving my potential problems before they became a problem. Nice job!!
Thank you, glad that I was able to help!
This is the best, most complete how to video
24 min with every word being 100% useful.
Spoken like a 20 yrs vet in the craft.
Subbed
The knee pads are more important than many think. Even doing just one room like I did years ago, they were a blessing.
You're ability to convey information clearly is amazing, especially on a subject you just taught yourself.
I appreciate that! I spent a while trying to put the video together, nice to hear that time is appreciated by viewers.
Excellent video, Walt! I’ve watched dozens of these vinyl board install videos but no other video was nearly as helpful as yours. Thanks!
You're very welcome. I'm glad it was helpful for you!
Thank you for this! Super informative and helpful - I’m about to lay vinyl plank flooring in my house - my mom and husband think I’m crazy for wanting to do it on my own, but I know I can do it, and this video really helped. Your info on direction of board, working backwards, and planning out where to start is so much more helpful than other videos I’ve watched! I know I’ll come back and watch this video several more times as I work through my project.
You got this; hope it all goes smooth!!
How did the floors turn out.
Seriously, the BEST video I've seen on this topic. So glad I found it before we started. I appreciate how thorough you are and for all the extra info that so many other videos don't cover. Thank you!!!
No problem, thanks for watching and the feedback!
This is the best most elaborative educational video on this subject on the entire internet. Thank you! You could sell this material as a true comprehensive course on how to install Vinyl planks floors. Great job there.
I've been watching flooring videos for weeks. This one is the most comprehensive and useful of all! Cheers
Thanks for the kind words!
I have watched so many and this is the first one that answered most of my questions and it was really easy to follow! Especially with regard to going from room to room and no transitions 🙌
Glad that it was helpful!
This is the best vinyl plank installation video I've seen so far. Thank you so much man!!!
Thanks for the feedback, nice to know viewers appreciate all the time I put into the video.
This is probably the best guide to this on CZcams
I appreciate that I spent *A LOT* of time on it glad it was helpful.
I'm gearing up to do this myself in a few of my bedrooms, and this is one of the most helpful vinyl plank flooring installation videos I've seen on CZcams so far. Thanks for posting!
WOW....Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge and time. My teenage Son and I are getting ready to install 1700 square feet of flooring and you have given us such an amazing tool. Thank you ever so much
This is one of the better installation videos I have watched, and I have watched a lot. Thanks
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the effort you put into making this video. 👏 I want to lay my entire house and now I have a better idea. Thanks.
You're welcome and good luck getting it all done!
One of the best videos so far on LVT install
Thanks a lot!
Thanks for making such a thorough video, I've been doing flooring for a while and always wondered about proper starting points, reference lines etc.
been watching a million videos on flooring and this is the best by far, thank you
Glad to help Rodrigo!
Thank you sir! Exactly the video I needed. I am doing multiple rooms with hallway and didn’t know where to start. You the man!
I am about to begin my own flooring project for the entire house to replace carpet with LVP. As you note, other videos, while helpful, leave out a lot of details. You've just done what I was thinking I needed to do. Thanks a bunch. I'll try to share updates of my project and we'll be watching your meticulous guides as I work.
Good luck!
Dude..., one of the beat videos on installing lvp. I'm about to lay some down and I've been watching several videos on this and yours is one of the most informative, concise, detailed and thorough. Two thumbs up! 👍🏾👍🏾
I’m most impressed that you still call your friend, “buddy” in the video after finding those mistakes. Friend or foe, I would’ve been using a different term when I found those mistakes! Those mistakes are the very reason I don’t hire friends. You may have saved a little money on install, but wasted materials, and more valuable: time.
Wow I made it thru the whole video. Very detailed. I am getting ready to do my house myself and save about $8k in labor.
Glad you are saving money. Good luck!
