A few pro tips: 1. Use floor patch instead of thinset, it dries in 20 min and is much harder and smoother. 2. Pull the base and put it back up or install new. It looks much better and makes install easier. 3. NEVER beat on the edge with a hammer or a rubber mallet, not even with a tapping block. It's very likely to damage the locking edge. (It almost certainly will). 4. The soapy slide in trick you did in the hallway works on some products, but not all. Many locking systems, often called drop lock systems, can not be flat tapped into place, doing so will break off the locking tab. 5. I never use a table saw. I score and break everything right there on the floor. It cuts your install time in half and makes no mess. A heat gun will soften the vinyl, allowing you to cut intricate cuts with a knife.
I'm sitting here in an apartment watching this because I could watch this guy do anything. He describes things with the right visuals to back them up and repeats and reviews like a good teacher. He and his sons seem like people you want to work with or hang out with.
Pattern recognition is huge. I just put down laminate flooring in my house, and we opened as many packages as it took to see all the different types of planks. Then we stacked each type together so we could see how many different types we had and we could choose exactly which plank was to go down next. It came out beautiful.
We just did the exact same thing, we went slightly one step further and labelled each patterned plank with a letter on a small circular sticker. That way when needing the next plank I could see which letters are surrounding the area for the plank (a, b, j, h in the vicinity for example) so I know what options I have for the next lettered plank. Saved us time trying to identify the pattern for each plank!
I have been accused of being a perfectionist after opening and stacking according to the names I gave each pattern. The "bat", "booty" and "right knot" are few of the names used. 😂
Watching this video as a flooring installer, I found this to be very thorough. I am in complete agreement....hallways are killlers. It always takes way longer than you think to do a hall. Great job.
Do you know if he put a 1/4 inch gap on each side of the hallway? It looks like a tight placement Do you put 1/4 inch gap from the wall in the hallways or only in big rooms like living room and bedroom?
Gap doesn’t matter because of the gap under the base. Base is probably at least 1/2 inch they put the base shoe on afterwards. Personally I don’t like the added base shoe but it was already set up that way.
I'm 34 years old and have been laying floor since I was 17 and everyday you learn something new like this video showed me that I made a good investment on an undercut saw with add a diamond blade and I can undercut the chimney slide underneath and give it a way better looking finish than what he did here but they do good work. Thanks for the shout out to all floor installers it is some hard work
I first must say I appreciate the Dad in this ensemble. He is so relaxed, conversational, and educates Jordan in all of their construction endeavors. As a fellow tradesman, I have experienced firsthand how the "Veterans" of the trade treat their apprentices/helpers. I have to applaud him, he doesn't belittle Jordan for his errors, and he makes the mistakes about them both as a unit, instead of putting down his son. What a great father and role model Jordan has. Now, I'm no expert flooring installer, but I saw the error by the chimney as well. Is there a method Saul to cover that error as the angles are not symmetrical, or is it best to simply redo the cuts? Our home has a similar layout to this home, that's why I'm inquiring, thanks.
Although I love reading all the skilled labor comments and learning from everyone, I’m changing gears here to add my appreciation of you working with your boys. This is my first video of yours and I did subscribe. I like that you have your sons with you teaching them work ethics, hard work and the importance of not cutting corners and doing things correctly. I’m also hoping you’re teaching the money and financial aspects of your business including some family financing. I find boys truly lack in this area. I really like that you have your young son with you (younger the better). Whether they go on to be floor installer or not, teaching them these life & work values, as well as a skill, is such an important job for a father. With all the crap that’s on tv now, this is refreshing to see.
I agree, It's good to see your father in the real world. Not just as Dad. Plus they do just about everything. Stopping and figuring out how to do things in a logical, thoughtful way let's you anticipate difficulties. take your time, do it right. You'll probably have to come back for minor details and omissions, but that is the way things go. Plus these are skills that never go away. Business and people are always looking for adaptable skilled workman. There are Jobs all year long when the kids go to college, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, Spring Break, Summer break, plus you don't have to take the first permanent job that comes along. Resilience
Yes. I notice that, also. They love buying toys. Granted, they love buying tools, too. But my nephews have wasted a lot of money on toys over the years.
@@georgehogle6154 Industrial society made "work" something bad Dad had to do every day, because he'd come home grumpy and tired. We lost something of father-to-son lessons when we industrialized. Sons should see their fathers at work. It's the natural way. But we didn't build the factories that way. Made it a sin to have kids on the company grounds.
Man I've been watching you guys for about a month now trying to get up some courage for a diy home remodel. Let me just say I wish I knew about you guys years ago. You're so easy to listen to, very knowledgeable, and a good instructor. Thanks for sharing.
Concrete slabs are an excellent candidate for in-floor heating. To grind the surf with the concrete surface and just have a exposed aggregate look like at home Depot or any commercial store these days it has ground concrete with sealer on it
One of the first things I always do as a journeyman flooring installer, is pull baseboards when walls are being repainted. It offers a much cleaner look to lower them than it does to add or reinstall quarter round.
99% of homeowners aren't going to want to pay for that. And if you do sub work through home depot or somewhere similar, those customers definitely won't pay for it. Good luck though 🤷🏻♂️
@@damienirvin777 cheap LVT, or LVT in general is a Toxic flooring, just a Profit for the Plastic industry that does nothing but Pollute the oceans and planet. HEMP can be used in place of plastics. And it is used. Remember them "Plastic makes it possible commercials"?? now we have miles of plastics in the ocean and the beaches, lakes, rivers, roads. It is way worse in India the 3rd world countries. 90% Plus of plastics are NEVER RECYCLED for anything. HEMP IS THE ONLY SAFE Alternative. LETS Get Involved and push for it. Locally, State, Federally.
While I'm a general contractor I make most of my money laying hard surface floors. One thing that gives a much better finish is taking the baseboard off and going with no baseshoe (especially on a remodel where you're not worried about paint lines from potentially lowering the base). Also in the hallway (and every door), the door itself is the split. Half the door belongs to one room the other half to the other. You shouldn't be able to see the next rooms floor when the door is closed (can't always help it with that tile that was down but the carpet should be cut back in the bedrooms to split the door). I love that you guys took the time out to go under the dishwasher instead of just the feet and inspection plate, that's quality. Another tip when floating out the pits and sprawls, ardex feather finish or ardex GPS are great and you can start laying most floors over it within the hour. With the vinyl planks a huge tip (or with laminate) if you take a tongue side from the long side and use that as a tapping block it helps protect the groove side of the plank when beating on them.
Thanks for that last tip. I’ve put down tons of flooring in all the houses I’ve owned and remodeled. It never occurred to me to simply rip a strip off to beat on. Nice!
@@derekw40 that's what I use on all my floors (since they all have their own proprietary edge) and then I have a hdp block to tap on them but they work great and even without a tap block you can use any hammer and be fine
You can also cut a small scrap piece, then rip it in half and just in case you need a tapping piece for when installing the opposite side you'll be covered.
I do agree with the majority of what you stated, except for the base shoe. And I only say that because I kind of think of the next person that's going to want to change the floor out. It's going to be exponentially easier just to pop the shoe off, and take the floor up. But, I do do it both ways, depending on the setup.
I’m super impressed at how clean you guys work. Not only is that great for homeowners (and having to clean the entire house after a remodel), but also helps you work too. Staying clean and always prepping areas can save time and DEFINITELY helps during installation of anything really. Like you said, 1 little piece of “dirt” can ruin a floor, let alone other projects. Great job, and wish more crews worked this way✌🏻
You're channel is BETTER than any of the network shows such as those on HGTV, etc. Your skills as host/contractor & Jordan/assistant & cameraman are detailed and easy to follow. Love the humor. I enjoy watching the stuff I'm not even really interested in. Gosh, I'm gushing.
Stud Pack, you should thank your lucky stars you have 2 good sons that are willing to help you, it is a true blessing. I'v been doing basically the same type work you do for 17 years and keeping a decent helper is next to impossible. Keep up the great work and the great videos. My oldest daughter worked with me for about a year when she was in collage but she graduated and got a job working for the Core of Engineers. She was one of the best helpers I have ever had.
I've renovated nearly my entire house on my own over the years. Wish I had discovered this Chanel sooner. The tips you provide are awesome and very helpful. Great channel!👍
I respect this, I am a boilermaker and we have similar preparations in our work. I have also laid all kinds of flooring myself in the homes I have owned and videos like this are extremely helpful to people that are capable and want to do it themselves. Thank you keep doing this
Much appreciated shout out to us flooring installers. Thank you!! It's always good to be recognized. Also, good to see someone else prep a floor like I do!!
You gotta love it when the job is done right! I really enjoyed the 'detail' to the prep work and why you did it! Congrats to you and your son, working together and getting along as you do!
