So thorough and straight to the point, not a whole lot of talking like many others do. Easy steps to follow and got all my questions answered that i've been searching for in other videos. The staggering was where I wasn't able to find a proper explanation, and you made it so simple to figure out. Thank you!
Wow, Tony. Ive been installing vinyl plank flooring for about 73 years now and I thought I knew every trick in the book until I seent your video. Spectacular
12:04. be sure to use a bit of card board from one of your boxes under the pull bar so you don't scuff up the flooring. Especially if the pull bar is a little big and doesn't fit on flat on the new flooring when hitting with the dead blow hammer.
This is the best video on installing I've seen yet. This process is so much less intimidating and you show how to do so much stuff that I was clueless on, thank you!
Best installation video for this type of product I have seen, and I have been looking at quite a few to get some helpful tips. Excellent! Great job of demonstration and explanation. Thank you so much.
As a newcomer into the remodeling industry this video was very informative and I learned a couple of tricks to make my installations go smoother. Thank you for the detailed video.
Thank you for this video. The trick with using the cut pieces with the block to avoid damaging the tongue and groove on the good panels is a trick I wish I thought of when I did my bathroom
Just finished my first installation (Stainmaster 12 x 24 click-lock plank) and it's important to note that you should start near doorways, and not finish with them. It's a lot easier to tuck the plank under the door after cutting it to fit because you need a 20 degree angle to correctly seed the tongue into the groove, and because you will need to slide the final piece it's almost impossible the get a tight seam. Difficult to envision unless you've made the same mistake, but if you have doors on two adjoining walls, start there and your life will be much easier!
I wasn't surprised seeing the Lowe's icon in the bottom right corner. This is the first video I now feel confident in installing my flooring after watching. Excellent video! Thanks a lot! May be taking a trip to Lowe's before finalizing my purchase. It's closer to the house anyway. Build on!
I've done these before but I did learn one thing that I'll use--a dead blow hammer seems a lot better than my framer. I've got a floor to do after my next few jobs and I'll test it out.
You don’t need to measure your wall fill pieces. Just set a plank square on top of the one closest to the wall take another plank on top of that and place it to the wall then trace the line on the bottom piece. If you flip the top plank with the tongue to the wall you’ll get your 1/4” space too.
Seems to me as I watched a floor guy start He just went from the center or the door way to the wall. He started with a whole peace and worked over. As that let the cut of floor to only have to trim one side.
Done 2 rooms in my Florida Home, now doing in my Canadian Home, and went here as a re-fresher---excellent video! Learned and seen a few good tips that I never thought of prior-Thanks!
Low key a Home Depot guy, but I think I’ll buy my flooring at Lowe’s because of this tutorial. Very clear, really professional. You have got a new customer!
I have found that the smart core water proof vinyl flooring will not lock into place lying flat like he’s doing it. You have to tilt it up slightly. It is smart core bought from Lowe’s. I’ve installed other flooring but never had this painful experience. Its not going nearly as painless as he makes it look. I think China may have something to do with it. My advice is to go with a better grade of flooring if you don’t want agony to the point, you hope you never Have to install this stuff again. Maybe it’s the waterproofing. I’ve heard other pros say this stuff was a pain. Now I know why they made such a statement. Hope you have a better outing.
He treated me like I didn't know anything about floors, and I don't. Great video! This took a lot of the mystery out of the installation, and showed me where I was going wrong.
Excellent video for showing how to connect the flooring pieces. Starts at about 8:00, then a really useful couple minutes. Nice job--thorough but very nicely explained. Thanks!
I was about to pay to have some of this installed, but you make it look so easy that I'm thinking of doing it myself. I know, famous last words, haha, but I have installed ceramic tile in the past with great results, this looked doable. Thanks for sharing.
It is not hard to do. Just make sure to read the instructions, different companies have different locking mechanisms so the method to lock it together may be slightly different.
How did it go Pete? Im thinking of doing my bathroom. My local home depot offers a class on it too this weekend so I'll go to that as well to build more confidence.