Greetings from Netherlands. On this Easter weekend I've decided to lay down rigid pvc tiles myself. I have no experience and because of covid my help can't travel so I'm alone to do this and mostly trying to plan as much as possible. All questions you addressed I had and you answered them all in detail and so clearly. Your tips are so valuable. Sending you lots of good vibes!
Thanks so much, hope the install went well!
Wow! So very helpful!! Thank you for taking the time to speak to DIY beginners, covering all the details and tips so thoroughly! You filled in so many gaps that were left out of other videos I've seen. Many thanks for this great resource!!!
WOW! and WOW! This one is THE most informative video I have watched on install! That was absolutely AMAZING to have all the how-to's; don't do that! & oops fixes laid out so I know what to watch for before it becomes a fix it. I am thinking you have given us many many hours back! I am by no means OCD--but my house was a flip by cheapskate, "close enough" people so you providing the insight to be able to plan ahead saved me time, money, and kept me from pulling my hair out! Thank you!
You're welcome, glad that it helped you save money and time Warrine!
Getting ready to start a large multi-room project and this video is just an amazing tutorial.
Glad it was helpful. Good luck on your project!
I have watched several videos and floor installation and this is by far the best one I've seen. Great job! Thank you so much for putting together an amazing "how to" video.
Hope your project goes well!
One of the best how-to videos I've seen. Very comprehensive with tons of helpful tips. Great job, Walt!
THIS IS THE BEST EXPLANATION VIDEO FOR THIS ON CZcams! Man! I've been looking for hours for this video. I've been wondering what to do, do I change direction of the boards for different rooms/hallways etc, this whole time I knew the answer I just wanted to confirm. Great job man, thank you.
Great job, you filled in all the gaps that existed in other videos!
One of the best comprehensive videos for beginners I've seen. I've watched many videos and yours was great for putting it all together. Thanks!
No problem, hope that it helps!
Killer video brother!!! Excellent info for DIY'ers as well as us pros! Can never stress enough the word "RANDOM"!
I've got 10 rooms, 1,800 sf to do, and a bad knee. Should be fun :)
I plan on doing this on my own for the first time. I appreciate all the good information that you shared. Thank you.
You're welcome, best of luck!
I have just recently discovered this vinyl by Lifeproof at Home Depot. I also have a concrete slab that I would be applying it to... I really like the way you showed all of the tools you would work with and the actual way you showed yourself working through the problems that came up. Good job and Thank you for your time. Very informative..
48:59 finally someone knows what they are talking about. I've tried to share this point in other video's comments. Thank you.
That's hands down the best video out there for flooring install. I watched lots of them and you did a great job thank you
That's great, thanks!
By far the most extensive video I've seen - thanks! One thing I missed and wonder about is "working backwards". I will have places where I'll go through a doorway and have to backtrack 3-4 feet in the other direction. The best I can figure is that I'd be laying out that section as carefully as I can so it's like a big sheet of flooring, and then to lift it up and snap it into the piece that's running through. Hard to explain, and would be nice to see via video:)
No problem, glad to help!
Awesome video! Thanks for creating this and including so many details and recommendations! Exactly what I needed.
Wow. Super helpful video to assist me prior to flooring my home. Very well spoken and put together. You're awesome brother. Thank you for this. God bless!
No problem, hope your flooring went well!
thanks for sharing! i've learned many of these lessons myself during my first two rooms out of more to come. It's great to hear from other DIYers sharing learning experiences to reinforce your own to keep improving. Cheers and congrats on your flooring install!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome Video!! I am a finish carpenter by trade and this Video was Amazing!! One thing that I haven't done is install Vinyl Plank Flooring yet and so I have watched a lot of videos. This by far was the Best One!! Thank You!! "Subscribed"
Thanks for the kind words, and glad it was helpful!
Great info in this video! Thanks so much. Feeling more confident in my upcoming install.
No problem, and good luck!
Great video that answered my question on transitioning from multiple rooms.
Well done, covering the details and tools! A lacking item from most youtubers. Keep it up!
Thanks, always good to know it was helpful. :)
Literally the best video on how to do this!