Another fine job , guys! You know , as a high end tile installer myself , it would be difficult to have someone in my home to do ANYTHING , but after watching you guys for a bit ,I know I could rest easy, having you here. Great stuff and much respect!
Love your videos! Before I do any DYI project I now go to your library and watch your informational videos. Being a retired Master Plumber, Journeyman Steamfitter, I learned many years ago to seek out advice, tips and tricks from others! You and your Son are a great resource for that helpful information! What a great pleasure to be able to access such wisdom and skills from skilled craftsmen! Keep up the great work! 🤠
You guys are great. The tools, the preparation, the cleanliness, precision and above all: persistence. It's all there. The son is going to be (well, he already is) fantastic at his jobs for the rest of his life and the father is responsible for that. Such charisma, work ethic and enthousiasm; you got my respect, you are a great example.
22:26 _"Where did you find that kid?"_ -- This reminds me of a funny story. TLDNR I moved to KC, Mo back in '87 (I was about 25) with nothing but a seabag and $20 (not even a car, I took the bus). The first day there, I was walking the neighborhood, scoping out where I could find a job. This pickup turned onto the side street in front of me and the driver stopped, leaned over the passenger, and yelled at me, _"Hey, are you going to work today or not?"_ I shrugged and said, _"Sure!"_ and jumped into the back of his truck. We drove a few more blocks and joined a crew that was cleaning out a backyard. After an hour or so, I was carrying a concrete block to the dumpster when I passed the guy who had yelled at me (the owner of the company) and he stopped and looked at me and said _"Hey, you're not Steve!"_ I looked him in the eye and said, _"So, do I have the job?"_ After about a second of him trying to wrap his head around the situation, he said _"I've been watching you work. Hell yeah, you have the job!"_ Later he told me that he had been thinking that "Steve" was working harder than he had ever seen his work before, before realizing that I wasn't Steve. 🤣🤣🤣 I worked for that guy for another 4 months until he ran out of work and had to let most of his crew go.
"jumpin' in a vehicle" and out... - that reminds me of a true story - FNK Back in '77 I was doing my first job. A little back story.. I was lucky I had this job. It was representin' back in the day. The who's who got the nice jobs, learning how do to do stuff. I got this job cuz I needed it. I needed some new threads for junior high, and the dances required some disco threads, you dig? anyways, I was with a crew of summer help that I knew from little league baseball, and junior high sports, these were all my rivals. My mother was executive secretary for school super intendent, so that helped me get on this summer crew when it organized. We painted all the school classrooms, and laid many football fields and parks with grass sod. I got paid peanuts for this hard work but it was good money. I wanted the job to stay outa trouble... and a pair of super fly bell-bottoms The "jump in".... We were all at the School District's Bus Barn. This was where all the school buses were at. We cleaned them all. I drooled at the only two diesel buses which were for the varsity high school traveling teams. Man we just took one to our baseball state championship season. I was in one to Little League championship games in San Bernadino , from along ways away let's say. At lunch the boss, who was a pitching coach also, and all the bus barn workers went to lunch. Us kids had brown bags. There were two awesome brand new Driver's Ed cars in the barn. I was dared, then double dared I could not drive. I said I probably could. I jumped in this car, and another kid jumped in. welp. he was dumber than me.. for jumpin in thinking I could drive around the barn. safely. I made it thru the barn making both bays and gassed it alittle to show off. I made the left turn and all the way around the building. as dared. The problem was stopping. I panicked when I saw the nice diesel bus. In front of me. So I gassed it as the car was against the bus. I was in a panic and burned lots of rubber pushing on the bus. When I "came to" back to reality... there was lots of smoke... The looks on everyone's faces........... Mom was going to KILL me... the "jump out" Well, now we are headed back to where we all meet in the mornings. Which was at the Super Intendent's office. I was dead, my mom was at work.. We are driving down the highway, all the crew are sitting in the back of a pickup truck, like everyone did... I knew when we had to turn left, the only and last place they would slow down. Halfway thru that turn sucka... I am gone. Diving to home base. blind dive to pavement. I even outran the pickup before it could even think of turning around. I made it home, in shock, banged and bruised but alive.... I haven't jumped in or out of anything too awful much since that Summer of '77....
I've rebuilt a couple of houses and flooring is my favorite part of it all. It's fast, transformative and exacting. LVP is easy physically but I can't see doing it without a guillotine cutter. Also when selecting your LVP pay attention to the wear layer and spend the extra dollar and get a 20 mil wear layer as opposed to the cheap crap the big box stores try to sell you that has a 6 mil wear layer. If you have dogs or kids the extra thickness of the wear layer is a must.
Other than 20 mil wear layer, what other specs I need to pay attention? I’m looking at homedepot and all they put is anti scratch, water proof, and easy installation but the prices ranges from $2.5 - $3.6 and I’m like well what’s the difference then am I just paying for the brand name and color? Lol
I'm getting ready to lay the same flooring in my little house. Much smaller than this one, for sure. I've watched many installation videos, but yours are awesome. You know what you are doing, you articulate well, and demonstrate your process clearly. Unlike you, I won't have such awesome helpers! You should be proud of your boys. They work hard, which is encouraging to see. Give those guys a raise! I'm going to subscribe since I have a lot more work to do on my house, and your channel will be a great knowledge base for me. Keep up the good work!!
One thing I'm good at is watching other people work! I really enjoy watching a true professional, who knows his job and loves doing it, install this showcase floor.
You guys are better than 95% of the home shows on cable TV. I realize that sets the bar pretty low to begin with, but I've learned something on both of the vids I watched, and your commentary is a riot. Great work.
On the version of vinyl planking I've used, using the tapping block to "protect" the edge joint turned out to be a bad idea. Banging on anything except a scrap piece with a mating joint would totally ruin the joint. I also found it's a good idea to brush out both sides of a joint before putting two pieces together. Even a single grain of dirt can make the seam less than perfect. I wish I'd had your tip about using soapy water when sliding a piece into a joint lengthwise; that's a good one.
YES! I only use mating cut-offs for tapping blocks. Never hit the edge directly. Damaged edges can be costly in material but even more so in time. Although I have never tried the soapy water trick. I will definitely give that one a try next time I'm in that situation. Thanks guys. Subscribed. Great show!
When you install floors in the kitchen, do you cut around the kick plate of the base cupboards and install quarter round or do you remove the the kitchen base cupboards.
I always use mating pieces The long edge on the floor piece goes unscathed . Just make sure the tapper is square with the floor piece . An angular tap is going to bugger up the floor piece's long seam edge. Use the same pieces and they slip right back off after the love taps .
One of my FAVORITE Channels!!!!! No matter if your working on a really old house or mobile you respect everyone's house and budget. Adore you guys! I've learned so much!
Beautiful job!!! My wife and I live in an old 100+ year old house. It is so rewarding to do It ourselves. We’ve left the big stuff to the pros over the years; rewiring, HVAC, plumbing etc. We do love putting down flooring even though we’re clueless. HAAA!! But we learn along the way. My flooring preference is the 10mm planks with the padding. I still put the underlay sheeting material just for good measure since the old house doesn’t have a subfloor. Thank you for sharing!!
That looks amazing, you are a very skilled and knowledgeable contractor. It's great that you are passing this knowledge not only to your son but to the world at large via RUclips. Well done!
Watching your video has just made me utterly anxious that no one I could hire would ever do as thorough, careful and beautiful a job as you guys do, seriously well done
As you said, who does under the dishwasher. Only you, GOLDEN. And yes, it is a bitch to get the dishwasher out later without chipping the edge of the flooring.
@@robertball3578 Usually, you do that if the dishwasher is out and everything is getting redone. But usually customers almost never want it under the existing dishwasher.
Beautiful thing to see a Father and his children together. I miss my Dad so much, so make sure you keep these tapes to show your grands and greatgrands and so on. Have a Blessed year!
Pro tip from our installers, when cutting door jams for the floor to slide underneath, turn the board upside down so your saw rides the bottom of the board. Saves the floor and the blade doesn't get the small rubber stuck in the teeth 😁
Floor prep and more floor prep. Was a floor coverer for 18 years and more attention went into prep than installation. Concrete base always seamed to need more attention than OSB decking. Slabs are never level flat surfaces and become a time consuming pain. As a independent installer prep work never seemed to translate to the pay of the installed product. Yet you can never cut corners with your prep as it will bite you down the road.
Yeah, they usually walk in when you're just slapping down straight whole planks in the middle of the floor after hours of prep and are like "wow, you should be done in no time"...
I used to service appliances so I applaud you guys for putting flooring underneath the dishwasher. Sometimes if it's too thick you can even pull it out to service it!