Great video. I also have a post like yours. You have a 1/4 inch opening around it for expansion. No moulding to cover that? Mine is in a kitchen. I'm concerned spilled liquids could travel down and under the plank with an open gap like that, though it's necessary for expansion. I'm thinking a bit of silicone caulk in the opening to allow expansion but protect against moisture introduced by a spill . Then, a small door stop moulding over that gap and around the post to hide the gap and add a finished look. Do you(or any readers out there) think this a good approach in my situation? Thanx!
This is a great video. Thank you. Vinyl flooring has improved so much in the last ten years. I had some on my bathroom floor in a previous house and it was great. It looked like oak planks. It wasn't noisy. It felt warmer than laminate. And it wasn't expensive at all.
Decent video all the way up to caulking the edge to make it "water tight". In order for that to work you would need to caulk the door jam and any walls with a water source.
this is a pretty darned good primer actually. Also well done using the table saw properly.... using the fence for a rip and the miter gauge for the cross cuts. ... this does not seem to be as horrible as I expected
Great video, I'm doing our flooring shortly. I like how you went into details about either leveling or removing humps from the floor. Also with baseboards. Very nice video!
Now I know how to do it. Now I know there's no way im going to try do it and I will be hiring a pro so it's done right the first time. I'll stick to cars 😂
This cleared up so many questions for me. Thanks. I'm still not sure how to cut the pattern of the door trim into the flooring - the piece you're installing at 15:17 in the video - how did you cut that to fit? Would you have a video for that?
Maurice George yes, read the manufacturers specs for recommendations. There is different for concrete and plywood subfloors. Concrete slab you will need a vapor barrier.
question: the first row of planks going against the wall requires cutting off the long and short side tongue end. does every plank/tongue edge going against the wall need to cut as well? there's no further mention but i want to confirm.
We had one of these floors installed by the Lowes installers. They didn't do any of this stuff. The subfloor was not level and had gaps in it; now the laminate floor has hills and valleys.
@Stan Curts if they don't make it right, I would dispute the charge on the credit card. I've done this several times with shady contractors with great success.
You should contact store which will send either installer, main contractor, or mill inspection people - to see if it's a install, house, or product failure. If floor was not flat to begin with - whether found during estimate or day of install due to existing floor being down until then - you should have been charged the material & labor to fix issues to material specs - usually 1/8" over 8 lnft, but varies
You can get the same design in ceramic planks mouch better and definitely water proof and will last much longer looks like real wood and comes in many different colors get them at a tile store more choices
Is no one else going to comment on the fact that he explained how to account for the last row, so it wouldn’t be a tiny little sliver, and then proceeded to let it be a tiny little sliver lmao.
@John Smith by putting the long side in first and tapped every board he turned a 5 hour job into a 2 day job.. Wonder how many boards he damaged installing like this.
In all of these videos, no one ever addresses what to do with the ends you trim shorter, to give a more natural look and to avoid the seams being to close to each other, but the next plank has the locking end that now is hitting a trimmed edge with no locking trim. How is that dealt with? The locking trim of the long plank is going to show an obvious gap. What’s the fix???
Would lack of a vapor barrier cause a concrete basement floor to fail a professional moisture test? If so, do you need to install a vapor barrier and the underlayment? Does the underlayment moisture barrier also seal out radon?
Didnt think youre suppose to use glue. At door you used caulked/glued and said it was to make it wayer tight. So what about the need for 1/4 inch expansion gap you mentioned. Such as around walls. If the floor is level and new luan has been installed does the new 2019 smart pro planks 1329189 require the green moisture barrier. Im thinking i read they have a built on underlayment. Nice video.
I see that you cut off some of the bottom of the baseboard by the doors so the flooring can slide under. Is that something that should be done throughout the whole room or just by the doors?
I normally remove the base board trim and re-install. That way you only have to cut the vertical trim and no need for more 3/4 trim along the baseboard..it would be underneath. You may have to cut along the base board trim top before removing if there are multiple layers of old paint on the wall..and then also smooth the original paint line to raise the base board trim up from original place if installing the new floor on existing wood floors.
