How To Install Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Quick and Simple

 See how to install luxury vinyl plank flooring quick and simple!

Thank you to The Home Depot for sponsoring this awesome flooring and post.  

So you’re looking for new flooring that’s sustainable for a busy family, waterproof, and beautiful?

That’s you and me both!

With the hardwood flooring and carpet damaged from the water damage, we needed to look for a flooring replacement that we could use for practically the entire first floor.  The hubs really wanted to luxury vinyl planks (LVP) and I was team laminate the entire way.  There was just something about the wood like texture of laminate that I wanted and I thought that LVP couldn’t do it for me.  After a trip to The Home Depot I realized….I was dead wrong!

We looked at all the flooring options at The Home Depot and picked out some favorites in both LVP and laminate.  After speaking to the flooring expert about the pros and cons of luxury vinyl planks versus laminate, it was very evident that LVP was the way to go.  At first I thought the flooring would look a little skimpy since it’s much thinner than laminate.  I was wrong AGAIN!

 

 

Long story short, they completely added to my husband’s desire for luxury vinyl planks and really had me questioning laminate flooring altogether.  Though laminate is still a good option for flooring, the waterproof feature, easy drop and lock installation, and inner rigid core of the Lifeproof luxury vinyl flooring was seriously enticing.  Plus, we absolutely loved that the floors had a very realistic wood texturing and built in padding.  Sooooooooo, we went all in with it!

 

 

We laid some of the samples and fell in love with Lifeproof Luxury Vinyl Planks in Walton Oak.  Many of the LVP options have the same size of planks to make one uniform looking floor, but you know we like to do things a little different here at Casa Watkins.  The Lifeproof Walton Oak planks come in 3 different sizes to make a totally unique layout all on your own.

 

 

Why Install Luxury Vinyl Planks

Installing luxury vinyl plank flooring is super quick and simple.  Honestly it is!  You can install it over practically any flooring.  You can put it on top of subfloor, outdated sheet vinyl, tile, and even concrete.  Our floors were uneven, so we prepped the floors with plywood subfloors and this is completely optional.  You can read all about how we prepped the floors for luxury vinyl plank flooring if your house has settled a little uneven like ours.

So how can you install luxury vinyl plank flooring quick and simple?  The Lifeproof LVP flooring comes ready to lay without the need for acclimation (where wood has to get to room temperature for several days) and you don’t even have to put down any subflooring or underlayment since it comes pre-attached to the planks.  You simply open the box and start installing them!  It’s an easy weekend project for a dramatic new look.  Just take a look at our flooring.

How gorgeous is this after pic!  See more of the flooring in my Modern Bohemian dining room reveal.

 

 

Tips for Quick and Simple LVP Installation

1 . Check out all the Lifeproof luxury vinyl planks at your local Home Depot and take some samples home.  We spent hours in the store!  Decide on some options ahead of time so you can cut your shopping time down and begin your installation quicker.  Use the online calculator available on The Home Depot website to calculate how many boxes you will need.  There is also a flooring expert in the store that can help you.  We used about 33 boxes for the first floor (dining room, kitchen, powder room, and hall).

2. Prep your floors by cleaning up any dust or dirt (or lay plywood for uneven floors).

3. Lay your first plank down as close to the wall.  Leave about a 1/4 inch or so space between the base of the wall and the LVP as it will expand and contract with big temperature changes.  Don’t worry, you won’t feel it expand or contract at all.  Use one of the planks placed upward on the wall to create that gap very quickly.

 

 

4.  Drop the next planks and click in to lock each plank in place.  The drop and lock feature makes the seams perfectly smooth and prevents the planks from shifting.  Use a rubber mallet to set each plank by hitting each of the seams.  Then use a tapping block to secure the top seams when you’re laying the top planks.

 

 

5.  Use a jigsaw to cut any of the planks that must wrap around corners, etc.  You can rent one to make installation quicker.  This helped us install the flooring in just a few hours.  If you prefer not to use a jigsaw, you can use a utility knife to score the plank and simply snap off the piece you don’t want.

 

 

6.  Lay any coordinating trim or moulding and bask in the beauty of your work!  We used reducer moulding in the same finish across the carpet of the family room.  This makes the flooring look much more finished and refined.  Each of the Lifeproof LVP finishes have coordinating moulding and trim so you can easily create those finished looks for door walkways or stair edges.

 

Stay tuned for more of the kitchen renovation work!  Can’t wait to show you the final reveal, but here’s a sneak peek!

 

 

If you’re looking for great flooring like ours, be sure to head to your local The Home Depot and pick up some Lifeproof luxury vinyl flooring.  They are on sale now too!!!  Get new floors in one weekend.