I agree. I learned quite a bit from This Old House but I learn more watching Stud Pack. Such a different format and the video’s are much more frequent with more information shared! Thank you Stud Pack! Ron
Pro tip:: When installing wood ,laminate and LVP flooring around a brick fire place we use a door jamb saw with masonry blade to undercut the mortar joint under at least a half inch so our flooring ca n slide under the bricks and also give you room for expansion of the products..This can also be finished by using a mortar colored caulking to keep trash out of the edges too
Yes very good tip on an undercut saw. But you better have a shopvac hooked up to that saw or you will be sorry 😢. You will be hiring a cleanup crew to come clean all the dust out of the house ask me how I know lol
Rather than measuring for pieces at the end, spin them around and mark them backwards. No tape measure required. Also, a guillotine cutter works great. Easier than cut and snap. Nice job.
I think this is the best video I've seen on RUclips as far as showing us useful information. I think a lot of these videos are made by guys that have done this a million times and don't realize how tough it is for a beginner. The tips for working in the hallway alone are invaluable. I don't remember ever seeing another video that used a laser to keep the boards straight across a room. Definitely a subscriber now.
I own a couple of apartments and laying laminate flooring is the worst. As I watch this my legs are still stiff two days after doing one of these in my moms bathroom. So, yeah shout out to the guys that do this everyday. Got some great tips watching this though.
Best how-to video I've ever seen! When a pro shows how it's done, you'd best pay attention! Thanks! You and your team make it look easy, and that's because you know how to do this type of work!
Rotate your plank 180 for the end piece. Line up the end of the plank with the previous end piece. Mark where the new piece just overlaps the last piece you laid down. Score it then snap it. Rotate 180 and put it down. You don't have to hunt for your measuring tape and remember numbers that way.
This guy knows what's up.. I've been told all my life prep is everything on everything you do.great job. And your helper you guys are a great team...kickass
The son and dad banter is HGTV sitcom worthy! New subbie because it’s rear to see sons taking on the family business with a huge smile and great presence!
Tip : I use hot glue on my starter pieces to prevent the floor from shifting on concrete. It works awesome on the foam backing and pops right off when ur done. Awesome videos. ! I'm often late to places because I can't stop watching ur videos. I blame it on " paperwork" or... "I was doing estimates" . Love STUD PACK. ! Keep the videos coming. ! I'll keep being late !
I don’t do a ton of flooring, but have always used the wedges after removing baseboard. Idea is the 1/4” between the drywall and floor is the perfect expansion gap. But, again, I don’t do flooring too often.
Thank you for the shout out. I sometimes think I'm crazy for choosing flooring work. We do it a little different on our crew, but you guys still put some awesome floor down! i see nothing wrong with it at all. I love the videos thanks for all the knowledge. I will also say respect for going under appliances! I cant sleep if I don't
Thanks for the video. You are the first to show what happens at the entry door. I'm getting ready to put down over 1000 ft2 for the first time. Your techniques will definitely help. You and your sons make a great team!
Pro Tip: When you are installing straight runs you dont have to measure your end cuts. Take the piece you want to use, flip it upside down, place it where it should go, mark and cut. This works for tile, wood, laminate, all flooring really. Much faster but your "cut man" might not like it so much.
Much faster than measuring and more accurate. With Vinyl you can even hold the position with your finger before moving a few feet to a hard board on the ground to score and break with a knife. Plus you don't have to get up and down.
Thank you for the tips and hacks sir, appreciate them so much. So happy tosee Father and sons working in harmony, you don't see that quite often. You're so blessed! Stay safe man!
I found you guys when i was looking to build a floating bed frame. Followed your instructions and it came out AWESOME! this is another great video dealing with hallways! Wish I had a relationship with my Dad like you two have. Your videos are TOP Notch!! Thank you for sharing your work with us!!..... "Where did you find this kid?..... gave him a hat...." Hilarious!!
Just finished binge watching your videos. You guys are amazing! Thought I would share what I thought was a great idea. Build a drawer behind the kick panel of the kitchen cabinets for cookie sheets, muffin pans etc. It a great use wasted space for items that are tricky to store.
I just did this in my vanities to have a place to store a scale. very slick. My worry in kitchen for cooking stuff is dirt. But still cool ideas; we are thinking out of the box.
"We had everything on this job!" Proceeds to list stuff typical on every flooring install. Lol that cracked me up. But good tips about looking for patterns, and sharing knowledge about how manufacturers use the same pictures, and offset their "cuts". I've always worked out of multiple boxes, but only because that's how I was taught, now I know
First video I’ve come across by your guys. Great professional install, explanations, and honesty. I am very happy that you are putting out videos like this that may help DIY or Contractors to learn from. Keep it up!
You can always just run a bolt and nut through your filters and chuck it in your power drill, then spin it super fast. It'll clean out the filters pretty well :) It's definitely best to do it in a box or trashcan though or else it will make a mess lol.
@@xcx4x most filters I've seen have a hole through the middle to secure it, so it would just go through it to hold it while cleaning, then you take it off and reinstall it like normal. There should be some videos of people on here cleaning their filters with this method on RUclips :)
great video and man I can't believe after doing this for 4 years I haven't thought about 2p10 on the tiny pieces. No more frustration or holding it down with shoe... These are great tips that took me a long time to figure out oh my own. Good job guys.
I just discovered your channel and I gotta say you guys are very watchable, you all have a great dynamic, and do great work! I really like how you explain everything you're doing and why you're doing it.
Great video, but instead of screwing the holding planks down into concrete, use a hot glue gun. Placing one small walnut glob of hot glue on each small plank and press the plank in the right position unto the concrete. When your done it comes right up with a putty knife (little effort) but it holds great. I've done this technique on concrete floors and it worked great. Just an idea... Keep up the great work, loved the soapy water trick, live and learn...
I always make a trace piece when I work with the that style of vinyl. But I’ll tell you something right now. Glue down vinyl is superior. LVT all day. That entire space coulda been done in 1 day not counting prep time. Also to take flooring seriously. But a horsehair broom. I would also have just skim coated the floor with some latex patch. Way faster and efficient. Mapei makes a great one. I usually do 2-3 coats and you can sand it afterwards for a nice finish. Side note. If you are ever doing this type of flooring. Do not forget movement. Makes this flooring a nightmare to maintain
You two work so well together. Is like to think is be working with my dad if he was still alive. He taught me in the beginning but I've gotten most of my skill after he passed. 30yrs flies by.
I learn so much from watching your videos. Even if I never get around to DIY my own projects, it gives me some ideas and shows how things should be done. Quick question, what's your opinion on vinyl plank? Would you choose it over any other products, or is it mostly popular because it's quick and easy? Thanks guys.
Guys keep up the hard work!! I do home renovations myself but I have learned a whole lot from y’all. Making my next project that much easier. Can’t wait for the next video!!
I appreciate your videos, and work ethic. Thank you for sharing valuable information on a wide variety of homeowners issues. I did a vinyl plank floor in the laundry room this week. Only smashed my pinky one time and wasted only one plank! Success is the goal. Union electrician for forty years.
I just pulled an all-nighter doing a small hallway with 4 doors on it, and while I like your tip (and it would have saved me a HUGE amount of time), the LVP product I have doesn't allow me to do the soap/water trick. I also had a slight pad on the LVP, and carpet on the various rooms around the hallway. But I also a very thin pad on the floor which would have been torn up. I use it for thermal, water and sound insulation. The product I'm using also seems to be "installable" one direction, and it has caused me some grief where I wanted to install it "backwards". During a brief period when my back made it hard for me to get up and down, I hired on a guy who did floors, and after 2 hours of banging around, I went out to check his progress and he hadn't gotten very far (was trying to install it backwards), and I showed him how I did it. He still kept trying to do it his way. And he too didn't use the plastic shims. But he nailed wooden blocks in to the base area around the perimeter. That was painful to remove! The bottom line... check out how it installs... some products are too clever for their own good. It's good, but a pain to install at times. Love the laser trick, and nailing pieces down in the middle of the room! ! And TOTALLY agree with someone before saying to check those darn joints! Using a table saw leaves you with tons of static-cling dust and chips, and they fall into those joints SOOO easily, and ruin things fast. Great video!
If you don’t have a laser you can measure out a center line down the longest stretch of the house, snap a chalk line, then spray it with a clear spray paint. This gives you a permanent centerline which you can always measure off of.
I'm glad you showed viewers the hallway starting point. A few years back my tenant wanted hard floor as the carpet bothered her kids. (yes I am a good landlord). So I went to big box store picked out product and they sent their crew over to install. Tenant calls and says it looks funny. Sure enough they laid it with the planks going across the long hallway like an old west sidewalk. Pure laziness. I phoned the store and manager looked at it and called it good but she would give me $500 credit to go away. No dice. I emailed corporate with pics and diagrams and within 2 hours the big box store phoned and said they were going to replace it. Corporate called me a couple of times to make sure I was happy. Who said corporations have no soul? Done and done. BTW I was a floor installer for over 40 years and the next rental I did myself.