Great video. I'm just wondering if you leave the tounge on that goes against the walls. Is that not the gap you need ? More or less. I suppose cut pieces that go on the end would not have those tounges. Hmmmm....
@@juliadawnyel4331 all building materials expand and contract somewhat. Same with flooring. If you leave no gap and it expands the floor will have nowhere to go and buckle.
I followed this video using the smart core and proper prep and identical flooring. What I found is that my vinyl floor had dents in it from heavy furniture such as the bed. I often wonder if I didn’t use the smart core would I have the same problem? Love the flooring and installation of the flooring was easy.
FYI when you do your last row the only thing he did right was putting another piece on the previous row. The next step is to take another piece and put it on top of that piece and push it up against the wall and that will give you the excact size plank you need for the last row.
Iive in Florida and have a tile floor which sweats quite a bit in certain spots when the humidity is high. Would putting that moisture barrier and this type of flooring on top of it make sense?
Of course you can , just pull off any old baseboards that are in the room now / install the new floor with the 1/4 inch gap / then cut & install the new baseboards and place em on top of the new floor .done --
Absolutely, but the point he made about that is if the baseboard has to move down from its original position on the wall (say, if you had thick carpeting before, and now you have thinner vinyl flooring), you will need to repair/repaint where the baseboard previously covered your wall - or buy taller molding. Been there, done that - the shoe molding is a great time and/or cost saving tip IMHO.
@@chrismba7975 Or just use a taller baseboard. You'll still have to cleanup any left over caulking from the old one, but won't have to repaint the wall.
Buy "end cap" transition -- manufacturers will sell you a matching 1, might come as a "4 in 1", which will have multiple edges for different floor styles/ size differences. But install the 1 that looks like a squared off edge that goes down to subfloor - then you'll have to buy piece of tackstrip for carpet, & install it fingers width away from your end cap, which allows for carpet to be cut & tucked into gap. It's best to hammer some nails thru over pad carpet b4 lifting it from whatever is holding the stretch of it currently, as not to disturb that (every 6" or so, about 6" from end cap also - remove after completion, nail between yarns). If it looks wrinkled, cut carpet more, but also allow some to be tucked in, otherwise it'll need to be kicked or power stretched to gain that extra carpet again. If nailed b4 & tucked correctly - there's no need for staples - the spikes of tackstrip are angled & to be installed towards the new end cap molding, holding the stretch of carpet after you remove temp nails. If it was already wrinkled, it's best to pay pro $50-75 to restretch it up to your new floor, if keeping it awhile longer, or pay more to do it to entire room if needed (the longer it stays wrinkled, the potential for the clays & latex to delaminate at problem area & will end up coming back even after repair, probably in few months, due to backing failure. Lastly - don't just install "t molding" which covers both floors - but will end up cracking on carpet side due to it not being solid material under it
Fantastic! Great explanation of subfloor PREP for level flooring, to include the insulating underlayment. you did all that w/o kneepads, wow dedication.
He said if you have something heavy on the floor you should glue it down. If this is going onto a home gym in the basement, treadmill, bench, cardio area...I assume it should be glued?
Questions: If you glue it down does it require underlayment? If installing on a single level concrete slab home is floating or glue down better? (no overly heavy furniture)
RPTV good question. Glue down products don’t require underlayment. However your floor prep is crucial with glue down. It needs to be glasslike. I recommend a floating product for your situation. Much simpler install.
RPTV you are much better off with gluing down your flooring on concrete. But better left to the pros. Moisture could be a huge factor so it needs to be tested and like other commenter said it needs to be prepped. Floating floor also needs a flat subfloor and contrary to popular belief not all slabs are flat
@@mikeo6525 also need adhesive with moisture barrier quality built into it. Gluedown isn't neccessary in most residential purposes. But like said above - subfloor flatness (not level but flat - usually 1/8" over 8ft, but check each material spec) is key for any hard surface install to succeed
Are basement vinyl installations still water/moisture resistant if the other portion of the basement isn't finished? In other words, will the unfinished portion section of the basement's moisture still seep over and cause issues (like in this installation where he does the transition)?