Thanks for this video. I'm also debating to hire somebody to do the work and this helped out a lot. Definitely prepping is key so I've got to look at this video a number of times.
I hear you. DIY projects always take a ton of time. Hard to know when the cutoff for hiring someone is
This is a great video - so informative and I enjoyed your calm steady vibe. I really liked your graphic explanations about running the planks and taking time to plan for not "working backwards". You've really helped us feel better prepared to give it a go. A+
Excellent video. great explanation on centering boards and working backwards.You think like an architect
Thanks, glad to help!
Just beginning a whole house install! Finished a bathroom yesterday! Yay!! 😎
Awesome, good luck!
Really good information, you covered a lot of great points. I’m sharing this video with my boss, I only hope he watches the whole thing. He has a tendency to cut corners and fix mistakes after the fact. Even though I’m going to be laying the floor in his rental, I still have to convince him how it is done correctly. Thanks 🙏
No problem, hope this works for him!
Walt, you have done a superb job. You answered questions I had, and some I had no clue would cause me a problem later. Thanks!
Sure thing, happy to know it was helpful!
I am getting ready to install about 900 ft in 4 bedrooms and wanted one continuous run with no transitions. This helped out a lot! Thank you so much.
Im glad it helped! When I tried to figure out how to do that I couldn't find much which is a big reason I made this video.
you dont need transitions w LVP onyl laminate
Great video! Thank you so much. In the part where you tried to put a whole piece in a door way horizontally... this can be achieved by bending the plank upward like a rainbow. Then you can get both ends in and push down the plank in the middle.
Thanks! Sounds like a good idea, I'm sure the board will eventually snap but I think they got some give to them.
Very good. Answered many of questions especially about transitions and going room to room layouts.
I know I will be coming back to this for many references.
Glad to help!
I am so glad I came across your demo. Great job. Thank you.
You're welcome, glad to help!
What a fantastic video! Well said and well done. I am preparing to take on this project and have done a lot of research but you have ideas and tips that I have not seen. Thank you for all your effort, knowledge, and your willingness to share.
You're welcome, happy to know it helped you!
This is an amazing tutorial video. Thanks man you saved a ton of time for a lot of people I’m sure.
Glad to help, and good luck with the project!
@@waltsreviews90 is there a different process for ‘working backwards’ in the room or does it click in the same way?
Very comprehensive! You covered a lot of considerations, tips and tricks that other LVP videos don't cover. As always, the proper planning up front makes the job go so much easier without surprises half way through. I can just add one comment regarding LVP or any other type of floating "click" flooring. I was debating whether to sand and refinish all the 50 year old existing hardwood floors in my home, since they are already there, or whether to install new flooring over them. Refinishing hardwood floors requires the entire floors of the house to be cleared of all furniture, etc, before sanding, repairing, staining and applying multiple coat of polyurethane. You need somewhere else to store everything and each process requires a lengthy time period, compounded by the drying periods between each coat of finish. A "click" floating floor allows you to move furniture to one side of each room to lay half of the room, then move furniture to the new finished floor area to complete the remainder of the room, or you can store in another room while you complete the existing. This is also a much cleaner process without the dust and noxious fumes of refinishing existing floors. Finally, the cost between the two processes is comparable.
That is a lot of variables to consider. After 10 months of the LVP I am realizing at least the stuff I got is not as durable as hardwood. Where my office chair wheels rub each day has started to chip the edges of the VLP. I order a floor mat for the chair to prevent this, but unlike hardwood once its chipped you can't restore that plank.
@@waltsreviews90 LVP is available in a number of different qualities from a number of different sources. One assumes that the more expensive will be better quality, but you never know. A floor mat at your office desk is a good investment. We don't realize how much an office chair moves with those small hard wheels during the course of a day. Most floor materials will wear badly under an office chair.
Fantastic upload, thanks so much. Convinced me to do it myself...