I've watched a couple of your videos where you are installing interlocking flooring. I always see you installing one plank at a time. A trick I learned that makes this go faster is to lock the ends of an entire row together then tip the whole row up and lock it into the previous row. You'll use your hammer and tapping blocks a lot less. Super long runs like where you started in the hallway and went all the way to the other end of the house get unmanageable for that process, but in average sized rooms it's not hard for two people to tip up and lock in an entire row. Much faster than doing one plank at a time, trying to lock an end and and edge together with tapping blocks.
Thank you very much for these impressive lessons! There’s so much knowledge here & I very much appreciated that you all took the extra time to explain & show what you did, how you did it & why! It’s extremely crucial for everyone’s sake involved…not only because the obvious of your reputations, but because you saved yourselves all the extra time of having to re-do such a laborious job because you chose to not ignore what you know could be an enormous problem later on. Many many ‘kudos’-!- to this project so professionally accomplished & well done! I love learning things in just this way, as I’m a firm believer that the biggest difference between doing it right or wrong is the small investment of taking any extra time to read, learn, comprehend the details BEFORE applications. The saying: “It’s all in the details” is exactly right! What an awesome ‘team’-!!- you have there, bossman! Excellent leadership skills as boss & father together, working side-by-side! Impressive management of time, skills, teaching, work ethics, talent(s) & care. All of this orchestrated with love & enough patience to instill the confidence & pride they will gain from these experiences to continue such professionalism on their own someday. -(Well done, dad!)… now, the search to find anyone even close to your standards, for the projects I want to have done… ‘Big shoes’ to TRY and fill! All the very best to you & your tribe’, wonderful teamwork, excellent results! Loved this important video, some catching up to do with the others offered here & always looking forward to more! Thanks so much again, everyone!
In my experience which is over 20 years of just floor coverings, it makes more sense to start in the bigger area off the straightest wall and if you can't find one, use a chalk line to make your own perfect straight line, especially if you don't know if the hallway is square to the rest of the house or if all the walls are square at all. Starting with the longest run of the whole floor is never a good idea because even with measuring distance it doesn't ensure you are square with the rest of the house. Also this way you don't have to spend time putting blocking on the floor regardless of the substrate to keep yourself straight. The wedge spacers you were using are trash to begin with and they make ones that don't go under the baseboard like that when you tap boards, I was forced to learn without spacers and at the same time keep myself straight. Also thin set is not a horrible idea, but the best thing to remedy the dips and chunks out of concrete was a polymer mortified self leveling compound that you would have been perfectly smooth and leveled itself to the current concrete without any ridges from using a trowel. And I also never tap a board the long way like that for doorways, there are other ways that are just as easy, if not easier and more impressive depending on how the boards lock together.
@@mikeedwards2561 Not perfect at all, just a second generation flooring specialist, my father in law did it for around 50 years before he died and also subcontracted for Lowe's for about 25 of it while also subcontracting for independent small business flooring stores throughout his lifetime and never had to eat or pay for a job once due to installation error, he's even been to court over product installation and won in his favor, and I have even installed hard surface in a house that had carpet installed by my father in law over 20 years prior. I have a family with 3 kids under 10 years of age, I literally don't have the time to record, edit, or share my vast experience.
@@ZombieAddictJD579 Don't worry about people who have no idea what they're talking about. I could have done that exact install by myself in half the time, and I agree with you. They overthought several things that ended up making the job harder for them. Which is okay if you're getting paid by the hour, but I get square footage pay; much of what I saw was just unnecessary.
@@michaelcurran7269 At least James gave the comments about not doing a long run and the self leveling compound. But if you are going to say I could have done it faster and they made the job harder by over thinking things and not give an example or two makes your post narcissistic and useless
if your only interest in the dwelling is to lay the floor and move on to the next one that's one thing but if you might do other work on the home then taking longer time or less popular techniques can still result in beneficial outcome, like a physician who spends more time with a patient, it may ultimately prove to have been beneficial.
You Guys remind me of myself when I was Class B Building Contractor in Florida. We did pretty much everything, just like you do. Love How you explain why you have done the steps you do. Keep up the Entertaining Videos. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just setting here in my Retirement Loving great Work. 👍👍
Oh my, I wish this video was older. We put down vinyl plank in the whole house and would have loved to have your tips. It really turned out great. What a job it was to remove the old tile. I had a few nephews to help out. We love the vinyl plank and this was awesome if I ever have to do it again.
I'd like to request a video on how you do your finishing. Edge finishing, transition finishing from different materials. Most projects fall short with poor finishing in the smallest of area's. What did you do to hide the transition of rough angled cuts along the fireplace brick etc, etc, etc....
I was also hoping to see the final/finished flooring edge against the fireplace. If it’s in another future video that I find, I’ll link it here for you.
At the fireplace he used a molding. Whether it be quarter round, a ripped down Tmolding, or end cap. What looks the most professional is undercutting the fireplace. That way it looks like the fireplace was installed on top of the flooring
Hey guys. Enjoying your HowTo flooring video with great and useful ideas. I'd like try some of these techniques on my cool miniature home model. /NOT a doll house/
When I end up with short door jams, I use white wood putty and fill it in all the way to the bottom, use the paint scraper and a punch to carve in the detail. It's much easier than it sounds. Then a light sand and some touch up paint...perfection!
A few pro tips: 1. Use floor patch instead of thinset, it dries in 20 min and is much harder and smoother. 2. Pull the base and put it back up or install new. It looks much better and makes install easier. 3. NEVER beat on the edge with a hammer or a rubber mallet, not even with a tapping block. It's very likely to damage the locking edge. (It almost certainly will). 4. The soapy slide in trick you did in the hallway works on some products, but not all. Many locking systems, often called drop lock systems, can not be flat tapped into place, doing so will break off the locking tab. 5. I never use a table saw. I score and break everything right there on the floor. It cuts your install time in half and makes no mess. A heat gun will soften the vinyl, allowing you to cut intricate cuts with a knife.
everything you listed i wanted to say first
@@toxicated3622 Same!
Actually use soft rubber hammer and I fixed flooring after people who don't use hammer the seams not locked all the way
And he could have used headless nails instead of screwing the planks down
I use self leveler takes longer but is easier
I'm sitting here in an apartment watching this because I could watch this guy do anything. He describes things with the right visuals to back them up and repeats and reviews like a good teacher. He and his sons seem like people you want to work with or hang out with.
you a fresheee
It's so nice to see people take pride in what they do. I am sick of all the cut corners that ruin things later. Way to go guys!
Pattern recognition is huge. I just put down laminate flooring in my house, and we opened as many packages as it took to see all the different types of planks. Then we stacked each type together so we could see how many different types we had and we could choose exactly which plank was to go down next. It came out beautiful.
That's the only correct way to do it. I have seen many floors that didn't adhere to the staggered joint line conventions too, bugs me the core.
We just did the exact same thing, we went slightly one step further and labelled each patterned plank with a letter on a small circular sticker. That way when needing the next plank I could see which letters are surrounding the area for the plank (a, b, j, h in the vicinity for example) so I know what options I have for the next lettered plank. Saved us time trying to identify the pattern for each plank!
I have been accused of being a perfectionist after opening and stacking according to the names I gave each pattern. The "bat", "booty" and "right knot" are few of the names used. 😂
How do you like the high traffic areas moving all around and the big gaps
Watching this video as a flooring installer, I found this to be very thorough. I am in complete agreement....hallways are killlers. It always takes way longer than you think to do a hall. Great job.
Do you know if he put a 1/4 inch gap on each side of the hallway? It looks like a tight placement
Do you put 1/4 inch gap from the wall in the hallways or only in big rooms like living room and bedroom?
Gap doesn’t matter because of the gap under the base. Base is probably at least 1/2 inch they put the base shoe on afterwards. Personally I don’t like the added base shoe but it was already set up that way.
I'm 34 years old and have been laying floor since I was 17 and everyday you learn something new like this video showed me that I made a good investment on an undercut saw with add a diamond blade and I can undercut the chimney slide underneath and give it a way better looking finish than what he did here but they do good work. Thanks for the shout out to all floor installers it is some hard work
I first must say I appreciate the Dad in this ensemble. He is so relaxed, conversational, and educates Jordan in all of their construction endeavors. As a fellow tradesman, I have experienced firsthand how the "Veterans" of the trade treat their apprentices/helpers. I have to applaud him, he doesn't belittle Jordan for his errors, and he makes the mistakes about them both as a unit, instead of putting down his son. What a great father and role model Jordan has. Now, I'm no expert flooring installer, but I saw the error by the chimney as well. Is there a method Saul to cover that error as the angles are not symmetrical, or is it best to simply redo the cuts? Our home has a similar layout to this home, that's why I'm inquiring, thanks.
When you lay your vinyl plank do you always put moisture barrier?