Concrete is porous like a sponge - it's not unfinished area, it's the moisture from underneath that's creating moisture levels that are measured, also see humidity level (usually 35 to 55% allowed), whether above, at, or under grade level of subfloor - basically what level from outside is it, all these need to be found out to pick flooring that is allowed due to conditions existing - otherwise failure will be your responsibility)
It would have been nice if you had spent 5-10 seconds showing the blade on the oscillating tool and if it had a certain size or name for that kind of blade. There are several different blades/attachments for that tool. Thanks!
So thorough and straight to the point, not a whole lot of talking like many others do. Easy steps to follow and got all my questions answered that i've been searching for in other videos. The staggering was where I wasn't able to find a proper explanation, and you made it so simple to figure out. Thank you!
Wow, Tony. Ive been installing vinyl plank flooring for about 73 years now and I thought I knew every trick in the book until I seent your video. Spectacular
This is the best vinyl plank installation video I’ve seen. Thank you!
12:04. be sure to use a bit of card board from one of your boxes under the pull bar so you don't scuff up the flooring. Especially if the pull bar is a little big and doesn't fit on flat on the new flooring when hitting with the dead blow hammer.
Bro, you are a true homie. 20 other videos were trash, you made it so easy to get it done. Thank you
Thank you! I am 61 y/o woman and going to install mine next weekend.
how was it?
@@troyporter3825 she won't see the replys
This is the best video on installing I've seen yet. This process is so much less intimidating and you show how to do so much stuff that I was clueless on, thank you!
I agree!
Best installation video for this type of product I have seen, and I have been looking at quite a few to get some helpful tips. Excellent! Great job of demonstration and explanation. Thank you so much.
D
As a newcomer into the remodeling industry this video was very informative and I learned a couple of tricks to make my installations go smoother. Thank you for the detailed video.
THANK YOU ! Absolutely the BEST video on installing I`ve seen yet and I`ve looked at them ALL !! Did I mention THANK YOU !!
Getting ready to install my new floor. Watched several videos and yours is the best I've seen for a single room installation
How did it go?
Thank you for this video. The trick with using the cut pieces with the block to avoid damaging the tongue and groove on the good panels is a trick I wish I thought of when I did my bathroom
Just finished my first installation (Stainmaster 12 x 24 click-lock plank) and it's important to note that you should start near doorways, and not finish with them. It's a lot easier to tuck the plank under the door after cutting it to fit because you need a 20 degree angle to correctly seed the tongue into the groove, and because you will need to slide the final piece it's almost impossible the get a tight seam. Difficult to envision unless you've made the same mistake, but if you have doors on two adjoining walls, start there and your life will be much easier!
Great video, right to the point without unnecessary details. Super helpful. Thank you!
I wasn't surprised seeing the Lowe's icon in the bottom right corner. This is the first video I now feel confident in installing my flooring after watching. Excellent video! Thanks a lot! May be taking a trip to Lowe's before finalizing my purchase. It's closer to the house anyway. Build on!
Me too
The best video on vinyl plank I have seen
I've done these before but I did learn one thing that I'll use--a dead blow hammer seems a lot better than my framer. I've got a floor to do after my next few jobs and I'll test it out.
You don’t need to measure your wall fill pieces. Just set a plank square on top of the one closest to the wall take another plank on top of that and place it to the wall then trace the line on the bottom piece. If you flip the top plank with the tongue to the wall you’ll get your 1/4” space too.
Big help! Thanks!
Seems to me as I watched a floor guy start He just went from the center or the door way to the wall. He started with a whole peace and worked over. As that let the cut of floor to only have to trim one side.
Done 2 rooms in my Florida Home, now doing in my Canadian Home, and went here as a re-fresher---excellent video! Learned and seen a few good tips that I never thought of prior-Thanks!
