Renovation guides

How to install click-lock LVP flooring yourself: step by step

Draft guide written from standard practice, not yet reviewed by a licensed pro. Follow product labels where they differ.

The best beginner task for savings vs. difficulty. Laying is 2/5; subfloor prep is 3/5 and is 70% of the result.

Difficulty 2 of 5 · 1 weekend · you can do this

Photo of your room, the look you pick, then this guide with the materials counted for your room.

Step by step

1. Step 1 of 27

   Acclimate per the box

   

   Bring the boxes in now and let them acclimate while you prep. Find your planks' install guide (in the box or on the maker's site) — its numbers win over this guide. Run the heat or AC at normal living temperature and leave the boxes flat, open or closed as the box says, for the time on the box — often 24–48 hours; some rigid-core planks need none. When in doubt, wait 48 hours. The timer runs 48 hours; go by your box if it says otherwise.

2. Step 2 of 27

   Pull the shoe molding

   

   Pry off the shoe molding (and the baseboard if it is being replaced) with a flat bar, a scrap of wood behind it to protect the wall. If the baseboard stays, plan to add quarter round or shoe molding after the floor to cover the 1/4" gap.

3. Step 3 of 27

   Remove the old flooring

   

   Carpet, pad, staples, nails. One layer of old glued-down vinyl can stay if it is stuck tight. Tile can stay if nothing rocks; fill the grout lines. Building from before 1980? Do not pull, sand, or scrape old vinyl, vinyl tile, or black adhesive — float the new floor over it or get it tested first.

   Before you pull anything up

   • Building is from 1980 or later, OR the old vinyl, tile, and black adhesive stay in place (you float over them), OR a lab test says no asbestos
   • You will not sand, grind, or scrape old vinyl or its adhesive unless the building is from 1980 or later or a lab test says no asbestos

4. Step 4 of 27

   Sweep and vacuum until clean

   

   Any pebble under a plank is a click underfoot forever.

5. Step 5 of 27

   Flatness check with a 6 ft straightedge

   

   Lay it in 5–6 places across the room, crosswise too. Look at the light under it: more than 1/8" (3 mm) under the 6 ft straightedge means that spot needs flattening (most install guides allow 3/16" in 10 ft — check yours).

6. Step 6 of 27

   Grind the humps, fill the dips

   

   Knock down or grind humps. Grind with a dust shroud hooked to a shop vac with a HEPA filter, wear an N95 or better and safety glasses, and keep others out of the room. Fill dips with self-leveler or patch compound: prime first with the primer the bag names, dam the doorways, then mix and pour per the bag. Dry time per the bag.

7. Step 7 of 27

   Concrete only: moisture test

   

   Tape a 20×20 inch square of plastic to the slab for 24 hours. This is a quick check, not the brand's test. Over concrete, lay the 6 mil barrier unless your planks' attached pad has one built in (per the box). Condensation or a dark spot means check the moisture limits in your install guide or ask a flooring pro before you continue; standing water means stop. Slab poured in the last 60 days: wait.

8. Step 8 of 27

   Wood subfloor: fix the squeaks

   

   Screw the plywood down to the joists before laying anything.

9. Step 9 of 27

   Undercut the door jambs and casing

   

   Hold a scrap plank plus underlayment against the jamb and saw along it. The floor slides under the jamb, not around it — that is the difference between a pro and a beginner.

   Ready to lay?

   • Straightedge shows no gap over 1/8" anywhere
   • Floor is dry and clean
   • Door jambs are undercut and a plank slides under
   • Planks have acclimated in the room for the time on the box (step 1)

10. Step 10 of 27

    Pick the direction

    

    Along the longest wall, or along the light from the main window — seams show less.

11. Step 11 of 27

    Fixed cabinets on the subfloor; freestanding appliances can sit on the floor

    

    Fixed cabinets and islands go on the subfloor; the floor stops at them with its 1/4" gap. New cabinets still to come in this plan: mark their footprint from your layout and stop the floor there with the same gap; their toe kick covers the edge. A freestanding fridge or range can sit on the floor — slide it in on a sheet of hardboard so it does not gouge the planks. Check the box for weight limits.