Although I love reading all the skilled labor comments and learning from everyone, I’m changing gears here to add my appreciation of you working with your boys. This is my first video of yours and I did subscribe. I like that you have your sons with you teaching them work ethics, hard work and the importance of not cutting corners and doing things correctly. I’m also hoping you’re teaching the money and financial aspects of your business including some family financing. I find boys truly lack in this area. I really like that you have your young son with you (younger the better). Whether they go on to be floor installer or not, teaching them these life & work values, as well as a skill, is such an important job for a father. With all the crap that’s on tv now, this is refreshing to see.
They will always have a side hustle if they do not go into the floor business.
I agree, It's good to see your father in the real world. Not just as Dad. Plus they do just about everything. Stopping and figuring out how to do things in a logical, thoughtful way let's you anticipate difficulties. take your time, do it right. You'll probably have to come back for minor details and omissions, but that is the way things go. Plus these are skills that never go away. Business and people are always looking for adaptable skilled workman. There are Jobs all year long when the kids go to college, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, Spring Break, Summer break, plus you don't have to take the first permanent job that comes along. Resilience
Excellent comment
Yes. I notice that, also. They love buying toys. Granted, they love buying tools, too. But my nephews have wasted a lot of money on toys over the years.
@@georgehogle6154 Industrial society made "work" something bad Dad had to do every day, because he'd come home grumpy and tired. We lost something of father-to-son lessons when we industrialized. Sons should see their fathers at work. It's the natural way. But we didn't build the factories that way. Made it a sin to have kids on the company grounds.
Thank you for being the dad my dad never was. Appreciate you guys for real!
Man I've been watching you guys for about a month now trying to get up some courage for a diy home remodel. Let me just say I wish I knew about you guys years ago. You're so easy to listen to, very knowledgeable, and a good instructor. Thanks for sharing.
Concrete slabs are an excellent candidate for in-floor heating. To grind the surf with the concrete surface and just have a exposed aggregate look like at home Depot or any commercial store these days it has ground concrete with sealer on it
One of the first things I always do as a journeyman flooring installer, is pull baseboards when walls are being repainted. It offers a much cleaner look to lower them than it does to add or reinstall quarter round.
99% of homeowners aren't going to want to pay for that. And if you do sub work through home depot or somewhere similar, those customers definitely won't pay for it. Good luck though 🤷🏻♂️
@@damienirvin777 I’m just taking a shot in the dark but they probably aren’t doing work for customers looking for a cheap alternative.
@@JohnParker-jm5tt Well that flooring looks cheap.. so.
@@damienirvin777 cheap LVT, or LVT in general is a Toxic flooring, just a Profit for the Plastic industry that does nothing but Pollute the oceans and planet. HEMP can be used in place of plastics. And it is used. Remember them "Plastic makes it possible commercials"?? now we have miles of plastics in the ocean and the beaches, lakes, rivers, roads. It is way worse in India the 3rd world countries. 90% Plus of plastics are NEVER RECYCLED for anything. HEMP IS THE ONLY SAFE Alternative. LETS Get Involved and push for it. Locally, State, Federally.
Nothing like adding a couple grand to a cheap flooring job to pull, reinstall, repair, caulk and paint baseboards.
While I'm a general contractor I make most of my money laying hard surface floors. One thing that gives a much better finish is taking the baseboard off and going with no baseshoe (especially on a remodel where you're not worried about paint lines from potentially lowering the base).
Also in the hallway (and every door), the door itself is the split. Half the door belongs to one room the other half to the other. You shouldn't be able to see the next rooms floor when the door is closed (can't always help it with that tile that was down but the carpet should be cut back in the bedrooms to split the door).
I love that you guys took the time out to go under the dishwasher instead of just the feet and inspection plate, that's quality.
Another tip when floating out the pits and sprawls, ardex feather finish or ardex GPS are great and you can start laying most floors over it within the hour.
With the vinyl planks a huge tip (or with laminate) if you take a tongue side from the long side and use that as a tapping block it helps protect the groove side of the plank when beating on them.
Thanks for that last tip. I’ve put down tons of flooring in all the houses I’ve owned and remodeled. It never occurred to me to simply rip a strip off to beat on. Nice!
@@derekw40 that's what I use on all my floors (since they all have their own proprietary edge) and then I have a hdp block to tap on them but they work great and even without a tap block you can use any hammer and be fine
What william said!
You can also cut a small scrap piece, then rip it in half and just in case you need a tapping piece for when installing the opposite side you'll be covered.
I do agree with the majority of what you stated, except for the base shoe. And I only say that because I kind of think of the next person that's going to want to change the floor out. It's going to be exponentially easier just to pop the shoe off, and take the floor up. But, I do do it both ways, depending on the setup.
I’m super impressed at how clean you guys work. Not only is that great for homeowners (and having to clean the entire house after a remodel), but also helps you work too. Staying clean and always prepping areas can save time and DEFINITELY helps during installation of anything really. Like you said, 1 little piece of “dirt” can ruin a floor, let alone other projects.
Great job, and wish more crews worked this way✌🏻
You're channel is BETTER than any of the network shows such as those on HGTV, etc. Your skills as host/contractor & Jordan/assistant & cameraman are detailed and easy to follow. Love the humor. I enjoy watching the stuff I'm not even really interested in. Gosh, I'm gushing.
I agree.
absolutely. A bang up job !!
I Know, needs to be on TV with his own show!
Stud Pack, you should thank your lucky stars you have 2 good sons that are willing to help you, it is a true blessing. I'v been doing basically the same type work you do for 17 years and keeping a decent helper is next to impossible. Keep up the great work and the great videos. My oldest daughter worked with me for about a year when she was in collage but she graduated and got a job working for the Core of Engineers. She was one of the best helpers I have ever had.
Attention to detail even in the vacuuming.
Excellent.
Great to see a father-son team working together AND getting along well!!
The tips and humor are priceless. Thanks for sharing 🍺
Our pleasure 🍻
I've renovated nearly my entire house on my own over the years. Wish I had discovered this Chanel sooner. The tips you provide are awesome and very helpful. Great channel!👍
I respect this, I am a boilermaker and we have similar preparations in our work. I have also laid all kinds of flooring myself in the homes I have owned and videos like this are extremely helpful to people that are capable and want to do it themselves. Thank you keep doing this
As a Boilermaker, what local are you out of?
Much appreciated shout out to us flooring installers. Thank you!! It's always good to be recognized. Also, good to see someone else prep a floor like I do!!
30+ yrs brother!
You gotta love it when the job is done right! I really enjoyed the 'detail' to the prep work and why you did it! Congrats to you and your son, working together and getting along as you do!
Another fine job , guys! You know , as a high end tile installer myself , it would be difficult to have someone in my home to do ANYTHING , but after watching you guys for a bit ,I know I could rest easy, having you here. Great stuff and much respect!
Been fitting flooring here in the UK for 33 years..
Thanks for appreciation for how flipping tough our game is..😁
Good job guys👍🏻🏴
Nice to see father-son team working well together. You guys rock
No cap
Love your videos! Before I do any DYI project I now go to your library and watch your informational videos. Being a retired Master Plumber, Journeyman Steamfitter, I learned many years ago to seek out advice, tips and tricks from others! You and your Son are a great resource for that helpful information! What a great pleasure to be able to access such wisdom and skills from skilled craftsmen! Keep up the great work! 🤠
You guys are great. The tools, the preparation, the cleanliness, precision and above all: persistence. It's all there. The son is going to be (well, he already is) fantastic at his jobs for the rest of his life and the father is responsible for that. Such charisma, work ethic and enthousiasm; you got my respect, you are a great example.
22:26 _"Where did you find that kid?"_ -- This reminds me of a funny story. TLDNR
I moved to KC, Mo back in '87 (I was about 25) with nothing but a seabag and $20 (not even a car, I took the bus). The first day there, I was walking the neighborhood, scoping out where I could find a job. This pickup turned onto the side street in front of me and the driver stopped, leaned over the passenger, and yelled at me, _"Hey, are you going to work today or not?"_ I shrugged and said, _"Sure!"_ and jumped into the back of his truck.
We drove a few more blocks and joined a crew that was cleaning out a backyard. After an hour or so, I was carrying a concrete block to the dumpster when I passed the guy who had yelled at me (the owner of the company) and he stopped and looked at me and said _"Hey, you're not Steve!"_ I looked him in the eye and said, _"So, do I have the job?"_ After about a second of him trying to wrap his head around the situation, he said _"I've been watching you work. Hell yeah, you have the job!"_ Later he told me that he had been thinking that "Steve" was working harder than he had ever seen his work before, before realizing that I wasn't Steve. 🤣🤣🤣
I worked for that guy for another 4 months until he ran out of work and had to let most of his crew go.
That's a great story.
