How to Install Floating Vinyl Flooring

Floating floors are floor boards or tiles that are made to snap together, like puzzle pieces, without the use of nails or glue. They sit loosely over the floor, held down at the edges by floor trim, making them the easiest kind of flooring to install. They are usually made of wood, but you can also find vinyl floating floors, with the vinyl made to look like wood. Vinyl floating floors are even easier to install, because you can cut them with a regular razor knife, and you don't need any kind of moisture barrier or underlayment.

Things You'll Need

• Broom
• Floor cleanser
• Mop
• Vinyl plank flooring
• Spacers
• Razor knife
• Carpenter's square
• Floor trim
• Miter saw
• Trim nailer

Instructions

1. Sweep the floor thoroughly. Mop it with household floor cleanser. Let it dry for a day.

2. Lay the first vinyl plank next to your starting wall (generally, the longest wall in the room). Place spacers between the plank and the wall, to make an "expansion gap" that will let the flooring material move slightly with environmental changes.

3. Snap the next plank onto the narrow end of the first one, connecting it according to the instructions on your specific kit. Normally, you will hold down the first plank, set the second plank against the edge of it at a downward 45-degree angle, push until you hear a click, then lay the second plank flat.

4. Repeat for the rest of the planks of the first course, laying them end to end along the whole wall. Put spacers by the wall all along the course. Cut the last piece to fit, by running your razor knife along a square set on the surface to score it, then bending it until it snaps.

5. Lay the next courses along the long sides of the first course, connecting them in the same manner. Stagger the ends of the planks between courses, by cutting the first plank of each course to a different length.

6. Cover the whole floor. Cut the planks of the final course along their lengths, so they will fit alongside the ending wall with a roughly 3/8-inch gap there.

7. Cut floor trim on your miter saw to go around the perimeter of the room. Install the trim by shooting the nails through the walls, not the floor. The trim should cover the expansion gaps at the edges of the floor.

References

• Hometime.com: Floating Floors