STEP 1 – PLAN
Research and pick the right floors for you and your house. Some new flooring has the underlayment already built in, which saves time and money.
STEP 2 – PREPARE THE SUB-FLOOR
The sub-floor (usually plywood underneath your existing carpet or other flooring) must be a clean, flat surface. Which implies, of course, you must remove the old carpet or flooring. This was the worst part of installing the new floors.
STEP 3 – FIX SQUEAKY FLOORS
Use screws to tighten up the loose panels in the sub-floor. A good drywall screw will do the trick. This is really quick and easy.
STEP 4 – INSTALLING VINYL FLOORS
Follow the easy directions on the back of the box, which recommends beginning in a corner and proceeding out from there. A good YouTube video is also priceless. We watched several, including the one below, to make sure we were comfortable.
You will notice that each piece of flooring has a tongue and groove on two sides. It is important to place the tongue facing the wall on the first row. Use the spacers between these first planks and the wall. The space will be covered by the molding later.
Now comes the easy part. The floors snap together with the tongue and grooves. Be sure to stagger the seams so they don’t line up. When you get to the last piece in a row you’ll have to cut a plank to fit. Use the leftover piece to begin the next row, in doing that the seams will naturally be staggered.
TOOLS:
Pencil
Tape Measure
Floor Cutter
Utility Knife
Hammer
Rubber Mallet
Tapping Block
T Square/Straight Edge