Poor Steve…🤓
Good story! Now a days it probably wouldn't be a good idea to jump in a pickup like that to start working.
"jumpin' in a vehicle" and out... - that reminds me of a true story - FNK
Back in '77 I was doing my first job. A little back story.. I was lucky I had this job. It was representin' back in the day. The who's who got the nice jobs, learning how do to do stuff. I got this job cuz I needed it. I needed some new threads for junior high, and the dances required some disco threads, you dig? anyways, I was with a crew of summer help that I knew from little league baseball, and junior high sports, these were all my rivals. My mother was executive secretary for school super intendent, so that helped me get on this summer crew when it organized. We painted all the school classrooms, and laid many football fields and parks with grass sod. I got paid peanuts for this hard work but it was good money. I wanted the job to stay outa trouble... and a pair of super fly bell-bottoms
The "jump in".... We were all at the School District's Bus Barn. This was where all the school buses were at. We cleaned them all. I drooled at the only two diesel buses which were for the varsity high school traveling teams. Man we just took one to our baseball state championship season. I was in one to Little League championship games in San Bernadino , from along ways away let's say. At lunch the boss, who was a pitching coach also, and all the bus barn workers went to lunch. Us kids had brown bags. There were two awesome brand new Driver's Ed cars in the barn. I was dared, then double dared I could not drive. I said I probably could. I jumped in this car, and another kid jumped in.
welp. he was dumber than me.. for jumpin in thinking I could drive around the barn. safely.
I made it thru the barn making both bays and gassed it alittle to show off. I made the left turn and all the way around the building. as dared.
The problem was stopping. I panicked when I saw the nice diesel bus. In front of me. So I gassed it as the car was against the bus.
I was in a panic and burned lots of rubber pushing on the bus.
When I "came to" back to reality... there was lots of smoke...
The looks on everyone's faces...........
Mom was going to KILL me...
the "jump out" Well, now we are headed back to where we all meet in the mornings. Which was at the Super Intendent's office. I was dead, my mom was at work..
We are driving down the highway, all the crew are sitting in the back of a pickup truck, like everyone did...
I knew when we had to turn left, the only and last place they would slow down.
Halfway thru that turn sucka... I am gone. Diving to home base. blind dive to pavement. I even outran the pickup before it could even think of turning around.
I made it home, in shock, banged and bruised but alive....
I haven't jumped in or out of anything too awful much since that Summer of '77....
@@diywtlc2249 Great story! Oh, the days when we could get away with shit. LOL
I've rebuilt a couple of houses and flooring is my favorite part of it all. It's fast, transformative and exacting. LVP is easy physically but I can't see doing it without a guillotine cutter. Also when selecting your LVP pay attention to the wear layer and spend the extra dollar and get a 20 mil wear layer as opposed to the cheap crap the big box stores try to sell you that has a 6 mil wear layer. If you have dogs or kids the extra thickness of the wear layer is a must.
Nice tip 👍 Thank you 😊
I got a 12mm
6 mil just is not enough ---- unless you're flipping the house , but I"d even feel guilty then ... Ha
Other than 20 mil wear layer, what other specs I need to pay attention?
I’m looking at homedepot and all they put is anti scratch, water proof, and easy installation but the prices ranges from $2.5 - $3.6 and I’m like well what’s the difference then am I just paying for the brand name and color? Lol
@@MythicRealTrap Check out Cali Bamboo’s line of LVP; 20mil and 1/2” plank thickness.
I recently used the screw-down method for starting. What a game-changer. Good job guys.
I'm getting ready to lay the same flooring in my little house. Much smaller than this one, for sure. I've watched many installation videos, but yours are awesome. You know what you are doing, you articulate well, and demonstrate your process clearly. Unlike you, I won't have such awesome helpers! You should be proud of your boys. They work hard, which is encouraging to see. Give those guys a raise! I'm going to subscribe since I have a lot more work to do on my house, and your channel will be a great knowledge base for me. Keep up the good work!!
One thing I'm good at is watching other people work! I really enjoy watching a true professional, who knows his job and loves doing it, install this showcase floor.
Love the way you and your son interact. Good work ethic and a great job! Enjoyed it!
You guys are better than 95% of the home shows on cable TV. I realize that sets the bar pretty low to begin with, but I've learned something on both of the vids I watched, and your commentary is a riot. Great work.
Same from italy
On the version of vinyl planking I've used, using the tapping block to "protect" the edge joint turned out to be a bad idea. Banging on anything except a scrap piece with a mating joint would totally ruin the joint. I also found it's a good idea to brush out both sides of a joint before putting two pieces together. Even a single grain of dirt can make the seam less than perfect.
I wish I'd had your tip about using soapy water when sliding a piece into a joint lengthwise; that's a good one.
Thx Karl. Yeah seems like every brand is different 😡
YES! I only use mating cut-offs for tapping blocks. Never hit the edge directly. Damaged edges can be costly in material but even more so in time. Although I have never tried the soapy water trick. I will definitely give that one a try next time I'm in that situation. Thanks guys. Subscribed. Great show!
This is true with almost any tongue and groove product ! With solid oak flooring a long shoulder plane is a good thing to have around too !
When you install floors in the kitchen, do you cut around the kick plate of the base cupboards and install quarter round or do you remove the the kitchen base cupboards.
I always use mating pieces The long edge on the floor piece goes unscathed . Just make sure the tapper is square with the floor piece . An angular tap is going to bugger up the floor piece's long seam edge. Use the same pieces and they slip right back off after the love taps .
One of my FAVORITE Channels!!!!! No matter if your working on a really old house or mobile you respect everyone's house and budget. Adore you guys! I've learned so much!
Beautiful job!!! My wife and I live in an old 100+ year old house. It is so rewarding to do It ourselves. We’ve left the big stuff to the pros over the years; rewiring, HVAC, plumbing etc. We do love putting down flooring even though we’re clueless. HAAA!! But we learn along the way. My flooring preference is the 10mm planks with the padding. I still put the underlay sheeting material just for good measure since the old house doesn’t have a subfloor. Thank you for sharing!!
That looks amazing, you are a very skilled and knowledgeable contractor. It's great that you are passing this knowledge not only to your son but to the world at large via RUclips. Well done!
Watching your video has just made me utterly anxious that no one I could hire would ever do as thorough, careful and beautiful a job as you guys do, seriously well done
As you said, who does under the dishwasher. Only you, GOLDEN. And yes, it is a bitch to get the dishwasher out later without chipping the edge of the flooring.
@@robertball3578 Usually, you do that if the dishwasher is out and everything is getting redone. But usually customers almost never want it under the existing dishwasher.
My knees and back started aching watching you guys install that floor.
Good job on the floor!
Beautiful thing to see a Father and his children together. I miss my Dad so much, so make sure you keep these tapes to show your grands and greatgrands and so on. Have a Blessed year!
I wish all contractors has your integrity! I dig your love for the beautiful finished project with no short cuts
Thanks for the shout out!..I’ve been a licensed flooring contractor in CA for over 29 years.
You got it Thomas 👊
Pro tip from our installers, when cutting door jams for the floor to slide underneath, turn the board upside down so your saw rides the bottom of the board. Saves the floor and the blade doesn't get the small rubber stuck in the teeth 😁
Use a scrap piece.
Floor prep and more floor prep. Was a floor coverer for 18 years and more attention went into prep than installation. Concrete base always seamed to need more attention than OSB decking. Slabs are never level flat surfaces and become a time consuming pain. As a independent installer prep work never seemed to translate to the pay of the installed product. Yet you can never cut corners with your prep as it will bite you down the road.
Yeah, they usually walk in when you're just slapping down straight whole planks in the middle of the floor after hours of prep and are like "wow, you should be done in no time"...
As a LVT manufacturer this is the best install video I have ever seen. I'm going to get with our marketing team to see how we can utilize you.
I used to service appliances so I applaud you guys for putting flooring underneath the dishwasher. Sometimes if it's too thick you can even pull it out to service it!
Watching Stud Pack on Sunday morning is like me and my dad watch This Old House back when I was a kid! Awesome as always! Love you guys!
Followed by New Yankee Workshop... those were the days 😀
That's how I grew up too...
@@StudPack Was Norm the craftsman or what.
I agree. I learned quite a bit from This Old House but I learn more watching Stud Pack. Such a different format and the video’s are much more frequent with more information shared! Thank you Stud Pack!