Low key a Home Depot guy, but I think I’ll buy my flooring at Lowe’s because of this tutorial. Very clear, really professional. You have got a new customer!
Check out if there is a Floor and Decor near you. They’re the Costco of flooring
I have found that the smart core water proof vinyl flooring will not lock into place lying flat like he’s doing it. You have to tilt it up slightly. It is smart core bought from Lowe’s. I’ve installed other flooring but never had this painful experience. Its not going nearly as painless as he makes it look. I think China may have something to do with it. My advice is to go with a better grade of flooring if you don’t want agony to the point, you hope you never
Have to install this stuff again. Maybe it’s the waterproofing. I’ve heard other pros say this stuff was a pain. Now I know why they made such a statement. Hope you have a better outing.
He treated me like I didn't know anything about floors, and I don't. Great video! This took a lot of the mystery out of the installation, and showed me where I was going wrong.
Best Installation video ever, I made the full installation by myself without problem, thank you!!!
A very nice vidoe!
Excellent video for showing how to connect the flooring pieces. Starts at about 8:00, then a really useful couple minutes. Nice job--thorough but very nicely explained. Thanks!
He did a really nice job at the finish.
Ok ok ok ! The greatest most well explained video ! Thank you Lowe’s !
Good video. What is the name of the underlayment?
Wow he looked so easy doing flooring! I may be try it one day!
I was about to pay to have some of this installed, but you make it look so easy that I'm thinking of doing it myself. I know, famous last words, haha, but I have installed ceramic tile in the past with great results, this looked doable. Thanks for sharing.
It is not hard to do. Just make sure to read the instructions, different companies have different locking mechanisms so the method to lock it together may be slightly different.
If you've done tile work, you can absolutely put down vinyl plank flooring yourself. It's a much easier process than tile.
Super easy. If you get thinner planks( 1/4" in and down) it's harder to keep the planks locked together as you go but definitely doable
Just did a bathroom remodel using this plank. Super easy!!
How did it go Pete? Im thinking of doing my bathroom. My local home depot offers a class on it too this weekend so I'll go to that as well to build more confidence.
Thank you! You are a legend! Probably the best video on luxury vinyl floor installation out there. Informative and steight to the point. Well done!
Great video. I also have a post like yours. You have a 1/4 inch opening around it for expansion. No moulding to cover that? Mine is in a kitchen. I'm concerned spilled liquids could travel down and under the plank with an open gap like that, though it's necessary for expansion. I'm thinking a bit of silicone caulk in the opening to allow expansion but protect against moisture introduced by a spill . Then, a small door stop moulding over that gap and around the post to hide the gap and add a finished look. Do you(or any readers out there) think this a good approach in my situation? Thanx!
This is a great video. Thank you. Vinyl flooring has improved so much in the last ten years. I had some on my bathroom floor in a previous house and it was great. It looked like oak planks. It wasn't noisy. It felt warmer than laminate. And it wasn't expensive at all.
What was the purpose of the cross in room as you did not seem to use it.?
i think it's part of figuring out where your starting straight line is.
I have done laminate before . This is awesome . The perfect material for a basement A great video
Love it he did it step-by-step awesome job! thank you Lowe's!! you are now my new favorite Channel besides HGTV!;)
Decent video all the way up to caulking the edge to make it "water tight". In order for that to work you would need to caulk the door jam and any walls with a water source.
Did he caulk an edge that may move during the seasons?
Absolutely
this is a pretty darned good primer actually. Also well done using the table saw properly.... using the fence for a rip and the miter gauge for the cross cuts. ... this does not seem to be as horrible as I expected
L
EXCELLENT prep and install video, thank you.
That Craftsman jigsaw makes the same noise i do after a big bowl of spicy chili. Maybe they should rename Crapsman
Great video, I'm doing our flooring shortly. I like how you went into details about either leveling or removing humps from the floor. Also with baseboards. Very nice video!
Best install video I’ve seen 👍🏼
Now I know how to do it. Now I know there's no way im going to try do it and I will be hiring a pro so it's done right the first time. I'll stick to cars 😂
My thoughts exactly
😂😂
Good you can hire ppl like me that know how
Its way easier than he makes it seem… Just takes time and patience.
