Luxury Vinyl Plank Installation in South Dakota

About this floor

Luxury vinyl plank is the floor we lay most often in ranch houses and split levels around here. It looks like wood from standing height, it is softer and quieter underfoot than tile, and it handles the steady back and forth of a kitchen or a family room without fuss.

Most planks today are rigid core boards with a click joint on all four sides. They float over the base instead of being glued down, which means the room can often be ready to use the same evening the last row goes in. The trick is in the preparation: a flat base, a straight first row and room left at the walls for the floor to move with the seasons.

How the installation goes

1. Look at the base

   We lift a corner of the old covering during the visit and check the floor beneath it with a long straightedge. High spots and dips are marked so they can be planned into the estimate.

2. Clear and level

   The old covering is taken up and hauled off. Low spots get a leveling compound, high spots are ground down, and the surface is swept and vacuumed so nothing sits under the new plank.

3. Lay out the rows

   We measure from the longest straight wall, plan the last row so it is a comfortable width, and decide which way the planks run so they follow the light from the main window.

4. Click and tap

   Rows go in with the seams staggered and the ends spaced so no two joints line up. A tapping block closes each joint without crushing the edge.

5. Trim and transitions

   Spacers come out, baseboard or quarter round covers the gap at the walls, and a low transition piece meets the next room's floor at each doorway.

Where it fits

• Kitchens and dining nooks where chairs move all day and crumbs are swept often.
• Living and family rooms that need a calm, even wood look from wall to wall.
• Halls and entries that see winter boots, grit and a lot of walking.
• Whole main floors, run without breaks from room to room for a wide, open look.

Read about the rooms: Kitchen Living room Entry

Before install day

Clear small items, rugs and anything fragile from the rooms. We move the regular furniture, but beds and dressers go faster when drawers are emptied. Open the boxes of plank a day or two ahead in the room where they will be laid, so they settle to the same indoor air as the house.

Living with it

Sweep or vacuum with a hard floor head, then use a microfiber pad with a cleaner made for vinyl. Felt pads under chair legs keep the wear layer looking even. Skip rubber backed mats, which can mark the surface over time.