Ron
Pro tip:: When installing wood ,laminate and LVP flooring around a brick fire place we use a door jamb saw with masonry blade to undercut the mortar joint under at least a half inch so our flooring ca n slide under the bricks and also give you room for expansion of the products..This can also be finished by using a mortar colored caulking to keep trash out of the edges too
very cool
Yes we do this too , but for click together floors you should start your rows off the fireplace otherwise itll be a bitch to get under and click in
Yes very good tip on an undercut saw. But you better have a shopvac hooked up to that saw or you will be sorry 😢. You will be hiring a cleanup crew to come clean all the dust out of the house ask me how I know lol
@@nathanielpulling understood. using motorized tools does create alot of dust
@@raymondmaglaris4149 thats why you shave the lock and then glue and tape the plank
Rather than measuring for pieces at the end, spin them around and mark them backwards. No tape measure required. Also, a guillotine cutter works great. Easier than cut and snap. Nice job.
I’m a hack doing most of my own work. I learned that trick years ago from my Dad.
@@timsjourney same bro
Guillotine cutter is a game changer. Really speeds up the cutting.
Oh yeaaahhh !! Not sure why I never thought of that. Thank you so much for that. Need to find a guilotine cutter.... I am in Japan so ...
Adam Turnbull I got mine from Amazon
Nice to see you guys doing things right! After 50+ years in construction it’s nice to see professionals explaining good practice! Great job.
I think this is the best video I've seen on RUclips as far as showing us useful information. I think a lot of these videos are made by guys that have done this a million times and don't realize how tough it is for a beginner. The tips for working in the hallway alone are invaluable. I don't remember ever seeing another video that used a laser to keep the boards straight across a room. Definitely a subscriber now.
I own a couple of apartments and laying laminate flooring is the worst. As I watch this my legs are still stiff two days after doing one of these in my moms bathroom. So, yeah shout out to the guys that do this everyday. Got some great tips watching this though.
Best how-to video I've ever seen! When a pro shows how it's done, you'd best pay attention! Thanks! You and your team make it look easy, and that's because you know how to do this type of work!
Rotate your plank 180 for the end piece. Line up the end of the plank with the previous end piece. Mark where the new piece just overlaps the last piece you laid down. Score it then snap it. Rotate 180 and put it down. You don't have to hunt for your measuring tape and remember numbers that way.
"Rotate 180 and put it down". I thought it was "put it in"?
It's what my wife always says.
@@diGritz1 If she has you rotating 180 first, that's probably your husband
Wouldn’t that only befor same end pieces (stacked) vs offset?
@@Jopacob No.
This guy knows what's up.. I've been told all my life prep is everything on everything you do.great job. And your helper you guys are a great team...kickass
The son and dad banter is HGTV sitcom worthy!
New subbie because it’s rear to see sons taking on the family business with a huge smile and great presence!
Tip : I use hot glue on my starter pieces to prevent the floor from shifting on concrete. It works awesome on the foam backing and pops right off when ur done. Awesome videos. ! I'm often late to places because I can't stop watching ur videos. I blame it on " paperwork" or... "I was doing estimates" . Love STUD PACK. ! Keep the videos coming. ! I'll keep being late !
I don’t do a ton of flooring, but have always used the wedges after removing baseboard. Idea is the 1/4” between the drywall and floor is the perfect expansion gap. But, again, I don’t do flooring too often.
Thank you for the shout out. I sometimes think I'm crazy for choosing flooring work. We do it a little different on our crew, but you guys still put some awesome floor down! i see nothing wrong with it at all. I love the videos thanks for all the knowledge. I will also say respect for going under appliances! I cant sleep if I don't
I love how diligent, positive and talented/skilled (in working *and* teaching) you are. This mix is what makes you stand out! ☆
Thanks for the video. You are the first to show what happens at the entry door. I'm getting ready to put down over 1000 ft2 for the first time. Your techniques will definitely help. You and your sons make a great team!
Instead of giving me a notification, RUclips just started playing this video the moment it was released. It knew I was waiting for the next video.
👀 it’s learning… LOL thanks for being so early James, you legend! 🥰
Pro Tip: When you are installing straight runs you dont have to measure your end cuts. Take the piece you want to use, flip it upside down, place it where it should go, mark and cut. This works for tile, wood, laminate, all flooring really. Much faster but your "cut man" might not like it so much.
Then use the cut off piece to start your next run (if long enough).
That's how I've always done it.
We did that a few times. I got tired of spinning 5 foot pieces pretty quickly 😬
Much faster than measuring and more accurate. With Vinyl you can even hold the position with your finger before moving a few feet to a hard board on the ground to score and break with a knife. Plus you don't have to get up and down.
Everyone is an expert. 🙄. Would love to see y’all videos?!?
Hey guys! Floor looked great! Love the Father and sons teamwork throughout! That got me to subscribe! Happy to be a part of the " gang"!!
Thank you for the tips and hacks sir, appreciate them so much. So happy tosee Father and sons working in harmony, you don't see that quite often. You're so blessed! Stay safe man!
Hi! It is a pleasure to see how thorough you and your sons are to details. I hope to get someone here to work on my floors. Keep up your videos. 👍
I found you guys when i was looking to build a floating bed frame. Followed your instructions and it came out AWESOME! this is another great video dealing with hallways! Wish I had a relationship with my Dad like you two have. Your videos are TOP Notch!! Thank you for sharing your work with us!!..... "Where did you find this kid?..... gave him a hat...." Hilarious!!
Just finished binge watching your videos. You guys are amazing! Thought I would share what I thought was a great idea. Build a drawer behind the kick panel of the kitchen cabinets for cookie sheets, muffin pans etc. It a great use wasted space for items that are tricky to store.
I just did this in my vanities to have a place to store a scale. very slick. My worry in kitchen for cooking stuff is dirt. But still cool ideas; we are thinking out of the box.
"We had everything on this job!" Proceeds to list stuff typical on every flooring install. Lol that cracked me up. But good tips about looking for patterns, and sharing knowledge about how manufacturers use the same pictures, and offset their "cuts". I've always worked out of multiple boxes, but only because that's how I was taught, now I know
I watch lots of Home Improvements shows and by far you have the BEST. Thank you for sharing the tricks of the trades with us.
Best how-to video I've ever seen! When a pro shows how it's done, you'd best pay attention! Thanks!
First video I’ve come across by your guys. Great professional install, explanations, and honesty. I am very happy that you are putting out videos like this that may help DIY or Contractors to learn from. Keep it up!
Just saw this video pop up and I got so happy I really enjoy stud pack videos
Ever thought about putting a second stage on your shop vac? Cyclone separators work wonders and save you on filters.
You can always just run a bolt and nut through your filters and chuck it in your power drill, then spin it super fast. It'll clean out the filters pretty well :) It's definitely best to do it in a box or trashcan though or else it will make a mess lol.
@@Zalagar619 great idea! But then the bolt and but stays on forever? Or else I’ll have a hole in my filter.
@@xcx4x most filters I've seen have a hole through the middle to secure it, so it would just go through it to hold it while cleaning, then you take it off and reinstall it like normal. There should be some videos of people on here cleaning their filters with this method on RUclips :)
great video and man I can't believe after doing this for 4 years I haven't thought about 2p10 on the tiny pieces. No more frustration or holding it down with shoe...
These are great tips that took me a long time to figure out oh my own. Good job guys.
Probably one of the best flooring vids I've ever seen - and I've laid thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of square feet of flooring. 🎉🎉💪 🥇
I just discovered your channel and I gotta say you guys are very watchable, you all have a great dynamic, and do great work! I really like how you explain everything you're doing and why you're doing it.
Great video, but instead of screwing the holding planks down into concrete, use a hot glue gun. Placing one small walnut glob of hot glue on each small plank and press the plank in the right position unto the concrete. When your done it comes right up with a putty knife (little effort) but it holds great. I've done this technique on concrete floors and it worked great. Just an idea...
Keep up the great work, loved the soapy water trick, live and learn...
Hot glue won't work on backed vinyl. The backing will separate or slide out of place
I always make a trace piece when I work with the that style of vinyl. But I’ll tell you something right now. Glue down vinyl is superior. LVT all day. That entire space coulda been done in 1 day not counting prep time.
Also to take flooring seriously. But a horsehair broom. I would also have just skim coated the floor with some latex patch. Way faster and efficient. Mapei makes a great one. I usually do 2-3 coats and you can sand it afterwards for a nice finish.
Side note. If you are ever doing this type of flooring. Do not forget movement. Makes this flooring a nightmare to maintain
That type of flooring is fantastic. If it gets wet, no problem. Great job 👍
You two work so well together. Is like to think is be working with my dad if he was still alive. He taught me in the beginning but I've gotten most of my skill after he passed. 30yrs flies by.
I learn so much from watching your videos. Even if I never get around to DIY my own projects, it gives me some ideas and shows how things should be done. Quick question, what's your opinion on vinyl plank? Would you choose it over any other products, or is it mostly popular because it's quick and easy? Thanks guys.
Guys keep up the hard work!! I do home renovations myself but I have learned a whole lot from y’all. Making my next project that much easier. Can’t wait for the next video!!
I installed the same flooring. I did the self leveling first and it was perfectly flat and smooth.