@@TheQMan14 you in the metro DC area?
So what is the moisture level that you can what’s the cut off or you can install this vinyl floor? He had a moisture meter
Thanks for showing each step
This cleared up so many questions for me. Thanks. I'm still not sure how to cut the pattern of the door trim into the flooring - the piece you're installing at 15:17 in the video - how did you cut that to fit? Would you have a video for that?
Thank you for sharing the best installation video.
Is there any specific requirement for underlayment or I can use wood flooring underlayment for Vinyl flooring as well?
Maurice George yes, read the manufacturers specs for recommendations. There is different for concrete and plywood subfloors. Concrete slab you will need a vapor barrier.
Yes
question: the first row of planks going against the wall requires cutting off the long and short side tongue end. does every plank/tongue edge going against the wall need to cut as well? there's no further mention but i want to confirm.
Is it necessary I'm wondering?
No - as long as gap is kept and molding you have will cover it
So many tools needed, and materials.
Very informative. It made it clear I probably don't want to do this myself.
You said to check the moisture, but what are the acceptable levels?
We had one of these floors installed by the Lowes installers. They didn't do any of this stuff. The subfloor was not level and had gaps in it; now the laminate floor has hills and valleys.
Stan Curts will they fix the problem?
What was the cost of them putting it in?
@Stan Curts if they don't make it right, I would dispute the charge on the credit card. I've done this several times with shady contractors with great success.
You should contact store which will send either installer, main contractor, or mill inspection people - to see if it's a install, house, or product failure. If floor was not flat to begin with - whether found during estimate or day of install due to existing floor being down until then - you should have been charged the material & labor to fix issues to material specs - usually 1/8" over 8 lnft, but varies
You can get the same design in ceramic planks mouch better and definitely water proof and will last much longer looks like real wood and comes in many different colors get them at a tile store more choices
With what I had laying it down under the door casing and using that tool ,it would not go in. You had to have it at a 45 to get it to go together.
Great instructions, thanks!
Great video, just confirms that I’m doing jobs right 🙏🏽
is this a Craftsman tools infomercial?
Is no one else going to comment on the fact that he explained how to account for the last row, so it wouldn’t be a tiny little sliver, and then proceeded to let it be a tiny little sliver lmao.
The one next to it is nice and big !
I caught that soon as he did it...clean mistake edit...
Some people like tiny slivers, freaks.
@John Smith by putting the long side in first and tapped every board he turned a 5 hour job into a 2 day job.. Wonder how many boards he damaged installing like this.
two the between divide Always
One of the best videos 👍
Great job looks really good.
Or you can get the planks with the built in underlayment already attached
In all of these videos, no one ever addresses what to do with the ends you trim shorter, to give a more natural look and to avoid the seams being to close to each other, but the next plank has the locking end that now is hitting a trimmed edge with no locking trim.
How is that dealt with?
The locking trim of the long plank is going to show an obvious gap.
What’s the fix???
Thankfully to sharing detial
Would lack of a vapor barrier cause a concrete basement floor to fail a professional moisture test? If so, do you need to install a vapor barrier and the underlayment? Does the underlayment moisture barrier also seal out radon?
Thank you so much for helping me.
Didnt think youre suppose to use glue. At door you used caulked/glued and said it was to make it wayer tight. So what about the need for 1/4 inch expansion gap you mentioned. Such as around walls.
If the floor is level and new luan has been installed does the new 2019 smart pro planks 1329189 require the green moisture barrier. Im thinking i read they have a built on underlayment. Nice video.
Does the flooring colors come off on the bottoms of your feet?
No - why would it?
What is the name of the underlayment that www used it n the video demo?
My house has the old wood floor. Any videos how to replace it or put wood floor on top of that?
I would take up the old wood floor and replace it with underlayment, not hard.
