How to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring

Prep and acclimate

Move the LVP boxes into the install room and stack them loosely (not pyramided tight). Leave 48 hours minimum at the room's normal temperature and humidity. Skip this step and the install will buckle within months.

While the planks acclimate, finish all wet work in the room — paint, drywall mud, plumbing — and let it fully cure. New flooring goes in after wet work is done.

Remove old flooring and inspect the subfloor

Pull up the existing flooring (carpet with tack strips, old vinyl, laminate) and any quarter-round trim around the perimeter. Mark the door swing if you'll need to undercut casings later.

Inspect the subfloor:

• Plywood or OSB: walk every square foot and listen for squeaks. Drive 1-1/4-inch screws into joists at any squeak point. Sand high spots with a belt sander; fill low spots with self-levelling compound.
• Concrete: check for moisture by taping a 12x12-inch sheet of plastic to the slab for 48 hours. If moisture appears under the plastic, you need a moisture barrier (and possibly a different flooring system). Concrete also needs to be flat — fill cracks and self-level low spots.
• Existing tile or vinyl: can stay if level and sound, but the install height changes (planks sit on top of existing). Confirm door clearance and transition heights work.

Level the subfloor to within 3/16 inch over 10 feet

Lay a straight 8-foot level or 10-foot straight-edge on the floor in multiple directions. Any gap underneath greater than 3/16 inch is a problem.

Sand high spots flat. Fill low spots with self-levelling compound (Henry 555 or similar) per the package instructions. Self-levelling compound dries in 4 to 12 hours and creates a smooth, flat surface.

Re-check flatness with the straight-edge after compound dries. Repeat if needed. The 30 minutes of subfloor prep work saves hours of trying to make planks lay flat over an uneven base.

Install underlayment (if not integrated)

If your LVP has integrated foam backing, skip to the next step. If not, roll out foam underlayment perpendicular to the planned plank direction, butt seams (don't overlap), and tape the seams with the manufacturer's recommended tape.

On concrete, lay a 6-mil polyethylene vapour barrier first, then underlayment on top. The vapour barrier prevents moisture migration from the slab from damaging the LVP.

Plan the layout and starting wall

Pick the longest, most-visible wall as the starting wall. Planks will run parallel to it (most common) and the first row will sit against it.

Measure the room width perpendicular to plank direction. Divide by plank width to determine how many full rows. The last row's width should be at least 2 inches — if the math gives you a 1/2-inch sliver, the first row needs to be ripped narrower so the last row works out wider. Plan the rip width accordingly.

Lay the first row

Place spacers along the starting wall — every 12 inches, plus at each end. The spacers create the 5/16-inch expansion gap.

Set the first plank with its tongue side facing the wall (the tongue gets cut off if necessary — the wall side has no exposed click joint).

Click the second plank's short end into the first plank's short end. Lay the plank flat. Continue along the row, clicking short ends together.

Cut the last plank in the row to fit, leaving 5/16 inch from the end wall. The tail piece of that cut plank starts the next row — this is how the staggered seam pattern works.

Stagger the seams (this is the key visual rule)

Each row's end seams should be at least 6 to 8 inches offset from the previous row's seams. Planks aligned end-to-end across rows look like grid tile and is the dead giveaway of an amateur install.

The natural way to stagger: use the cut tail piece from the previous row's last plank as the first plank of the next row. Most rooms with random plank lengths produce a good stagger pattern automatically.

If you happen to get unlucky and three rows in a row have identical seam locations, intentionally cut a plank shorter to break the pattern.

Connect rows with the long-edge click

Lift the next row's planks at a 30-degree angle. Insert the long-edge tongue into the previous row's groove. Lower the plank flat — it should click into place.

If the click joint resists, use the tapping block on the long edge (never directly on the plank — the tapping block protects the joint surface). Light taps with the rubber mallet will seat the joint.

Continue across the row, then across each subsequent row, until you reach the opposite wall.

Cut around obstacles (door jambs, registers, vents)

For door jambs: undercut the jamb with a multi-tool or oscillating saw, using a piece of LVP as a height gauge. The plank slides under the jamb for a clean professional finish.

For floor registers: cut the plank to match the register opening. Use a sharp utility knife to score and snap, or a jigsaw with a fine-tooth blade for curves.

For irregular obstacles (toilet flanges, pipes): trace the obstacle on the plank with a contour gauge or by careful measurement. Cut with a jigsaw.

Install the final row (use a pull bar)

The last row almost always needs ripping (cutting along its length) to fit the remaining space minus the 5/16-inch expansion gap.

Measure the remaining space at multiple points — walls are rarely perfectly straight. Score and snap or jigsaw the plank to the irregular width if needed.

Use a pull bar (hooks over the edge of the last plank, you tap the other end with a hammer) to pull the last row's click joint home. The pull bar reaches into the tight space against the wall where you can't fit a tapping block.

Remove spacers and install transitions

Once the last plank is in, remove all the perimeter spacers. The 5/16-inch gap should now run continuously around the room perimeter.

Install transition strips at doorways, where LVP meets other flooring (carpet, tile, etc.). T-mouldings cover even-height transitions; reducers handle height differences.

Some transition strips screw down through pre-drilled holes in tracks; others have adhesive bases. Follow the product's specific install instructions.

Re-install baseboards and quarter-round

Nail the baseboards back to the wall (not into the LVP). Quarter-round or shoe moulding goes against the baseboard, also nailed into the wall — never into the LVP. The flooring needs to slide freely under the moulding as it expands and contracts.

If the original baseboards were caulked to the floor, do not re-caulk to the LVP. The caulk locks the planks in place and prevents expansion movement, causing buckling within months.

Walk the floor and check seams

Walk every plank with full body weight. Listen for squeaks, hollow sounds, or click joints separating. Any of these indicates an issue underneath — a high spot, a low spot, or a joint that didn't seat fully.

Address any problems now while access is easier. Pull the section apart back to the issue, fix the subfloor or re-seat the joint, re-install.