Nice thx Robert 👍
I appreciate your videos, and work ethic. Thank you for sharing valuable information on a wide variety of homeowners issues. I did a vinyl plank floor in the laundry room this week. Only smashed my pinky one time and wasted only one plank! Success is the goal. Union electrician for forty years.
It is awesome to see young men learning the trades. We need more of that in America. Great job guys !!!
great tip on sliding the middle piece in the hallway (16:12) Thanks!
I just pulled an all-nighter doing a small hallway with 4 doors on it, and while I like your tip (and it would have saved me a HUGE amount of time), the LVP product I have doesn't allow me to do the soap/water trick. I also had a slight pad on the LVP, and carpet on the various rooms around the hallway. But I also a very thin pad on the floor which would have been torn up. I use it for thermal, water and sound insulation. The product I'm using also seems to be "installable" one direction, and it has caused me some grief where I wanted to install it "backwards". During a brief period when my back made it hard for me to get up and down, I hired on a guy who did floors, and after 2 hours of banging around, I went out to check his progress and he hadn't gotten very far (was trying to install it backwards), and I showed him how I did it. He still kept trying to do it his way. And he too didn't use the plastic shims. But he nailed wooden blocks in to the base area around the perimeter. That was painful to remove!
The bottom line... check out how it installs... some products are too clever for their own good. It's good, but a pain to install at times. Love the laser trick, and nailing pieces down in the middle of the room! ! And TOTALLY agree with someone before saying to check those darn joints! Using a table saw leaves you with tons of static-cling dust and chips, and they fall into those joints SOOO easily, and ruin things fast.
Great video!
If you don’t have a laser you can measure out a center line down the longest stretch of the house, snap a chalk line, then spray it with a clear spray paint. This gives you a permanent centerline which you can always measure off of.
I did that without spraying anything, my wife is chemical sensitive.
When I first started in the remodel business I saved everything that could possibly be used on a future job. I ended up with a garage full of crap.
So that’s why I have to park in the snow…
Why did you have some carpet showing in the hall coming from the bedrooms? Should the door thresh not be directly under the door?
"Garage full of crap"..................
Until you need it, then it's, "Oh thank God I saved this."
@@Nutsarooba You are correct, read William Wrights threads above. It explains all about the threshold.
“Garage full of crap” is what I call my stay at home son.
I'm glad you showed viewers the hallway starting point. A few years back my tenant wanted hard floor as the carpet bothered her kids. (yes I am a good landlord). So I went to big box store picked out product and they sent their crew over to install. Tenant calls and says it looks funny. Sure enough they laid it with the planks going across the long hallway like an old west sidewalk. Pure laziness. I phoned the store and manager looked at it and called it good but she would give me $500 credit to go away. No dice. I emailed corporate with pics and diagrams and within 2 hours the big box store phoned and said they were going to replace it. Corporate called me a couple of times to make sure I was happy. Who said corporations have no soul? Done and done. BTW I was a floor installer for over 40 years and the next rental I did myself.
I've watched a couple of your videos where you are installing interlocking flooring. I always see you installing one plank at a time. A trick I learned that makes this go faster is to lock the ends of an entire row together then tip the whole row up and lock it into the previous row. You'll use your hammer and tapping blocks a lot less. Super long runs like where you started in the hallway and went all the way to the other end of the house get unmanageable for that process, but in average sized rooms it's not hard for two people to tip up and lock in an entire row. Much faster than doing one plank at a time, trying to lock an end and and edge together with tapping blocks.
Cool thx Leroy 👍👊
I hate it when I forget to bring my pet elephant to the jobsite, it's the worst! Great video boys!
Thank you very much for these impressive lessons! There’s so much knowledge here & I very much appreciated that you all took the extra time to explain & show what you did, how you did it & why! It’s extremely crucial for everyone’s sake involved…not only because the obvious of your reputations, but because you saved yourselves all the extra time of having to re-do such a laborious job because you chose to not ignore what you know could be an enormous problem later on. Many many ‘kudos’-!- to this project so professionally accomplished & well done! I love learning things in just this way, as I’m a firm believer that the biggest difference between doing it right or wrong is the small investment of taking any extra time to read, learn, comprehend the details BEFORE applications. The saying: “It’s all in the details” is exactly right! What an awesome ‘team’-!!- you have there, bossman! Excellent leadership skills as boss & father together, working side-by-side! Impressive management of time, skills, teaching, work ethics, talent(s) & care. All of this orchestrated with love & enough patience to instill the confidence & pride they will gain from these experiences to continue such professionalism on their own someday. -(Well done, dad!)… now, the search to find anyone even close to your standards, for the projects I want to have done… ‘Big shoes’ to TRY and fill! All the very best to you & your tribe’, wonderful teamwork, excellent results! Loved this important video, some catching up to do with the others offered here & always looking forward to more! Thanks so much again, everyone!
In my experience which is over 20 years of just floor coverings, it makes more sense to start in the bigger area off the straightest wall and if you can't find one, use a chalk line to make your own perfect straight line, especially if you don't know if the hallway is square to the rest of the house or if all the walls are square at all. Starting with the longest run of the whole floor is never a good idea because even with measuring distance it doesn't ensure you are square with the rest of the house. Also this way you don't have to spend time putting blocking on the floor regardless of the substrate to keep yourself straight. The wedge spacers you were using are trash to begin with and they make ones that don't go under the baseboard like that when you tap boards, I was forced to learn without spacers and at the same time keep myself straight. Also thin set is not a horrible idea, but the best thing to remedy the dips and chunks out of concrete was a polymer mortified self leveling compound that you would have been perfectly smooth and leveled itself to the current concrete without any ridges from using a trowel. And I also never tap a board the long way like that for doorways, there are other ways that are just as easy, if not easier and more impressive depending on how the boards lock together.
Ok Mr perfect, feel free to record, edit amd share your vast experience.
@@mikeedwards2561 Not perfect at all, just a second generation flooring specialist, my father in law did it for around 50 years before he died and also subcontracted for Lowe's for about 25 of it while also subcontracting for independent small business flooring stores throughout his lifetime and never had to eat or pay for a job once due to installation error, he's even been to court over product installation and won in his favor, and I have even installed hard surface in a house that had carpet installed by my father in law over 20 years prior. I have a family with 3 kids under 10 years of age, I literally don't have the time to record, edit, or share my vast experience.
@@ZombieAddictJD579 Don't worry about people who have no idea what they're talking about. I could have done that exact install by myself in half the time, and I agree with you. They overthought several things that ended up making the job harder for them. Which is okay if you're getting paid by the hour, but I get square footage pay; much of what I saw was just unnecessary.
@@michaelcurran7269
At least James gave the comments about not doing a long run and the self leveling compound. But if you are going to say I could have done it faster and they made the job harder by over thinking things and not give an example or two makes your post narcissistic and useless
if your only interest in the dwelling is to lay the floor and move on to the next one that's one thing but if you might do other work on the home then taking longer time or less popular techniques can still result in beneficial outcome, like a physician who spends more time with a patient, it may ultimately prove to have been beneficial.
You Guys remind me of myself when I was Class B Building Contractor in Florida. We did pretty much everything, just like you do. Love How you explain why you have done the steps you do. Keep up the Entertaining Videos. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just setting here in my Retirement Loving great Work. 👍👍
Oh my, I wish this video was older. We put down vinyl plank in the whole house and would have loved to have your tips. It really turned out great. What a job it was to remove the old tile. I had a few nephews to help out. We love the vinyl plank and this was awesome if I ever have to do it again.
Finally someone putting the flooring under the dishwasher!
😂👍
I'd like to request a video on how you do your finishing. Edge finishing, transition finishing from different materials. Most projects fall short with poor finishing in the smallest of area's. What did you do to hide the transition of rough angled cuts along the fireplace brick etc, etc, etc....
I was also hoping to see the final/finished flooring edge against the fireplace. If it’s in another future video that I find, I’ll link it here for you.
At the fireplace he used a molding. Whether it be quarter round, a ripped down Tmolding, or end cap. What looks the most professional is undercutting the fireplace. That way it looks like the fireplace was installed on top of the flooring
SHOUTOUT ALL THE FLOOR INSTALLERS!! I FEEL SPECIAL WHEN THEY SAID THAT LOL
👊👍
@@weswarren5987 if there’s work there’s a way, I’m an installer too. I wouldn’t mind going to Alaska
G.D. furniture..don't u just luv moving other people's shit back and forth to do the job..luv it..🤙🤙
Hey guys. Enjoying your HowTo flooring video with great and useful ideas. I'd like try some of these techniques on my cool miniature home model.
/NOT a doll house/
When I end up with short door jams, I use white wood putty and fill it in all the way to the bottom, use the paint scraper and a punch to carve in the detail. It's much easier than it sounds. Then a light sand and some touch up paint...perfection!