I'll be installing about 1600 sq ft of Luxury Plank Vinyl soon.  Never done it before but am very experienced in other home remodel projects.  Wondering if anybody has any tips or tricks for the install.  

Specifically, the house currently has a baseboard with quarter round.  If the level matches up close enough so I can keep the baseboard in place, What kind of spacers can be used between the wall and the flooring but under the baseboard?  Or is that even possible?  Or does all the baseboard need to come off no matter what?  

Also, anybody try out those bullet cutters for this stuff?

Thanks

Don't be lazy pull your damn baseboards. Use the 1/2" gap between the outside surface of your sheetrock and the stud plate as your float zone.

I buy a bunch of those .99 cent home depot yardsticks and cut them into 1/2" strips to use as spacers under the edge of the sheetrock. Then pull them out when you're done to allow the float. If you cut carefully, when you put your baseboard back on, it will cover your LVP edge perfectly.

You don't need a fancy cutter. Just score with a utility knife and whack that score over your knee or the corner of something, it'll pop right in half.

Be sure to follow the instructions.
Don't pound on a edge without some kind of protection. A cut off scrap works best.

When tapping ends, use the 2nd strip along the outside edge to make it seat squarely.

Make sure all your edges are seated and locked in.

Holler if you have any questions.



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I left my baseboard on and pulled the quarter round off. Then used plastic never rot door shims to shim the first row from the wall.

Then installed the quarter round back over the flooring.

I also left my flooring in the hpuse for a few days before i laid it down.

I have no buckles and no separated. Installed over a year ago and have plenty dog and kid traffic.

I am now trying to figure out how to do the staircase.

Here's a tip that will save you all kinds of headache.

Take your first board, and cut off about a 10-12" from each end.  Now, flip those end pieces upside down onto a smaller(about 8" long) piece of 2by4 and screw the piece of the plank into the 2by4.  If you have to you can countersink the screw holes so they are flush.

Now, flip those two pieces over and now you have two pieces you can lock into other boards (A left and a right)and have something to hammer against(the 2by4) without damaging the edges of the board you are trying to lock in.  You need both sides so you can do it depending on which way you are working.  This protects the edges of the planks you are laying but allows you to tap them in securely without tearing them up.  Just unhook the jig after you hammer it in and lay the next piece.

Also, a decent small wire brush to wipe out the grooves of every piece before laying it so there is no little pieces in the grooves that will keep it from locking together strongly.  I had my kids wipe out the planks and stack them for me as I layed the floor.  Worked great.

Timely thread.  Tagged for ideas.

That's a brilliant idea that I will do next time I put one down. I had the 2 cutoffs, but screwing on some 2x to get a good hammering surface is a big improvement.

Definitely remove the base board. It will make it easier to maintain the gap all the way around the room so that the floor properly floats. Depending on thick your base board is, you might not even need the quarter round. Another trick is to open multiple boxes at once and pull planks from every box especially if you have boxes with different lot numbers. I just did a 20'x25' living room and hallway back in December. All I used to cut the planks was a good straight edge and plenty of sharp utility knife blades. I put down 1/4" luan plywood first before laying the planks. The luan helped give a smoother surface and also helped level the floor to other rooms.

There's a kit too if you don't want to make the jig he described. They survived installing about 1,200 feet at my in-law's cabin.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HRTY2K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tau_meC1EbF4365VM

Cheaper at harbor freight and the tap block is better designed

I used that exact kit from Harbor Freight when I did my flooring. It worked good. I also suggest getting seam roller too. It will help you get stubborn seams flat.

seam roller

Just my 2 cents.

Pull the 1/4 round, as a minimum.  I would pull the baseboard as well, as it makes the finished job look that much better.  Make sure to score the gap between the baseboard and the wall so you don't wind up pulling half the wall board paper off with the baseboard.

Make sure your sub floor is clean and free from ANY bumps, lumps or protrusions, dips, edges, etc.  Imperfections will make their presence known, no matter how small and how thick the vinyl is (ask me how I know).

Also, use a laser, it helps keep the lines straight.  I did a 30 foot hallway in an older home we have.  Somethings are not as plumb and level as I would like, so I shot a laser down the hall to make sure everything lined up and looked good.  The finished floor is now straight as an arrow and looks like a pro did it.

That is the most important thing to do when installing any type of floor. Unless of course you are a fit young man.

I just finished putting laminate down in my daughters bedroom.  I had a kit similar to the one listed from Amazon.  It worked ok, but I wish the plastic block was thicker (looks like the HF one is thicker). I had to angle it up so I had room to hit it without the mallet scraping the underlayment.  The metal bar also chipped some of the laminate.

Best investment I made was this tool for removing the baseboard.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zenith-Trim-Puller-Multi-Tool-for-Baseboard-Molding-Siding-and-Flooring-Removal-Remodeling-ZN700002/206509569

I'm thinking about doing the kitchen next in the plank vinyl.

Shoe moulding/quarter round sucks. It's just another place that's hard to clean. Pull it off, trash it, and then pull the baseboards. You might have to do touch up painting, but it'll be worth it.

When I've done mine, I often will whack the seam with a rubber mallet to make sure it is seated firmly.

Is there any point to quarter round besides to cover the gap between the floor and the baseboard?  I don't really like the look of quarter round, so if I pull that and the baseboard off, I shouldn't need to reinstall quarter round right?  I'm new to the east coast and quarter round is everywhere, never saw it on the west coast.  

Also, another question; someone told me I should caulk all around the house where the subfloor meets the outer wall.  They said it increases the houses insulation or whatever.  Any truth to that?  If so, what kind of caulk would you use?

Thanks

CLICK THIS.  I pulled and re-installed my baseboards when I did mine.  This is how it will look.  I have quarter round downstairs and I HATE it!  If I have to redo the floors down there I likely pull the baseboards to do what I did upstairs.

As far as caulking the subfloor to bottom plate, highly doubt it will improve things great enough to make it worth while.

Yes, that's a real thing. Air-sealing helps increase the comfort and efficiency. Might not make much of an improvement, but caulk is cheap.

Sweep, sweep, sweep, and sweep again. Every little piece of trash will eventually come up through the vinyl.

That's a handy dandy tool right there.

I like these puppies:



OP, post pictures when you're done.

Yeah that's good advice.  I shop vac'd the floor and kept a bench brush near me to sweep before I laid down a plank.  
Those look WAY nicer to use than those stupid wedge spacers. Especially if you plan to install quarter round.