Cheapest is usually to refinish existing hardwood - plus still have real wood floors which will keep with age of house motif
I see that you cut off some of the bottom of the baseboard by the doors so the flooring can slide under. Is that something that should be done throughout the whole room or just by the doors?
I normally remove the base board trim and re-install. That way you only have to cut the vertical trim and no need for more 3/4 trim along the baseboard..it would be underneath. You may have to cut along the base board trim top before removing if there are multiple layers of old paint on the wall..and then also smooth the original paint line to raise the base board trim up from original place if installing the new floor on existing wood floors.
Just by the doors for the vertical casing. A pull saw or oscillating tool does the job.
@@PeterPetrakis cosign this reply - just at door jams so there's no binding of floor & there's no need for trim that doesn't exist at jam
Looks like the blue ridge pine we just bought.
Looks like you're installing up to a baseboard, not a bare wall. Hmmm. So what goes in the quarter-inch gap you're leaving outside the baseboard?
do you need to caulk the bottom of the baseboards to the flooring?
Wouldn’t do you any good when the flooring shifts or expands. Caulk would just pull off.
Great video. I'm just wondering if you leave the tounge on that goes against the walls. Is that not the gap you need ? More or less. I suppose cut pieces that go on the end would not have those tounges. Hmmmm....
The gap is for expansion. If you leave the tongue on and but that against the wall you have no gap and your floor will buckle if it expands.
@@jasonb9652 why would it expand
@@juliadawnyel4331 all building materials expand and contract somewhat. Same with flooring. If you leave no gap and it expands the floor will have nowhere to go and buckle.
@@jasonb9652 especially cork
@@andresschwerin829 and temperature/ humidity changes
I followed this video using the smart core and proper prep and identical flooring. What I found is that my vinyl floor had dents in it from heavy furniture such as the bed. I often wonder if I didn’t use the smart core would I have the same problem? Love the flooring and installation of the flooring was easy.
he did state that for heavy furniture, you should glue the flooring down.
Or install those felt tabs on legs of furniture
FYI when you do your last row the only thing he did right was putting another piece on the previous row. The next step is to take another piece and put it on top of that piece and push it up against the wall and that will give you the excact size plank you need for the last row.
It would take 1st timers months to remember how to do that properly, lol
@@doubleds65 true. But all these RUclipsrs that like to make DYI videos try to make it seem simple but it’s not. They just show doing simple areas.
I found the easiest way to pull up tack strips is with a flat shovel
Flooring contractor here (Lowe’s, Home Depot, and local builders). A standard long crowbar is the quickest way and removes most nails with it.
Iive in Florida and have a tile floor which sweats quite a bit in certain spots when the humidity is high. Would putting that moisture barrier and this type of flooring on top of it make sense?
Yes the underlayment is a moisture barrier I have the same issue
What if I don't want that shoe molding? Can't I just get molding that fits over the flooring?
Of course you can , just pull off any old baseboards that are in the room now / install the new floor with the 1/4 inch gap / then cut & install
the new baseboards and place em on top of the new floor .done --
Absolutely, but the point he made about that is if the baseboard has to move down from its original position on the wall (say, if you had thick carpeting before, and now you have thinner vinyl flooring), you will need to repair/repaint where the baseboard previously covered your wall - or buy taller molding. Been there, done that - the shoe molding is a great time and/or cost saving tip IMHO.
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@@chrismba7975 Or just use a taller baseboard. You'll still have to cleanup any left over caulking from the old one, but won't have to repaint the wall.
like it i would like learn make on floors, thanks for show on video
good details when installing
What’s the best way to transition with carpet on the opposite side of the room?..