Well,, I had difficulty going into closets and the baseboards where installed, with crazy slot cuts, etc, etc, As you said, and many others will also,
But I cut a piece in half with a good blade on a miter saw. And used crazy glue between the perfect butt joint. It worked Amazing and the joint was invisible
This is one of the best how to videos!!
Best video for whole house planning! thank you so much!
You're welcome!
Thank you for taking all the time to make this video. It's helped so much.
Glad to help Yannis.
Thank you so much - I am about to do my floors and was having issues finding all the video's. This worked great!
No problem, happy to help!
You’re an angel, my goodness, thank you so much.
You are very welcome, I hope your project went well!
Wish I found your video before I started 😂
THIS is the video I've been looking for! Thank you sir! This is excellent information, well put together. Looking forward to watching anything else you put up. Subscribed, and thank you again!
You're welcome, glad to hear it was helpful, and good luck on the flooring!
This is a great video. I had to figure this all out myself. I spent a long time on the math of multiple rooms and the edges until I finally just realized there was no way to get it perfect and that I just needed to prioritize the hallway, say as the thought process you took us through. I also realized I had to lay the hallway first because I could fit an exact whole number of boards there and there was no way I was going to get it right by working my way to the hallway. So I had to work backwards for a big chunk because the hallway was priority.
Agreed, I would also start with the hallway.
It's been a while since I watched this video, so pardon me if you've covered this already. I just wanted to follow up now that I'm done with my project. I started in my hallway and went down the right way and up (backwards) for the kitchen and dining room. The real problem with going backwards is when you hit the wall. You need a lot more space to go backwards than to go forwards (I mean on the long end, not the short end) so when you go backwards and you hit the top wall, there has to be a bigger gap. This isn't a huge problem if you're hiding that gap under quarter round or baseboard. But it's a real problem if you've got a doorway to the outside that doesn't just hide the gap. Interior doorways, you can just hide the gap under a transition. So I'm talking about outside doorways. There's just nothing to hide that gap (that I know of). My problem was that I had two doorways that way, so when I did them, I had the most agonizing time trying over and over to reduce the gap. I kept trying different ways to pinch the boards closer and closer and ended up kind of damaging them because I was trying so hard to squeeze them in while going backwards, which is just hard to do. It's much easier if you take all the molding off the door frames, but that's a pain and you will still have a gap.
So I'd say just try to avoid going backwards if there are doors that way. My hallway was in the middle and I had two doorways one way and nothing the other way. I made my decision based on square footage (there was less square footage the direction I chose), but that's a mistake. Choose it based on the doorways because they're the biggest pain). I should have reversed it, then I would have had no doorways and the gap would have been smaller and easier.
Anyway, so what I ended up doing was getting some colored caulk. It's the same color as my vinyl planks, so it looked pretty good.
Very, very helpful. Thank you very much for your time explaining all this.
You're welcome, god luck with the project!
Fantastic, well thought out video presentation. You've covered everything dude...well done and thanks!
No problem, glad it was useful for you!
This is very helpful, great video for me. Thank you for all the different things to consider before starting. I am looking to put flooring down on pretty much a whole floor and this will help me tremendously.
You're welcome!
Great video, really walked me through everything I need to do going from room to room with no transitions strips. And how to reduce working backwards as much as possible. Thanks for taking the time to show and tell.
No problem, glad it helped you thanks for the feeback.
Well explained. Your buddy, well, perhaps should have known better, like me! I should have watched this before I began. But it is working out and your assist is highly valued.
Great to hear its working out!
Wow, this is just fantastic. Thanks so much for all the great info. I haven't done vinyl plank yet, but I've done lots of interlocking laminate, and much of your layout and planning tips apply to that material as well. Wish I'd seen something like this years ago.
No problem, hope the vinyl planks work well for you!
Initialy I did not like the video because the camera was just moving so fast but I stuck with it and I soon realize the its actually the best video on this site for Vinyl Plank Installation. THANKS
Thanks for the compliment, happy to help!