12. Step 12 of 27

    Calculate the last-row width

    

    Room width ÷ plank width; look at the remainder. If it is under 2 inches, rip the first row narrower so the first and last rows are about equal. A sliver at the wall looks like a mistake.

13. Step 13 of 27

    Snap a chalk line for the first row

    

    First-row width (from step 12) + 1/4" from the wall. Walls are never straight; the line is.

14. Step 14 of 27

    Open several boxes and check the planks

    

    Open 3–4 boxes and mix planks from all of them as you lay, so shade and pattern repeat spread out. Set aside any plank with a chipped lock or damaged face — defects you could see when the plank went in are not covered by the warranty.

15. Step 15 of 27

    Roll out the underlayment (if separate)

    

    Along the first row. Seams butt, not overlap. Tape the seams.

16. Step 16 of 27

    First row, tongue to the wall, spacers in

    

    Cut the tongue off with the knife if it gets in the way. 1/4" spacers at the wall and at the ends.

17. Step 17 of 27

    End joint: follow the lock type on the box

    

    Most planks have a fold-down end: lower the end onto the previous plank and tap the joint down from the top with a white rubber mallet until it is flush. Use a tapping block from the side only if the box tells you to.

18. Step 18 of 27

    Second row starts with the offcut from the first (at least 8–12 inches)

    

    Stagger end joints at least 8 inches from the neighboring row, with no repeating stair-step pattern. No piece in a row shorter than 8" (or the minimum on your box).

19. Step 19 of 27

    Long joint: lift the whole plank at an angle, insert into the previous row, lower, then close the end

    

    If the lock does not seat, do not hit harder. Pull it out and check for debris in the groove.

20. Step 20 of 27

    Every 3–4 rows, measure from the wall at both ends

    

    A drift of 1/8" must be fixed now. It cannot be fixed later.

21. Step 21 of 27

    Pipes: hole 1/2" larger than the pipe, cut the plank through the hole center

    

    Fit the long piece, then glue the small cut-off back in behind the pipe with a bead of the adhesive your install guide names on its cut edge. Cover the gap with a pipe collar.

22. Step 22 of 27

    Last row: measure the width at several points, mark, cut, seat with the pull bar

    

    Walls are not straight. Keep the 1/4" gap at the wall.

23. Step 23 of 27

    Doorways: follow your install guide on transitions

    

    If your install guide requires it (most do at doorways), end this room's floor in the doorway with its own gap and put a T-molding between. Some rigid-core floors allow one continuous floor up to the maximum run on the box.

24. Step 24 of 27

    Pull the spacers

    

    Never fill the gap with foam or hard caulk. In a kitchen, seal the gap along the sink base, dishwasher, and exterior doors with 100% silicone if your install guide calls for it — silicone stays flexible.

25. Step 25 of 27

    Install the T-moldings in the doorways

    

    Where your install guide calls for them. Cut to the doorway width. Fasten the track or adhesive to the subfloor in the gap between the floors, never through the planks.

26. Step 26 of 27

    Check the doors and protect the floor

    

    Swing every door: if it drags on the new floor, trim the door bottom. Keep floor-level sun off the floor with blinds (hot sun can move rigid-core planks). Put felt pads under furniture; no steam mops.

27. Step 27 of 27

    Baseboard and casing are the next task (phase 7)

    

    New baseboard in this job: it goes on next, nailed to the wall, not to the floor, with a hair gap above the floor. Baseboard staying: nail the shoe molding or quarter round you bought into the baseboard now — never down into the floor, so the floor can still move — and caulk only its top edge.

    Quality check

    • Walked the whole floor: no hollow sound, clicks, or movement
    • 1/4" gap at every wall, pipe, and jamb
    • Locks closed: no raised edges, no light through seams
    • Straightedge shows no humps
    • A transition strip in every doorway your install guide requires, and at tile and carpet edges
    • No chipped edges

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