Buy "end cap" transition -- manufacturers will sell you a matching 1, might come as a "4 in 1", which will have multiple edges for different floor styles/ size differences. But install the 1 that looks like a squared off edge that goes down to subfloor - then you'll have to buy piece of tackstrip for carpet, & install it fingers width away from your end cap, which allows for carpet to be cut & tucked into gap. It's best to hammer some nails thru over pad carpet b4 lifting it from whatever is holding the stretch of it currently, as not to disturb that (every 6" or so, about 6" from end cap also - remove after completion, nail between yarns). If it looks wrinkled, cut carpet more, but also allow some to be tucked in, otherwise it'll need to be kicked or power stretched to gain that extra carpet again. If nailed b4 & tucked correctly - there's no need for staples - the spikes of tackstrip are angled & to be installed towards the new end cap molding, holding the stretch of carpet after you remove temp nails. If it was already wrinkled, it's best to pay pro $50-75 to restretch it up to your new floor, if keeping it awhile longer, or pay more to do it to entire room if needed (the longer it stays wrinkled, the potential for the clays & latex to delaminate at problem area & will end up coming back even after repair, probably in few months, due to backing failure. Lastly - don't just install "t molding" which covers both floors - but will end up cracking on carpet side due to it not being solid material under it
Is removing the tongue from the first row necessary?
Yes
Super amazing job 👍👍👍
Fantastic! Great explanation of subfloor PREP for level flooring, to include the insulating underlayment.
you did all that w/o kneepads, wow dedication.
Perhaps, two guys working with knee pads were edited out :)
@@ondopolom785 lol
Knee pads at 11:40
Great video, very detailed.
Yep
He said if you have something heavy on the floor you should glue it down. If this is going onto a home gym in the basement, treadmill, bench, cardio area...I assume it should be glued?
It's a different product entirely. Basically the sort of vinyl you see in supermarkets. Not very diy friendly IMHO.
Yes - get commercial grade materials
If the basement gets some water seepage, does the floor or underlayment get ruined?
Usually not vinyl, but wood or laminate, yes.. There are some edge moisture barrier products nowadays, & use silicone to seal also
Do you need spacers at both ends of each row or just one side?
Around entire end of room - it's an expansion gap
Good work, good how to video 👍👍
See this guy is really good
Good 2 know thanx !! Great job also 🙂
So, what about going around corners? I don't want to install a transition in every doorway.
Google. They already did so much for free, and you can’t use another free service?
Questions: If you glue it down does it require underlayment? If installing on a single level concrete slab home is floating or glue down better? (no overly heavy furniture)
RPTV good question. Glue down products don’t require underlayment. However your floor prep is crucial with glue down. It needs to be glasslike. I recommend a floating product for your situation. Much simpler install.
RPTV you are much better off with gluing down your flooring on concrete. But better left to the pros. Moisture could be a huge factor so it needs to be tested and like other commenter said it needs to be prepped.
Floating floor also needs a flat subfloor and contrary to popular belief not all slabs are flat
@@mikeo6525 also need adhesive with moisture barrier quality built into it. Gluedown isn't neccessary in most residential purposes. But like said above - subfloor flatness (not level but flat - usually 1/8" over 8ft, but check each material spec) is key for any hard surface install to succeed
I would've removed the baseboards to do the install. Cleaner and more professional end result than having to tack quarter round to the baseboards.
Are basement vinyl installations still water/moisture resistant if the other portion of the basement isn't finished?
In other words, will the unfinished portion section of the basement's moisture still seep over and cause issues (like in this installation where he does the transition)?
Yes, because it's vinyl. I wouldn't use anything other than vinyl or tile in a basement. Using laminate or wood is just asking for issues.
Concrete is porous like a sponge - it's not unfinished area, it's the moisture from underneath that's creating moisture levels that are measured, also see humidity level (usually 35 to 55% allowed), whether above, at, or under grade level of subfloor - basically what level from outside is it, all these need to be found out to pick flooring that is allowed due to conditions existing - otherwise failure will be your responsibility)
It would have been nice if you had spent 5-10 seconds showing the blade on the oscillating tool and if it had a certain size or name for that kind of blade. There are several different blades/attachments for that tool. Thanks!
Find one for wood if your trim is wood.
What does stagger mean when installing smart core
Stagger the ends/ joints of boards in the next row at least 6" away from existing joint in previous row
If it is a self leveler... why do you have to spread it?
He didn't install the vapor barrier under the padding layer?
best tutorial. thanks