Keep up the amazing work
The most useful video big thank you
Glad to help!
I always thought knee pads were optional and more of a comfort thing. On a different job I developed what is called pre patellar bursitis. The next day it went septic and I ended up in the hospital getting IV antibiotics for 3 days. That condition is no joke! I strongly encourage anyone to use very good knee pads! Thanks for the video man!
Oh no, hope you doing better now! Knee pads really are a life saver. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@waltsreviews90 man, I'm not going to lie, that was excruciating pain. I was also in a military teaching hospital where every single doc wanted to come in and touch it!😲 That was the first thing out of my mouth when they entered the room, "DON'T TOUCH!!!" Even the grazing bed sheets caused excruciating pain.
I have a question about the radon gas. Since your application of the vapor barrier and the other underlayment have you retaken the radon gas readings?
You Rock Dude, thanks for making this long ass video.....lol......\m/
This was a great video and addressed the multi-room complexity the everyone else avoids. However, I was surprised by the multiple layers that became installed. So much discussion is given to making sure floors are level and clean. You had a moisture barrier, underlament pad secured with duck tape(!) and covered with padded vinyl planks. It seems that you would have areas of bumps from any gathering of material beneath-let alone the duck tape!
Thanks, hope it helped with your install!
Best flooring video ive seen. Thanks!
You're welcome!
Good tips. Reminds me of me, down on my hands and knees measuring out how to get around some door jam. I like the idea of having two separate piles for the discards, I've always just thrown them all together, I'll use that. But my discards usually don't last too long, a use for them always pops up quick. ;)
I love finding uses for scraps, no point in wasting 😊
Amazingly detailed video, thank you. This really helped answer some questions for me. I like to think I'm reasonably handy, mainly with woodworking, but haven't installed a floor before. We decided to give vinyl flooring a try after our old Labrador ruined our maple hardwood floors on the main floor. Our new dog is even heavier and I just didn't want to deal with watching a brand new hardwood floor get scratched repeatedly over time. So we decided on SPC 8mm flooring with a 22mil wear layer. This stuff is HEAVY (especially compared to WPC vinyl) and seems quite durable. One concern at the moment is that our family room has two corners with 3/4 maple stair nosing, so I need the vinyl planks to sit flush with them (edge-wise, height-wise is already taken care of with 7/16 OSB overlaid on subfloor + 5/16 thick planks = 3/4). Now, I've heard that SPC doesn't expand as much as WPC - so I was thinking of either a) putting a small bead of grey caulking along the edges that touch the nosing or b) tacking those edges with glue. I think gluing them will look cleaner but I'm not sure if gluing *just* that one small corner will cause issues or not.
My other big concern was something your video addressed and that is running the planks through multiple rooms without any transition pieces - I can't stand transitions and that's one reason I was hesitant to try vinyl flooring in the first place. But it seems like your layout is similar to mine and that it went well for you. How is it holding up?
Again, thanks for the very detailed and informative video.
I moved in July but it held up well until then. Only regret was not leveling the concrete under the floor first. The unevenness, led to the edges in some spots being raised and a place that something like my office chair would catch on and ultimately damage.
@@waltsreviews90 can you put underlayment over a hardwood floor that's in good shape and install vinyl over that?
Great informative video!! Awesome job!!
Fantastic work, the information was perfectly explained.
Thank you, glad it helped!
Great video!.. more details than anyone else
Thank you, hope it helped you!
Great video. I'm in the process of doing an install.
Thanks, and good luck!
So easy to follow. I’m about to do my whole house. Thanks so much
No problem, whole hose is a lot of work, but I am sure you will enjoy your new floor after your done.
❤
Fantastic instructional video! Bravo, very complete and well done. Nice section about the planning stage regarding direction and placement of the planks. Thanks for posting this!👍🏽
Thanks for the positive comment, happy to hear it was useful.
Starting a project in the morning. Thank you
Hope it went well!
Excellent information.
Glad it was helpful!